Pilar Bower has worked hands-on with some of the most recognizable names in digital marketing, media, and technology. Before she transitioned into our specialized world of email deliverability in 2019, Pilar honed her expertise in email strategy, customer success, and operations at companies like Red Door Interactive and Mapp Digital/BlueHornet. Over the years, she crafted and optimized email programs for a wide range of clients, from national retailers and nonprofits to major lifestyle brands, focusing on subscriber growth, customer engagement, and performance-driven marketing success.
Pilar then made a natural pivot into deliverability, at Return Path (later Validity), where she helped enterprise clients safeguard and grow their inbox performance. Today, as a Senior Deliverability Consultant at Inbox Monster, she brings both a marketer’s creativity and a technician’s precision to every client consultation, helping brands not just reach the inbox, but build lasting trust with their audiences.
Tell us a little bit about yourself! How did you first get started working in email?
When I first moved to San Diego in 2012 I started working at Red Door Interactive, a full service digital agency, they primarily built websites and did other online services but no one was dedicated to the email channel. We started getting more clients that wanted help with their email strategy and operations so my manager asked me if I wanted to learn about email and run with it and so I did! I taught myself best practices and learned how to use our ESP partner’s platform -- good ol’ BlueHornet at the time, and they were also based in San Diego so I got extra support there.
I am impressed: before getting deep into deliverability, you spent a long time leading email marketing strategy and operations for some big companies and brands! Can you tell us a little about that part of your career?
A good follow up to the last question! I spent the next 7 ½ years at Red Door so I really got to work on a variety of different brands, so that was very fun. As Red Door grew, they created a Cross Channel team and really encouraged us to become an expert in one channel instead of trying to know everything about every channel. I just enjoyed that frame of mind and working with the team on an overarching strategy for our clients. I was able to attend a lot of conferences and started doing speaking engagements and just really came to love this email community of ours and realized I never wanted to leave this niche industry.
What made you decide to transition from interactive and digital marketing into focusing specifically on deliverability around 2019? What drew you to it?
I started working at another company that had terrible deliverability, which I quickly realized the reasons for that ;) and I had access to the Return Path platform and an awesome CSM. The company was not willing to make any recommended changes that were needed to improve deliverability but I learned so much about it. Then when I moved to a position at BlueHornet, they also used Return Path and as an ESP it was critical to have visibility into deliverability and make recommendations to our clients. Return Path had such an awesome reputation and culture, I was so excited when I got hired to work there! Shortly after I started Return Path was acquired by Validity, then they also acquired 250ok and built the Everest platform so at one point I was using 3 different platforms while in the same role with a lot of clients -- if that doesn’t teach you deliverability, I don’t know what does! Then when I left Validity, I still wanted to stay in deliverability and was lucky enough to end up at Inbox Monster -- I am very happy here.
I feel like your background in digital marketing and email strategy gives you an edge when working on deliverability issues. It helps to better see things from a customer’s perspective and brings you closer to connecting with the real world deliverability challenges that marketers face. Do you agree? Tell me about how your background helps to inform your deliverability consulting today.
I do think it adds value and reminds me to ask about new projects, and I can provide recommendations on things like a welcome series, re-engagement campaigns, sunset rules, etc. Working with a variety of senders in the past also helps me understand one sender’s frequency or engagement criteria can be vastly different from another. I’ve also worked at an ESP with direct clients so it can also help give guidance on how they might be able to execute on certain plans. When I first started in email, it would drive me crazy when I knew what I should be doing with data but couldn’t figure out how to actually do it in the platform. I think ESPs have come a long way since then, but it’s still helpful to have the background!
Looking back, are there any projects or campaigns you worked on before moving into deliverability that you were especially proud of?
I’d have to say my favorite program was Souplantation & Sweet Tomatoes - let me tell you those subscribers REALLY wanted their weekly emails (COUPONS) and we had a lot of regional / store specific segmentation. I’d go with the social media team on “research and content lunches” and we’d spend half our time taking photos of our food. We even won a Silver MarketingSherpa Award for Best Email List Growth -- 'Club Veg' Initiative. I also loved working with the California Avocado Commission and even got to participate in recipe development and create the content calendar for monthly emails for the whole year. I did work on many non food related clients (ha!) but those were the most fun for me personally. The biggest and most complex client I worked on was Cricket Wireless. (these were all during my time at Red Door)
A more recent deliverability experience that was so memorable was working with the Biden / then Harris for President email team. It was amazing and I am proud to be a part of history and even though it didn’t end with the result we wanted, it was the most successful digital fundraising campaign in US history. Deliverability for political senders is especially challenging and being part of the team was especially rewarding.
The email industry is always evolving. Microsoft recently announced new sender requirements, joining Gmail, Yahoo, and Apple to enforce email authentication and other tougher requirements. How do you think this will change things for email senders?
For Microsoft specifically it shouldn’t change anything because they were a year late to the party! I do think if you weren’t paying attention to deliverability before the Gmail / Yahoo requirements, that really lit a fire to do that. I think it makes it that much more important to have a deliverability partner (I promise I am not just saying that for selfish reasons!) that can help keep up with any industry changes. Email teams have so much to focus on already from a strategy perspective, it’s challenging to keep up to date on new things in the mailbox provider and deliverability space. Or spend half your day entering and following up on Microsoft support tickets (lol).
Filling out mailbox provider support tickets is definitely one of the most fun things in the whole world, that's for sure! What advice would you give to someone new to deliverability who might be coming from a marketing or customer success background like you did?
Besides reading the Spam Resource blog? ;) Join the emailgeeks Slack community if you aren’t already, and follow the #email-deliverability channel! It’s a great space for people who like to learn - I love reading blog posts and joining webinars.
Outside of work, what do you like to do for fun? Are you a good cook, or do you mix the perfect cocktail?
I read a lot -- I am really jealous that your wife recently opened a book store! I did work at a small adorable independent children’s bookstore all through college and I loved it. I also watch Food Network constantly cook a lot -- I think I am a good cook, but my husband is very frank with his reviews when I try new recipes. My goal last summer was to learn to use this vintage smoker that was at our rental and I accomplished it! I finally got a cast iron for the first time in my life a few months ago - I was just intimidated before for some reason, and now I use it all the time! I do enjoy cocktails, but my go to is just Tito’s & club soda with an orange slice. Other than that, I live on a beautiful magical island and we just hang out with our friends a lot.
I’m happy to say that our corner bar just started stocking Tito’s again, so for me, it’s a Tito’s and club soda with a splash of cranberry juice. How do you feel about raisins? Do you hate them, or are you wrong? (Raisins ruin everything.)
Dried cranberries are one of my go to snacks - they are way better than raisins. I also have a paranoid fear of my dogs eating raisins so no raisins around the house!
Very wise. Do you have a favorite food or drink? Or one that you absolutely hate and you can't believe that other people like?
The amount of Tangerine La Croix this 2 person household goes through is staggering. My current obsession is the newish Topo Chicos Sabores, favorite one being the Tangerine Ginger. I’ve realized recently how orange forward my tastes are. I hate olives.
Yum! I love bubbly flavored water, too. I refuse to hate on olives, though!
Finally, do you have any deliverability expertise, guidance or warnings you wish you could share with the whole world? Maybe something you’re tired of having to explain to people, or just something so very important that you wish everybody would learn and understand this. Whatever you want.
Most importantly, Delivery is different than Deliverability.
I will never understand Microsoft Consumer spam filtering or some of their standard initial autoreplies. It is literally the thing I dislike most about my job.
I want to end this on a positive note, so I would say don’t get sad about unsubscribes -- they are way better than a spam complaint! Listen to your subscribers and their behavior -- they are the ones that decide what spam is even if you think you can email everyone on your list just because they opted in at some point. Learn how to explain the importance of quality over quantity with list size and subscriber engagement to leadership. Embrace the email community because it is awesome to be a part of!
Thank you so much, Pilar! It was great to learn more about your background! And I am right there with you when it comes to diving head first into the email community. We're so lucky to have the opportunity to connect with others in our space and share with, and learn from, everyone. It really does take a village.
Pilar Bower has worked hands-on with some of the most recognizable names in digital marketing, media, and technology. Before she transitioned into our specialized world of email deliverability in 2019, Pilar honed her expertise in email strategy, customer success, and operations at companies like Red Door Interactive and Mapp Digital/BlueHornet. Over the years, she crafted and optimized email programs for a wide range of clients, from national retailers and nonprofits to major lifestyle brands, focusing on subscriber growth, customer engagement, and performance-driven marketing success.
Pilar then made a natural pivot into deliverability, at Return Path (later Validity), where she helped enterprise clients safeguard and grow their inbox performance. Today, as a Senior Deliverability Consultant at Inbox Monster, she brings both a marketer’s creativity and a technician’s precision to every client consultation, helping brands not just reach the inbox, but build lasting trust with their audiences.
For more details on her professional background, visit her LinkedIn profile.
Tell us a little bit about yourself! How did you first get started working in email?
When I first moved to San Diego in 2012 I started working at Red Door Interactive, a full service digital agency, they primarily built websites and did other online services but no one was dedicated to the email channel. We started getting more clients that wanted help with their email strategy and operations so my manager asked me if I wanted to learn about email and run with it and so I did! I taught myself best practices and learned how to use our ESP partner’s platform -- good ol’ BlueHornet at the time, and they were also based in San Diego so I got extra support there.
I am impressed: before getting deep into deliverability, you spent a long time leading email marketing strategy and operations for some big companies and brands! Can you tell us a little about that part of your career?
A good follow up to the last question! I spent the next 7 ½ years at Red Door so I really got to work on a variety of different brands, so that was very fun. As Red Door grew, they created a Cross Channel team and really encouraged us to become an expert in one channel instead of trying to know everything about every channel. I just enjoyed that frame of mind and working with the team on an overarching strategy for our clients. I was able to attend a lot of conferences and started doing speaking engagements and just really came to love this email community of ours and realized I never wanted to leave this niche industry.
What made you decide to transition from interactive and digital marketing into focusing specifically on deliverability around 2019? What drew you to it?
I started working at another company that had terrible deliverability, which I quickly realized the reasons for that ;) and I had access to the Return Path platform and an awesome CSM. The company was not willing to make any recommended changes that were needed to improve deliverability but I learned so much about it. Then when I moved to a position at BlueHornet, they also used Return Path and as an ESP it was critical to have visibility into deliverability and make recommendations to our clients. Return Path had such an awesome reputation and culture, I was so excited when I got hired to work there! Shortly after I started Return Path was acquired by Validity, then they also acquired 250ok and built the Everest platform so at one point I was using 3 different platforms while in the same role with a lot of clients -- if that doesn’t teach you deliverability, I don’t know what does! Then when I left Validity, I still wanted to stay in deliverability and was lucky enough to end up at Inbox Monster -- I am very happy here.
I feel like your background in digital marketing and email strategy gives you an edge when working on deliverability issues. It helps to better see things from a customer’s perspective and brings you closer to connecting with the real world deliverability challenges that marketers face. Do you agree? Tell me about how your background helps to inform your deliverability consulting today.
I do think it adds value and reminds me to ask about new projects, and I can provide recommendations on things like a welcome series, re-engagement campaigns, sunset rules, etc. Working with a variety of senders in the past also helps me understand one sender’s frequency or engagement criteria can be vastly different from another. I’ve also worked at an ESP with direct clients so it can also help give guidance on how they might be able to execute on certain plans. When I first started in email, it would drive me crazy when I knew what I should be doing with data but couldn’t figure out how to actually do it in the platform. I think ESPs have come a long way since then, but it’s still helpful to have the background!
Looking back, are there any projects or campaigns you worked on before moving into deliverability that you were especially proud of?
I’d have to say my favorite program was Souplantation & Sweet Tomatoes - let me tell you those subscribers REALLY wanted their weekly emails (COUPONS) and we had a lot of regional / store specific segmentation. I’d go with the social media team on “research and content lunches” and we’d spend half our time taking photos of our food. We even won a Silver MarketingSherpa Award for Best Email List Growth -- 'Club Veg' Initiative. I also loved working with the California Avocado Commission and even got to participate in recipe development and create the content calendar for monthly emails for the whole year. I did work on many non food related clients (ha!) but those were the most fun for me personally. The biggest and most complex client I worked on was Cricket Wireless. (these were all during my time at Red Door)
A more recent deliverability experience that was so memorable was working with the Biden / then Harris for President email team. It was amazing and I am proud to be a part of history and even though it didn’t end with the result we wanted, it was the most successful digital fundraising campaign in US history. Deliverability for political senders is especially challenging and being part of the team was especially rewarding.
The email industry is always evolving. Microsoft recently announced new sender requirements, joining Gmail, Yahoo, and Apple to enforce email authentication and other tougher requirements. How do you think this will change things for email senders?
For Microsoft specifically it shouldn’t change anything because they were a year late to the party! I do think if you weren’t paying attention to deliverability before the Gmail / Yahoo requirements, that really lit a fire to do that. I think it makes it that much more important to have a deliverability partner (I promise I am not just saying that for selfish reasons!) that can help keep up with any industry changes. Email teams have so much to focus on already from a strategy perspective, it’s challenging to keep up to date on new things in the mailbox provider and deliverability space. Or spend half your day entering and following up on Microsoft support tickets (lol).
Filling out mailbox provider support tickets is definitely one of the most fun things in the whole world, that's for sure! What advice would you give to someone new to deliverability who might be coming from a marketing or customer success background like you did?
Besides reading the Spam Resource blog? ;) Join the emailgeeks Slack community if you aren’t already, and follow the #email-deliverability channel! It’s a great space for people who like to learn - I love reading blog posts and joining webinars.
Outside of work, what do you like to do for fun? Are you a good cook, or do you mix the perfect cocktail?
I read a lot -- I am really jealous that your wife recently opened a book store! I did work at a small adorable independent children’s bookstore all through college and I loved it. I also watch Food Network constantly cook a lot -- I think I am a good cook, but my husband is very frank with his reviews when I try new recipes. My goal last summer was to learn to use this vintage smoker that was at our rental and I accomplished it! I finally got a cast iron for the first time in my life a few months ago - I was just intimidated before for some reason, and now I use it all the time! I do enjoy cocktails, but my go to is just Tito’s & club soda with an orange slice. Other than that, I live on a beautiful magical island and we just hang out with our friends a lot.
I’m happy to say that our corner bar just started stocking Tito’s again, so for me, it’s a Tito’s and club soda with a splash of cranberry juice. How do you feel about raisins? Do you hate them, or are you wrong? (Raisins ruin everything.)
Dried cranberries are one of my go to snacks - they are way better than raisins. I also have a paranoid fear of my dogs eating raisins so no raisins around the house!
Very wise. Do you have a favorite food or drink? Or one that you absolutely hate and you can't believe that other people like?
The amount of Tangerine La Croix this 2 person household goes through is staggering. My current obsession is the newish Topo Chicos Sabores, favorite one being the Tangerine Ginger. I’ve realized recently how orange forward my tastes are. I hate olives.
Yum! I love bubbly flavored water, too. I refuse to hate on olives, though!
Most importantly, Delivery is different than Deliverability.
I will never understand Microsoft Consumer spam filtering or some of their standard initial autoreplies. It is literally the thing I dislike most about my job.
I want to end this on a positive note, so I would say don’t get sad about unsubscribes -- they are way better than a spam complaint! Listen to your subscribers and their behavior -- they are the ones that decide what spam is even if you think you can email everyone on your list just because they opted in at some point. Learn how to explain the importance of quality over quantity with list size and subscriber engagement to leadership. Embrace the email community because it is awesome to be a part of!
Thank you so much, Pilar! It was great to learn more about your background! And I am right there with you when it comes to diving head first into the email community. We're so lucky to have the opportunity to connect with others in our space and share with, and learn from, everyone. It really does take a village.
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