In 2022, email marketers should be familiar with Mailchimp.
Mailchimp Omnivore is a great filter to reduce suspicious activity from malicious email addresses.
And if you’re familiar with Mailchimp, you’re most likely familiar with Omnivores’ software.
A very high predicted bounce or abuse rate alert is a red flag to Mailchimp.
Mailchimp will disable sending to that list until you remove the bad addresses.
Unlike expectations, Mailchimp Omnivore’s triggers aren’t necessarily bad addresses.
Mailchimp Omnivore warning could be triggered by bad URLs and sus keywords.
Mailchimp Omnivore is not the bad guy here.
Mailchimp Omnivore is only an advanced artificial intelligence designed as a filter to make your email marketing campaign better.
In fact, Mailchimp Omnivore became a necessary piece of software.
The downside is that Mailchimp Omnivore doesn’t come with a constructing manual.
The operations rules are not transparent for Mailchimp users.
This is what ignites Mailchimp Omnivore’s issues when you’re trying to send your emails.
But this is sometimes a bad idea but could be limited to getting 100% delivered emails.
This article will show the basics of Mailchimp Omnivore and how it affects your email marketing campaigns.
Mailchimp Omnivore Warning
How do I fix Mailchimp Omnivore Warning?
Once you’re sure your email list is scrubbed clean from bad email addresses and has been removed, you should:
- Undo your latest import – get rid of the list that caused a warning message
- Send a re-engagement campaign to the removed segment to confirm any email addresses that might be okay
- Reimport the email list
If the problems you try to solve are in an existing email list, you can use Mailchimp to segment out a list of valid email addresses.
To do this, you need to:
- Create a segment based on your last successful email send
- Export the new addresses since this send
- Clean the list
It is highly recommended to do regular data cleansing. This way you will avoid data decay over time.
Keeping your data clean is the best way to avoid Mailchimp’s Omnivore warning.
Make sure to avoid the Mailchimp Omnivore warning triggers, like:
- Possible spam traps on your list.
- Addresses that may cause hard bounces.
- Addresses that could generate abuse complaints.
About Omnivores
What is Mailchimp Omnivore?
Omnivore is a system used by Mailchimp to ensure that its clients are sending quality emails.
When you hit send on an email, Omnivore reviews the email list and decides whether the send can take place or not, based on the quality of the list.
Mailchimp Omnivore’s only goal in life is to make sure you’re using the cleanest, healthiest email lists possible.
All that Mailchimp want is for you to follow email sending best practices.
Mailchimp’s best practices only mean more effective results for your email marketing campaigns.
Is Mailchimp Omnivore necessary?
Mailchimp using the Omnivore service affects negatively the entire Mailchimp client base.
Why? Because both Mailchimp and Omnivore use shared servers.
Mailchimp uses the Omnivore service during the vetting email lists process.
Mailchimp uses the Omnivore service to avoid being a vehicle for spam.
For example, if you have poor deliverability and you get flagged as spam.
The sender’s reputation of Mailchimp as an ESP is threatened.
This means your email effectiveness will take a massive drop.
Mailchimp Omnivore is set to protect your entire client base.
However, Mailchimp Omnivore can be an obstacle for new or existing Mailchimp users if the data in their email send lists isn’t good enough.
How do I fix the omnivore warning issue on MailChimp?
If the problems you try to solve are in an existing email list, you can use Mailchimp to segment out a list of valid email addresses.
To do this, you need to:
- Create a segment based on your last successful email send
- Export the new addresses since this send
- Clean the list
It is highly recommended to do regular data cleansing. This way you will avoid data decay over time.
Keeping your data clean is the best way to avoid Mailchimp’s Omnivore warning.
Make sure to avoid the Mailchimp Omnivore warning triggers, like:
- Possible spam traps on your list.
- Addresses that may cause hard bounces.
- Addresses that could generate abuse complaints.
What triggers MailChimp Omnivore warnings?
- Possible spam traps on your list
- Addresses that may cause hard bounces
- Addresses that could generate abuse complaints
Omnivore warnings are usually given when email addresses are considered to be inactive or spammers.
This is where it gets tricky.
Omnivore doesn’t tell you exactly what the issue is, it doesn’t tell you which addresses have alerted their triggers of ‘bad’ email contact.
Mailchimp Omnivore uses an algorithm to predict audience behavior on email addresses, based on the group of addresses in each send list.
Mailchimp Omnivore assigns a level of risk, and when this reaches a certain level.
Mailchimp Omnivore prevents you from sending emails to those riské email addresses.
Mailchimp Omnivore Warning – What should I do if I get it?
You should not ignore the Mailchimp Omnivore warning.
After you get a warning, Mailchimp will simply put a complete stop to your email campaign.
Mailchimp Omnivore warning will not solve itself. You need to resolve it, otherwise, you can’t do anything.
Reach Out to MailChimp Support.
Mailchimp Omnivore usually bans after three suspensions within six months.
However, Omnivore might send you the warning in error.
When this happens, contact MailChimp.
Don’t try the DIY the issue like using a BCC (Blind Carbon Copy) to every address and sending the email to yourself.
I will spare you the trouble and tell you Just. Don’t. Do. It.
Maybe this DIY will show you the problematic accounts. But a massive BCC will badly influence your sender’s reputation.
ISPs (internet service providers) will be pouring their attention into your IP.
Which will only badly reflect on your email marketing campaign.
How does Mailchimp Omnivore work?
When you import new addresses or send a campaign to new email addresses, MailChimp Omnivore checks your email list for any email addresses you haven’t contacted through Mailchimp yet.
These email addresses could be:
- Brand new imports
- Newly signed-up subscribers
- People you have segmented out from previous campaigns.
MailChimp Omnivore algorithm prepares every single email address in your email list.
MailChimp Omnivore algorithm goes the extra mile and assigns a level of risk to each address.
The emails will not be sent if the risk levels exceed Mailchimp’s accepted threshold.
The downside is that Mailchimp doesn’t tell you what level of risk it has assigned to which emails.
So you can’t know which addresses are causing problems.
This means that you have to take manual action.
For this, it might require you some email marketing know-how.
How does MailChimp Omnivore warning work?
Mailchimp Omnivore reviews email send lists.
Mailchimp Omnivore detects your attempts to send an email campaign to recipients for the first time.
Either when these recipients are newly imported or added to a list via a sign-up form or app.
Although an email list may ‘pass the test’ the first time you import it.
However, if this email list decays and you aren’t performing any email list clean-ups of the data.
Your email campaign may fail to pass the Omnivore test later on.
When you get an Omnivore warning, your Mailchimp account won’t remove or change your data, nothing will happen to your lists.
There will be a hold put on your lists until you have resolved the issues identified by Omnivore.
You can continue your email campaign to other lists in the meantime.
Mailchimp Omnivore Warning vs Mailchimp Account Suspension
MailChimp usually sends a warning flagging that email list.
However, MailChimp user accounts can get suspended or banned too.
Usually, suspensions happen from issues with recent email campaigns, unclear list collection processes, and signing up with a free email account (such as your Gmail account).
Suspension can happen if your recent activity violates MailChimp’s terms of use.
Once suspended, MailChimp Customer support will contact you to take steps to resolve the issue.
However, if you receive three suspensions in 6 months, Omnivore may permanently shut down your account.
As advice, take the Omnivore warnings seriously, even when it seems as though you are doing something that’s merely routine.
Never ignore the omnivore warning, as it won’t go away until you have fixed the problem.
Ignoring also increases the risks of being suspended or banned!
Why did this happen?
Usually, suspensions happen from issues with recent email campaigns, unclear list collection processes, and signing up with a free email account (such as your Gmail account).
Suspension can happen if your recent activity violates MailChimp’s terms of use.
Once suspended, MailChimp Customer support will contact you to take steps to resolve the issue.
However, if you receive three suspensions in 6 months, Omnivore may permanently shut down your account.
Why is Omnivore warning on Mailchimp necessary?
Mailchimp uses the Omnivore service during the vetting email lists process.
Mailchimp Omnivore simply wants to avoid being a vehicle for spam.
Mailchimp Omnivore uses shared servers, that’s why they’re careful about their entire client base.
In other words, if you have poor deliverability and get flagged as spam, the sender’s reputation with the email service provider (in this case, Mailchimp) is threatened.
This means Mailchimp’s other clients may face a drop in their email effectiveness.
No wonder Mailchimp would want to protect their entire client base.
This can be an obstacle for new or existing Mailchimp users if the data in their email send lists isn’t good enough.
Mailchimp Omnivore warning
Omnivore is a system used by Mailchimp to make sure users like you are sending quality emails.
When you hit send on an email, Omnivore reviews the email list and decides whether to allow the sending or not. This decision is based on your email list quality.
Mailchimp Omnivore wants you to use the most pristine email lists possible.
It’s good for Mailchimp, of course, but it is also good for you too to follow email sending best practices.
Following Mailchimp Omnivore’s guidelines can only mean more effective results for your email marketing campaigns.
Getting around Mailchimp omnivores
The con of Mailchimp Omnivore is that it doesn’t highlight exactly which email addresses are risky.
To detect the rotten apples from the healthy ones, you need to work on the entire list, and then reimport it.
If your email list, the stale email addresses are probably within one or some of your newly imported email addresses in that email list.
If you are sending an email campaign to an existing list then it’s likely that contact has decayed, and is no longer valid or active.
Preventing Mailchimp Omnivore Warning
It’s quite simple to avoid a Mailchimp Omnivore warning if you follow a number of methods that can help you in this process and get you closer to that 100% deliverability.
1. Use Double Opt-Ins
Use the double opt-in method for new subscribers.
Double opt-in is an additional step of verification.
The double opt-in process guarantees to give you more valid contacts which will help you maintain a clean email list.
A clean email list will make sure that you don’t get the Mailchimp Omnivore Warning.
2. Avoid Generic/Role-Based Email Addresses
Mailchimp is very serious about generic and role-based emails.
Mailchimp treats any email list that contains generic or role-based emails to be dirty lists.
Generic or role-based emails are email addresses such as “[email protected]” “[email protected]” or “[email protected]”.
Generic or role-based email addresses don’t run under real names or are linked to a unique user.
Generic or role-based email addresses all usually have a very high bounce rate and very low open rates.
Mailchimp Omnivore rightfully does not allow them on the platform and this could lead to you receiving a Mailchimp Omnivore warning.
3. Exercise Caution With Third-Party Lists
Mailchimp has a database of any and all known spam email addresses.
Every email list has spam emails.
If you are using a third-party list that you either bought or “borrowed”, you are vulnerable to spam emails.
If Mailchimp detects old and invalid emails on your list, you’ll get a Mailchimp Omnivore warning.
Keep a clean and updated email list that you acquired yourself and Omnivore will not be a major problem for you.
4. Use An Email Validation Service
Hire an email validation service to help you out.
Email validation services will go through, format, and verify all the emails in your list.
Email validation service will automatically delete any email address that has an unfixable issue.
Whether you have a small list or a long one, an email validation service can help you ensure that it is 100% clean.
MailChimp Omnivore Warning – What triggers it?
Mailchimp omnivore warning does not mean your Mailchimp account is suspended or closed.
If you remove the flagged list and upload another list with no problem, you will be able to send email campaigns with no problem.
The uploaded list is what triggered the Mailchimp Omnivore warning, not your entire account.
Mostly these triggers come from your email list quality.
Once you import your email database, MailChimp Omnivore puts a prediction of your potential bounce rate, abuse rate, spam traps, and hard bounces.
You need to check your email list if it contains old outdated or deactivated addresses, bad syntax, disposable emails or email addresses, or the emails that are flagged as spam traps.
The Mailchimp Omnivore algorithm is very accurate in measuring the quality of an email list.
If the risk associated with an email list is beyond the specified limit you will not be allowed to send out emails to the affected email list.
Because if you keep sending email marketing campaigns to riské email addresses can harm your email deliverability.
If you keep receiving multiple Mailchimp Omnivore warnings, your email list might need some maintenance. Otherwise, it can also lead to a permanent account ban.
What should I do next to prevent it?
Cleaning up your list
Before you start sending your campaign’s emails, your email list must be clean of invalid email addresses.
Email list scrubbing is crucial to you if you aren’t using double opt-in to confirm new subscribers to your email list.
Or if you didn’t have reCAPTCHA on the sign-up form.
You can use an email verification tool like Email Inspector, MailFloss, ZeroBounce, etc.
An email validation tool will help you remove any dead or invalid email addresses filed with typos or syntax problems.
A clean email list will save you the trouble to send emails to invalid email addresses which will trigger a hard bounce.
Stale email addresses
Stale addresses are old or invalid emails that haven’t been sent regular emails for the last 6 months or more.
If your email lists have stale addresses, you are prone to high rates of hard bounces, spam complaints, and unsubscribed.
It is highly recommended to delete or reconfirm stale addresses.
A nicely scrubbed email list will help you improve your deliverability and engagement rates.
Avoid generic/role-based e-mail addresses
Mailchimp is very serious about generic and role-based emails.
Mailchimp treats any email list that contains generic or role-based emails to be dirty lists.
Generic or role-based emails are email addresses such as “[email protected]” “[email protected]” or “[email protected]”.
Generic or role-based email addresses don’t run under real names or are linked to a unique user.
Generic or role-based email addresses all usually have a very high bounce rate and very low open rates.
Mailchimp Omnivore rightfully does not allow them on the platform and this could lead to you receiving a Mailchimp Omnivore warning.
How Can Email Inspector Help You?
Mailchimp Omnivore is a tool that helps your emails to reach your audience.
However, a Mailchimp Omnivore warning could ruin your email marketing campaign.
And you want to avoid that?
That is how Email Inspector as an email validation service can help you!
The only way for a pristine email list is to use a trustworthy email validation service like Email Inspector.
With pay-as-you-go packages that suit your budget and cutting-edge email list cleaning techniques, Email Inspector is the one tool you need to ensure that you need to make sure you see the least number of Mailchimp Omnivore warnings.
Sign up now, get 100 free Credits, no credit card details are required, and improve your email marketing campaign today.
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