A recent report from Epsilon found that email open rates in the fourth quarter of 2013 were up year-over-year. In order to get opens though, you have to reach people in the first pace. That means avoiding blacklists.

Return Path has a new infographic based on findings from analysis of sixteen months of blacklisting events affecting large email senders. The company says the goal is to offer insight into prominent email blacklists and how they influence inbox placement at specific mailbox providers.

“Major blacklists can dramatically impact email performance, preventing senders’ messages from reaching subscribers, but even among marketing veterans many don’t clearly understand who operates blacklists or how they work,” said Return Path president and co-founder George Bilbrey. “We especially wanted to illuminate the relationship between blacklists and Gmail inbox placement, which many marketers struggle to navigate.”

They found that blacklists are most likely to penalize marketers during the holiday shopping season.

Image via Return Path