When you create and send an email in Rule, you may wonder what happens behind the scenes after you click "Send." Here, we walk you through the process step by step to give you a clear understanding of how your emails reach your recipients – and the factors that can affect delivery.

1. The Email Is Created in Rule

The process starts in app.rule.io, where you, as the user, design and prepare your email campaigns. Once everything looks good and you click "Send," the technical chain begins within our platform.

2. The Email Goes to Our Send Engine

Your email is then forwarded to Rule’s Send Engine, our sending motor. This is where each individual email is generated, and you can track the process directly in the platform. A progress bar is shown as it moves toward 100%.

An important part of this process is that emails to your most active customers are prioritized – these emails are created and sent first. What does this mean? Active customers are often more engaged with your communication and tend to open and read emails faster. By prioritizing these recipients, we ensure that your most important audience receives the email first, which can boost your open and engagement rates early in the campaign.

As the emails are created, they are immediately sent to the next step.

3. Emails Are Sent to Email Service Providers

The next step in the process is for our Send Engine to contact all relevant email service providers, such as Gmail, Outlook, or Yahoo, and forward the emails. We work continuously with these providers to ensure that your emails are handled properly.

4. Queue Management and Delivery Optimization

Sometimes, email service providers may experience queues. In such cases, our Send Engine slows down and waits until the provider is ready to receive the emails, a process called "back off." This means that if an email cannot be delivered to a recipient, we will attempt to resend it until it is successfully delivered. This process ensures that your emails actually reach the recipients.

5. Delivery Times and Recommendations

It’s important to understand that email service providers cannot guarantee exact delivery times. This means that if the timing of your communication is critical – for example, in campaigns with time-sensitive offers – we recommend complementing your email campaign with other communication channels, such as SMS or RCS. Usually, 95% of your emails are delivered within a very short time frame, but the more communication channels you use, the more precise your campaign will be.

Summary

After you create and send your email in Rule, an advanced process takes place behind the scenes to ensure your emails are delivered securely and efficiently. From creation in our Send Engine to communication with email service providers, each step is optimized for the best possible delivery. However, for time-sensitive communication, we recommend combining channels to ensure your message reaches the recipient on time.

Want to learn more about how to optimize your email campaigns in Rule? Contact our support team or read more in our help center!