You can use Inbox Monster to easily monitor domain reputation and send seed list tests from your Group with just one check of a box. You will then be able to log in to Inbox Monster directly and see if your email landed in inboxes or spam boxes, how this placement has changed over time, your domain’s reputation, and other deliverability statistics. This suite of deliverability analytics typically cost thousands of dollars, but through a partnership between Action Network and Inbox Monster, it’s now included for Boost subscribers.
Click here to learn more and join Boost.
1. Getting Started
To request Inbox Monster, click the Boost menu on your Group Manage page and select Enable Inbox Monster. This will take you to our Inbox Monster Setup Form, which asks for the following information:
- A link to your Group
- The domain you want to monitor (typically what comes after the @ sign in your primary Reply-To email address)
- Email addresses of any users who should receive Inbox Monster logins
- Additional domain purchase information
- Network admin confirmation, if your Group is part of a Network
The Action Network team will notify you when setup is complete and you will receive invites to set up Inbox Monster accounts to the emails you have asked us to set up. You will then have full access to the Inbox Monster deliverability platform, which you can log into here.
If you need to change the domains or set of users with Inbox Monster access, you can do so by contacting support@actionnetwork.org.
As a Boost partner, you are eligible to receive 1 domain and 4 seed lists per month in your Inbox Monster account, enough for one seed list test per week, which is a good baseline for understanding your deliverability and how it changes over time. Additional domains and IP addresses are $250/month each, and additional seed list tests are $15 each, billed automatically to your Boost subscription.
For child Groups in a Network, talk with your top level Network administrator to make sure these expenses are approved before requesting Inbox Monster setup. Groups associated with our Partner Development Committee should reach out to their parent organization for more details.
This integration and discounted rate are available for Boost partners who sign up for new Inbox Monster users via Action Network. We are not able to connect existing Inbox Monster accounts to an Action Network Group at this time. Current Inbox Monster customers can reach out to our Partnerships team for further assistance at join@actionnetwork.org
2. Adding Seed List Testing to an Email
Once Inbox Monster is set up for your Group, you can send a seed list test to any email. Create your draft email as usual. Wait for the email to finish calculating on the Preview & Send page. Click Schedule Email or Send Email. Check the box next to “Seed list test with Inbox Monster, part of Boost” then send as usual.
This process will run a seed list test for that email, which sends a group of seed email addresses spread across common email providers that will allow you to monitor whether your messages are arriving in people’s inboxes. You can view deliverability analytics for how providers handled that message and more via your Inbox Monster account.
Four (4) seed list tests per month are included with your Boost partnership, enough for one seed list test per week, which is a good baseline for understanding your deliverability and how it changes over time. Additional tests are $15 each billed automatically to your Boost subscription. Admins will NOT receive a system warning when they exceed the baseline. If you have multiple administrators on your team, we recommend communicating clearly with each other about your seed list test volume.
3. Accessing Inbox Monster Reports
Reporting is available through Inbox Monster for any email where you added a seed list test. On the Statistics page for an email, click the Inbox Monster external link. After logging in to Inbox Monster, this will take you to your Campaigns page in the Delivery section of your Inbox Monster account.
Learn more about making the most of your integration with Inbox Monster and explore available features through their support guides here: Inbox Monster Help Desk
4. Glossary
- Client: Inbox Monster’s name to indicate separate accounts and instances, similar to our Group.
- Domain: The part after the @ symbol in an email address, which is set up for monitoring on Inbox Monster on a per client basis. If a client doesn’t have that domain set up, it won’t be monitored and seed list tests won’t show up for that domain. If two clients set up the same domain, they see each others’ seed list tests. Includes reputation monitoring as well as seed list testing. One domain is included per Boost partnership, encompassing parents and children if in a network. Additional domains can be set up for $250/month each, automatically billed through your Action Network account.
- Note that a.example.com and b.example.com would be considered two domains, not one.
- IP/IP address: The IP address used to send email, which can be (but is not usually) set up for monitoring on Inbox Monster on a per client basis, for the purposes of monitoring IP reputation. Because Action Network largely sends on shared IPs, we won’t typically enable this feature. If you have your own dedicated IPs, you may decide to have IP monitoring set up. This costs $250/month for each IP address, automatically billed through your Action Network account.
- Seed list: A list of email addresses at various inbox providers (gmail, yahoo, etc…) created and controlled by Inbox Monster, meaning they are able to see the inbox, the spam box, and whatnot and definitively state that this email to this recipient landed in spam, something not usually visible from the outside.
- Seed list test: Sending an email to the list of seeds, for the purpose of seeing where that email lands in inboxes or spam boxes for deliverability monitoring. 4 seed list tests per month are included in a Boost subscription (encompassing parents and children if in a network). Additional are $15/test, billed automatically.
- User: Inbox Monster’s term for people who can log in and view various pieces of information the client the user was added to, but not perform edits. There can be as many users of a client as needed. Unique by email address. If you need more set up, let us know by emailing our support line.