How to avoid emails going to the spam folder – words to avoid and more

By Sean Tinney November 30, 2023

Let’s face it, nothing feels extra irritating than pouring your coronary heart right into a rigorously crafted electronic mail, solely to find it’s taken an surprising detour to your subscriber’s spam folder.

It’s not as should you can ship an electronic mail to your subscribers asking them to safelist you, as a result of these emails will simply find yourself in spam. It’s a vicious cycle.

However what are you able to do to keep away from your emails from going to spam?

To extend your probabilities that your emails make it safely into your subscribers inbox, there are some primary steps you possibly can take to keep away from spam filters.

On this weblog we’ll spotlight these easy and straightforward to implement steps to keep away from emails going to spam. 

Plus we’ll share a effectively documented tip for staying out of the spam folder that, in truth, has ZERO affect on the place your emails find yourself.

1 – Keep away from these spam set off phrases

Do a Google search of “electronic mail spam phrases” and the highest put up record 188 or 168 and even 750 spam phrases to keep away from. Sure, there’s one weblog that states 750 spam phrases to keep away from.

These posts are stating you possibly can’t use “purchase”, “act now”, “restricted time”, “pressing”, “weight reduction”, “free”. So should you’re a well being coach or somebody attempting to promote a product – good luck.

However do these phrases actually set off spam filters? The reply is NO.

That is an outdated idea.

Inbox service suppliers (ISPs) not depend on set off phrases to label emails as spam. ISPs have realized from years of receiving emails what actually warrants an electronic mail ending up spam.

So, relaxation straightforward understanding that it’s not nearly avoiding a naughty record of phrases anymore. And anybody telling you there are “spam phrases” you ought to be avoiding, actually doesn’t know the way electronic mail deliverability works.

Now let’s get into the precise methods to keep away from the spam folder…

2 – Ship from an expert electronic mail handle

Gmail and Yahoo have new sender necessities which is able to take impact in February 2024 that may prohibit utilizing a Gmail and Yahoo sending handle. So you will want to ship your emails utilizing an expert electronic mail handle with your individual area identify.

Mailbox suppliers like Gmail and Yahoo Mail are going to begin sending your emails to the spam folder should you’re not utilizing an expert electronic mail handle like sean@reallycoolbusiness.com. Only for data reallycoolbusiness@gmail.com is just not an expert electronic mail handle.

Simply take heed to what electronic mail professional Brian Minick, the Chief Working Officer at ZeroBounce says:

“Free electronic mail accounts, like gmail.com or aol.com, aren’t supposed for business sending functions. They’re additionally closely abused and subsequently, you’ve got the next likelihood of touchdown in spam or being blocked altogether if you use them for mass sending.”

3 – Guarantee emails are authenticated

Upon getting your skilled electronic mail, you’ll must arrange DKIM and DMARC. 

You is perhaps questioning “what’s DKIM?”  It’s like a digital signature for emails. A method for the sender (you) to show the e-mail is de facto from you and that it hasn’t been modified by anybody in between. It helps preserve emails reliable and safe.

What about DMARC?

DMARC is sort of a site visitors sign for emails: SPF and DKIM set the foundations for protected driving (authentication), and DMARC acts because the site visitors police, directing the stream and instructing what to do when an electronic mail doesn’t observe the foundations that you’ve got set.

To keep away from the spam folder, DMARC authentication is required in case your every day ship quantity is over 5,000 emails. 

4 – Hold these complaints low

Your electronic mail criticism charge needs to be under 0.1%. Something above that could be a crimson flag to mailbox suppliers that your content material is just not needed by your subscribers, so that they’ll begin inserting your electronic mail within the dreaded spam folder.

Listed below are some methods you possibly can decrease your criticism charge.

5 – Ship content material your viewers loves

One of many largest components in whether or not or not your emails attain the inbox is optimistic subscriber engagement. Good deliverability depends on excessive subscriber interplay, low complaints, and low bounces.

To get your subscribers to constantly interact (open, learn, and click on!), your electronic mail content material have to be helpful to them. 

You possibly can add worth to your emails by together with academic content material in them, like weblog posts or movies, and even exhibiting subscribers how your services or products will enhance their life. In case your emails resolve subscribers’ issues and ache factors, they’ll open them each time!

Unsure what your subscribers will discover helpful? Merely ask them! Ship a survey in your welcome electronic mail or ask them to answer to your welcome electronic mail and share what they’d prefer to be taught.

You need to use these concepts to craft helpful content material your subscribers will like to obtain. And that may enhance your electronic mail engagement and your probabilities of reaching the inbox.

6 – Set expectations in your join kind

Your subscribers shouldn’t be stunned by the emails they get from you. If they’re, they could mark them as spam.

To keep away from surprises, clearly clarify in your join kind what kind of content material you embody in your emails and the way typically you ship messages.

For instance, Ann Handley, Chief Content material Officer at Advertising Profs, describes the kind of content material she sends and the way steadily she emails her viewers on the touchdown web page for her publication TotalAnnarchy.

7 – Construct a section of your most-engaged subscribers

One of many largest issues we see is subscribers who go months with out opening or clicking inside an electronic mail. In case your subscribers aren’t partaking together with your content material, that you must keep away from sending to them frequently. 

One resolution is to create a section of subscribers who’ve opened your emails or clicked a hyperlink in considered one of your emails within the final 3 – 6 months and ship on to these teams.Sending to segments like it is a nice strategy to enhance engagement out of your subscribers and enhance your general sender status. 

Whereas it is a nice strategy to goal your engaged customers, you shouldn’t ignore the remainder of your record. Ship to your whole record at common intervals as effectively, nevertheless if somebody has not opened or clicked in  6 – 12 months, it’s possible time to take away them out of your record. 

Take into account that customers have clicked hyperlinks in your emails will likely be thought of your most engaged group of subscribers. They’re the perfect group to focus on and usually tend to open and click on future emails.

8 – Be sure you have permission

It’s unlawful to ship emails to individuals who haven’t subscribed to your record. And sending unsolicited emails is a sure-fire strategy to find yourself within the spam folder.

Should you bought an electronic mail record, delete these subscribers instantly. They’re simply hurting you. Plus, they didn’t provide you with permission to ship them emails anyway, so they’re much extra more likely to mark your emails as spam or not open them in any respect.

9 – Make it straightforward for individuals to unsubscribe

A criticism hurts your electronic mail status which may (and can) trigger your emails to finish up within the junk or spam folders. 

An unsubscribe safely removes them out of your record. 

If a subscriber doesn’t wish to obtain your emails, they may take considered one of these actions. Which might you slightly they take? 

10 – Embody your bodily handle in all emails

A requirement of the CAN-SPAM act is that each one advertising and marketing emails should embody your online business handle. This helps present that you just’re an actual enterprise.

Associated: Tips on how to Embody a Bodily Handle in Your Emails With out Revealing The place You Dwell

Persist with the plan. Attain the inbox.

By following these steps, you possibly can enhance your probabilities of reaching the inbox and construct a wholesome record of people that wish to obtain your emails!

However keep in mind that mastering the artwork of staying out of the spam folder is an ongoing course of. Hold your content material related, interact together with your viewers, and preserve a wholesome sender status. 

Wish to use an electronic mail advertising and marketing platform that helps extra individuals attain the inbox? Create a free account with AWeber.

Enjoyable historical past – why is spam referred to as spam?

The trendy which means of the phrase “spam” has nothing to do with spiced ham. Within the early 1990’s, a skit by British comedy group Monty Python led to the phrase’s widespread utilization. “The SPAM Skit” follows a pair struggling to order dinner from a menu consisting fully of Hormel’s canned ham.

Repetition is vital to the skit’s hilarity. The actors cram the phrase “SPAM” into the two.5 minute skit greater than 104 instances! This flood prompted Usenet readers to name undesirable newsgroup postings “spam.” The identify caught.

Spammers quickly targeted on electronic mail, and the terminology moved with them.