How to Avoid Spam Filters when Sending Your Next Email Campaign

Everyone knows what spam is and why it is so terrible. Do you know why your emails sometimes end in the spam folder? Let’s get into the details of how to avoid spam filters when sending your next email campaign. There are many reasons for a high spam rate. Yet, we can conveniently divide them into two large groups. The first group aligns with the tech side of email sending. The second one is connected with how your recipients perceive the email text.  

Technical Issues

Email marketing is not only about the recipients who define what spam is and what it’s not. Spam filter algorithms are the first to check the received email. So it may happen that your subscribers won’t even see it because the filters have done their work. Here’s what you need to do about the tech side of how to avoid spam.  

Use Static IPs

To put it simply, a static IP is an address to which only you can access. This is a safe side for you as an email marketer. Let me explain it. When using a dynamic IP (like local WiFi connection), you cannot be sure of its reputation. So if the IP reputation is low, there are higher chances of being marked spam. Using a static IP address keeps you on the safe side. Check Your IP and Sender reputation, the Email Campaign Performance, the Bounce Rate, etc. Whether you send from a static or a dynamic IP address, you need to know what reputation you have. There are three levels of IP reputation:   Spend a minute (or even less) to be sure your reputation is OK. Use a specified tool for that purpose. Here are a few free examples of tools you can use: Talos Intelligence, Cyren, and Symantec. When the campaign is launched already, analyze it to see if it performs well. There, you will see the open, the click-through, the unsubscribe, the spam complaint rate, etc. If necessary, revise it, and make some changes.  

Set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC

These technical records help you avoid spam filters when sending your email campaign. Namely, they protect you from data capturing and phishers. This way, they improve email deliverability: 1# Sender Policy Framework guarantees that your IP address is safe to receive messages from 2# Domain Keys Identified Mail proves that you a reliable sender 3# Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance specifies what to do with the email if it doesn’t pass the previous two steps  

Warm-up New Email Accounts

If you start a new email campaign with a new email sender’s account, make sure it is safe. Warm up your email account to improve its reputation. Do this especially when you are going to send a large email campaign. Start with one email per day that will surely be opened. Later, grow the number of sent emails day by day until you get a reliable reputation.  

Verify Email Lists

Email verification is one of the vital steps in your email marketing campaign. Otherwise, you can use SPF records that make sure to verify SPF records for efficient email deliverability An email checker not only helps keep your list of subscribers clean but also:

• Cuts down hard bounces
• Enhances the email deliverability
• Keeps your sender reputation high

 

Do Not Use Spam Trigger Words in the Email

Spam trigger words like buy now, free and 70% off annoy not only people but the spam filters too. They analyze every email in detail, detect such content, and send the emails directly to the spam folder. Surely, try to avoid them to not lower your reputation.  

Personalize Your Emails

Today, digital marketing is all about personalization. And it’s not surprising. A human-like approach means to address every client in person. 88% of customers are more likely to respond to a personalized email than to a general one (that looks spammy by the way). When composing an email, keep in mind to include not only the recipient’s name but other data like the company or the niche the recipient works in, their pain points, the buying intention, etc.  

Be Patient with Email Attachments

Attachments in emails are profitable. They allow you to provide extra information within your email. Subscribers can download it to their PC or phone and have them at hand any moment they need it. Yet, there’s some risk when sending attachments in emails. The email becomes heavier and this leads to a higher risk of the spam mark. Instead, you could send a link to a Google Drive folder. This is a more reliable way to send attachments.  

The Human Factor

There’s something behind the tech side of spam. And this is the human factor, a subjective view on the issue of what spam is. To avoid the marked spam, you’d better keep in mind a few points to avoid.  

Receive the People’s Consent to Get Emails

Do you personally love unsolicited emails? I doubt it. So why would your leads have a burning desire to get messages from namely someone? What is worse, with an irrelevant offer? Be professional, send emails to those people only who have given their consent to receiving emails from you. Let’s say, if you are doing inbound, add a double opt-in to your landing page and offer leads to subscribe to your newsletter.  

Add an Unsubscribe Link

The consequence of the previous point. As you are a dedicated professional, value the leads and clients. The core ingredient is to give them the right to unsubscribe if the email content doesn’t correspond with their needs. There are two options. The simple way: add a link that will display a notification “You were successfully unsubscribed”. The second option is more sophisticated: offer the subscribers to complete a survey.  

Do the Proper Email Formatting

If email is your method of communication (and it is), conduct thorough research on how to write a professional email. One of the elements was already mentioned above (attachments). And still, there are a few more of them:

• 3 colors in your email are enough
• Use readable fonts, the optimal size is up to 18 with 1.5 spacing
• Ensure that there are no words all written in capital letters and there are not many exclamation marks (otherwise, you’ll shout at people; you don’t want that, do you?)

 

Be Professional

I know, professionalism is rather a comprehensive term. So let me explain what exactly I mean:

• Add only one link in the email to not mislead your subscribers in where they are supposed to proceed
• Use one CTA to not confuse people and make them do what you expect them to
• Turn the link into the CTA to save its value and get the recipients to perform the desired action
• Take advantage of emotional triggers to evoke a definite emotion
• Don’t use email phrases that may ruin the trust between you (like just, whatever, absolutely, sorry, etc.)
• Let your recipients know if you are sending a promo
• Use the trustworthy sender’s name to not look like a spammer
• Make the subject line and the email body sing in unison

 

Double-check the Email

Once completed, set your email aside and let your mind forget it for a while. This will help you have a fresh angle on it, notice its drawbacks and misspellings. Or ask someone of your colleagues to read the email. And here are a few reasons why do this:

• Misspellings do not look professional
• Spammers compose emails with mistakes intentionally (misspellings help them avoid spam filters)
• People mark emails with mistakes as spam more often

 

Check Your Email for Spam before Sending

When you re-read your email, you may notice something spammy that stands out. Yet, it’s better to entrust this task into the hands of professionals. Use a tool like Email Copy Checker to assure yourself you haven’t missed a thing. There are lots of similar tools online but this one is free and easy to use. You only need to copy and paste the email body and click the Proceed button. Then, the tool analyzes the text and highlights spam trigger words. So simple!

Define the Email Frequency

In email marketing, every detail matters. Email frequency is the last but not least point that influences people when they mark emails as spam. According to research, almost half of surveyed email subscribers identify emails as spam because they receive messages too often. Analyze your audience and define the email frequency they are most favorable to. This tiny detail will play into your hands and won’t disappoint your leads and clients.   Author bio: Helen Holovach is a copywriter for the Snovio blog. She is responsible for email marketing research and sharing actionable tips with Snovio Labs readers.