How to get more survey responses with email authentication?
Email is one of the best ways to invite people to take your survey. It’s quick, direct, and cost-effective. But there’s one big problem: many survey invitations never make it to the inbox.
They end up in spam, and your audience never even sees them.
The good news is that you can fix this. With proper email authentication and a professional survey builder like Formester, you can reach more people, get more opens, and collect more responses.
Why Email Deliverability Matters for Surveys
If your survey emails are not delivered, you lose responses and waste time. Poor deliverability leads to fewer insights and weaker data.
High deliverability means your emails consistently reach the inbox, giving you a better chance of getting clicks and completed surveys. That’s why improving it should be your top priority.
Common Reasons Survey Invitations Land in Spam
Here’s why many survey invitations fail to reach the inbox:
Weak or poor sender reputation.
Missing SPF, DKIM, or DMARC records.
Spam-triggering subject lines.
Too many images or too little text.
Sending from a free domain instead of your own.
Using an outdated email list full of inactive addresses.
Understanding Email Authentication
Think of email authentication like an ID check. It proves the email is really from you.
The three main protocols are:
SPF (Sender Policy Framework): Tells mail servers which IP addresses can send emails for your domain.
DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail): Adds a secure digital signature to verify your emails.
DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance): Decides what to do if your email fails SPF or DKIM checks.
When all three are set up correctly, you greatly increase your chances of landing in the inbox.
Top 5 Email Authentication Platforms
PowerDMARC – Best for High-Volume Formester Survey Campaigns
PowerDMARC delivers complete email authentication with DMARC, SPF, DKIM, BIMI, and MTA-STS, backed by AI-driven threat detection.
It’s ideal for Formester customers running large-scale feedback collection because it combines automated DNS record generation with easy-to-read reports.
Trusted by over 2,000 global organizations, PowerDMARC makes compliance simple and keeps phishing attempts away from your audience. Pricing starts at $8/month, with enterprise features like unlimited domains and white-labeling.
Valimail – Fastest Path to DMARC Enforcement
Valimail’s automation makes DMARC enforcement up to four times faster than competitors, which is perfect for Formester users who need quick compliance.
Their IDEA platform removes DNS complexity and offers intelligent policy recommendations so you can focus on building surveys, not decoding email logs.
Red Sift OnDMARC – Complete, Integrated Protection
Red Sift OnDMARC combines SPF, DKIM, DMARC, and BIMI management in one platform. Its dynamic SPF management removes the 10-DNS lookup limit, keeping survey delivery smooth even for complex setups.
With machine learning-powered analysis and partnerships with Cisco and Microsoft, it’s a top choice for enterprise-level Formester campaigns that need maximum security.
DMARC Report – Enterprise-Scale Compliance
If you run surveys for multiple brands or clients in Formester, DMARC Report’s enterprise tools help you stay compliant across all domains. Their API automation, detailed monitoring-to-enforcement guidance, and misconfiguration detection protect your campaigns from deliverability issues.
EasyDMARC – User-Friendly for Small and Mid-Sized Teams
EasyDMARC is designed for teams who want strong authentication without a steep learning curve.
Its Smart Alerting System, simple dashboards, and educational resources make it easy for Formester customers to set up and maintain protection.
Crafting High-Deliverability Survey Invitations
Once authentication is in place, your message matters too:
Write clear subject lines without spam words.
Personalize with the recipient’s name.
Keep your message short and clear.
Use a visible call-to-action button.
Make sure your design works on mobile.
How to Create a Detailed Survey in Seconds with AI
You don’t need hours to build a great survey. With Formester’s AI survey maker, you can create a professional survey in just a few steps:
Type your topic or goal.
AI suggests relevant, high-quality questions.
Customize branding, colors, and wording.
Publish and share instantly.
This way, you can spend more time on results and less time on setup.
Additional Best Practices to Improve Response Rates
To boost participation:
Send emails when your audience is most active.
Segment your list for relevance.
Send polite reminders.
Offer small incentives.
Keep surveys short and easy to finish.
Tracking and Measuring Success
Watch these key numbers:
Open Rate: Who opened your email.
Click-Through Rate: Who clicked your survey link.
Response Rate: Who completed the survey.
Use reports from your email platform and authentication tool to improve each campaign.
Conclusion
Getting survey invitations into inboxes is essential for better responses. With strong authentication, clear email copy, and AI-powered survey creation from Formester, you can run campaigns that deliver both reach and results.
Start creating secure, high-deliverability surveys today with Formester.
