An inbox placement test shows where a Salesforce email campaign lands after it is sent. MailSlurp provides controlled Gmail, Google Workspace, Outlook, and Microsoft 365 seed addresses, matches the delivered message using a unique test code, and reports the folder outcome for each provider.

This is more useful than treating a content spam score as a delivery guarantee. A spam score can identify risky message characteristics, while inbox placement measures the observed result of a real Salesforce send. Use both the placement table and MailSlurp's content and domain issue checks when deciding what to improve.

## Quick answer

To test inbox placement for a Salesforce campaign:

1. Create a new inbox placement test in MailSlurp.
2. Copy the unique marker and all seed email addresses.
3. Create one opted-in Salesforce contact for each seed address.
4. Add the contacts to a dedicated Actionable List.
5. Put the exact marker in the Salesforce email subject or body.
6. Save and publish the revised email.
7. Send the campaign to the placement-test list.
8. Review primary, promotions, spam, and not-received results in MailSlurp.
9. Inspect the **Content issues** and **Domain issues** tabs before the next send.

Do not reuse a marker from an earlier run. Each MailSlurp inbox placement test has its own code and seed set.



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## Before you begin

Prepare the Salesforce marketing email you want to test and identify an authenticated sender. You also need permission to create test contacts, update their marketing consent, create an Actionable List, publish the email, and send from the campaign.

Use a dedicated list such as `Salesforce Inbox Placement QA`. The list should contain only the seed contacts shown by the current MailSlurp run.

## Step 1: Create the MailSlurp inbox placement test

Open **Deliverability**, choose **Inbox placement**, and create a new test. MailSlurp displays a unique marker plus seed addresses for personal and business inboxes at major providers.

Copy the marker and every seed address before leaving the page.

![MailSlurp inbox placement setup with arrows showing the unique message code and privacy-safe provider seed addresses](/assets/guides/salesforce-inbox-placement-testing/01-mailslurp-placement-setup.webp)

The screenshot uses masked examples. Always use the exact marker and addresses displayed in your own active test.

## Step 2: Create opted-in Salesforce seed contacts

Create one Salesforce contact for each MailSlurp seed address. Use clear test names that identify the provider, such as `Gmail Personal Seed` or `Microsoft 365 Business Seed`.

Set each contact's email marketing consent to **Opted In**. If consent is missing or opted out, Salesforce may exclude the contact even when it appears on the list.

## Step 3: Build a dedicated Actionable List

Add all seed contacts to one Salesforce Actionable List. Confirm that the list member count matches the number of addresses MailSlurp supplied.

Keep this list for placement testing only. Seed addresses are measurement recipients, not customers, and should not be mixed into production segmentation.

## Step 4: Add the marker to the Salesforce email

Open the actual Salesforce email content record and add the MailSlurp marker to the subject or body. The subject is easy to verify during setup. For example:

```text
Fall campaign preview | mip-example123
```

Save the revised content and publish it. This publication step matters: changing the subject only inside a send composer can leave the previously published email unchanged, preventing the placement run from matching the message.

## Step 5: Send from the Salesforce campaign

Open the campaign and choose **Send Marketing Email**. Select the placement-test Actionable List, the newly published email, an authenticated sender, and the correct subscription category. Check the recipient count and click **Send**.

![Salesforce Send Marketing Email flow with arrows showing the MailSlurp QA list, published marked email, and send action](/assets/guides/salesforce-inbox-placement-testing/02-salesforce-send.webp)

Salesforce queues the marketing list send. Leave the MailSlurp test open while the provider inboxes receive and classify the campaign.

## Step 6: Read the inbox placement result

MailSlurp updates the delivery score and provider rows as results arrive. Each row identifies the provider, audience type, placement, and receive time.

![MailSlurp Salesforce inbox placement result with arrows showing provider-level folder outcomes and content and domain issue tabs](/assets/guides/salesforce-inbox-placement-testing/03-placement-score.webp)

In the completed run shown above, MailSlurp reported a delivery score of 35. Gmail Personal and Google Workspace Business both reached Promotions, while the Outlook Personal and Microsoft 365 Business targets timed out. That combination is a clear signal to review the reported content and domain issues before increasing campaign volume, then retest the corrected published email.

Interpret the placement labels as observed delivery outcomes:

| Result           | What it means                                                                             |
| ---------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Primary or inbox | The message reached the main inbox experience for that seed                               |
| Promotions       | The provider delivered the message to a promotional category rather than the primary view |
| Spam or junk     | The provider classified the message as unwanted or suspicious                             |
| Not received     | MailSlurp did not observe the message at that seed during the test window                 |
| Timed out        | MailSlurp did not observe a provider result before the run finished                       |
| Pending          | The provider result is still being checked                                                |

A promotions result is delivered, but it is not the same as primary-inbox placement. Decide which category is acceptable for the campaign type and audience.

## Step 7: Review content and domain issues

Open **Content issues** to inspect signals associated with the message itself, then open **Domain issues** to review the sender and domain checks reported for the run.

Prioritize concrete fixes:

- authenticate the sending domain with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC
- keep sender identity and reply handling consistent
- remove broken, misleading, or unnecessary links
- balance text and images and include meaningful alternative text
- avoid abrupt volume changes and send to engaged, permissioned recipients
- keep unsubscribe and preference controls clear
- retest the exact published revision after making a change

Placement is influenced by sender reputation, authentication, list quality, recipient engagement, campaign content, and provider-specific filtering. Change one meaningful variable at a time so the next result is useful.

## Salesforce inbox placement checklist

Before treating a run as valid, confirm:

- the current MailSlurp marker appears in the published Salesforce email
- every current seed address has its own Salesforce contact
- all seed contacts are opted in
- the Actionable List member count matches the seed count
- the campaign uses the intended authenticated sender
- the Salesforce send is queued or complete
- provider rows in MailSlurp belong to the current run
- pending targets have been given time to resolve
- content and domain issues have been reviewed
- any corrected campaign was published and tested again

## Troubleshooting Salesforce placement tests

### MailSlurp does not recognize the sender

Open the delivered Salesforce email or the campaign's published content and confirm the exact active marker is present. If the wrong revision was sent, publish the corrected revision and create a fresh placement run before resending.

### Some Salesforce contacts are not sent

Check each contact's marketing consent, email address, and Actionable List membership. Also review Salesforce suppression, bounce, frequency, and subscription rules that may apply to your organization.

### A provider stays pending

Wait for the run to finish its observation window. A delayed or not-received result is itself useful evidence. Do not replace a pending row with an assumption about where the message landed.

### The campaign reaches promotions instead of primary

Promotions is a delivered category. Review whether that outcome matches the purpose of the message, then use the content and domain findings to guide changes. Retest the published revision rather than assuming one copy change will move every provider.

### The spam score looks acceptable but placement is poor

A content-based email spam score test evaluates message characteristics; it does not reproduce every provider's filtering and reputation data. Use the observed seed placement, sender authentication, domain checks, and list-quality signals together.

## FAQ

### What is an inbox placement test?

It is a controlled send to provider seed inboxes that measures whether the message reaches primary, promotions, spam, or is not received. The test reports actual folder placement for the campaign sent during that run.

### Can I test Salesforce Marketing emails for spam?

Yes. Send the published Salesforce campaign to a MailSlurp inbox placement seed list. Review the observed provider outcomes plus the content and domain issue tabs to investigate spam and deliverability risks.

### Is inbox placement the same as a spam score?

No. A spam score evaluates content or technical signals, while inbox placement records where a real message landed. The two are related, but neither should be treated as a guaranteed prediction of every customer inbox.

### Why must the marker be published in Salesforce?

MailSlurp uses the marker to associate delivered messages with the active test. Salesforce sends the published email content, so an unpublished subject edit may not reach the seeds.

### Should I reuse the Salesforce seed list?

You can reuse the list structure, but update its contacts to the addresses supplied by the current MailSlurp run and use the new marker. Verify the list before every send.

Start with the [inbox placement documentation](/docs/inbox-placement/) for the dashboard workflow. To approve the campaign's visual layout as well, follow the [Salesforce iPhone, Android, and Outlook preview guide](/guides/salesforce-email-device-preview/).