Client overview
Curative Mushrooms is a fast-growing e-commerce wellness brand with an education-first email community. Email drives product launches, customer education, and a meaningful share of revenue, so inbox placement is core to the business.
Why the emails started going to spam
In early 2024, major mailbox providers tightened their bulk-sender requirements and DMARC expectations. At the time, Curative Mushrooms was sending ~100,000 emails per day. Deliverability started slipping. Key campaigns landed in spam, automations became inconsistent, and sender reputation trended in the wrong direction.
They didn't need new copy. They needed someone to fix the technical setup and get mail back into the inbox at high volume.
What was broken
- SPF, DKIM, and DMARC out of alignment across sending domains
- Overlapping or conflicting automation logic (Klaviyo plus older tools)
- Problems with list segments and engagement that hurt reputation
- Monitoring that existed but wasn't configured or reviewed consistently, so problems weren't caught early
How we fixed deliverability
We audited Curative's sending domains, mail streams, and lifecycle automations. Then we ran a plan that put deliverability first and performance second.
- Authentication alignment. Cleaned up and standardized SPF, DKIM, and DMARC across domains and senders. Added reporting so issues could be seen and fixed quickly.
- Automation cleanup. Reviewed and corrected Klaviyo flows, triggers, and routing logic. Removed conflicts caused by old sequences and duplicate triggers.
- Reputation protection. Set up a controlled warm-up and throttling plan, better list hygiene, and sending based on engagement. This protected sender reputation while volume stayed high.
- Monitoring and visibility. Tightened monitoring and set up regular reviews, so problems could be measured instead of guessed at.
Results
- Within ~3 weeks, inbox placement stabilized and stayed reliable across campaigns and automations
- Within ~1.5 months, sender reputation was fully restored and performance returned to normal
The client’s review
John is a true professional and an absolute expert in email deliverability. Working with him has been a game-changer for our company, Curative Mushrooms. His deep understanding of the technical aspects of email deliverability, including SPF, DKIM, DMARC, and advanced routing automation within platforms like Klaviyo, was exactly what we needed. John's attention to detail and proactive approach ensured every aspect of our email system was optimized for maximum performance. He not only identified and resolved issues but also implemented systems to monitor and improve deliverability across multiple platforms. His expertise extended far beyond the basics, using tools like MX Toolbox and monitoring email flows to ensure everything operated seamlessly. Any business would be lucky to have John working with them and will undoubtedly see a significant improvement in their email deliverability. He was always available when needed, incredibly reliable, and worth every penny. I would hire John again in a heartbeat and highly recommend him to anyone looking for an email deliverability expert. Thank you, John, for your incredible work!