Have you fallen victim to the poor judgment of spam filter algorithms? No, this isn’t an ad run by an insurance company. Instead, this is the reality faced by email marketers and software engineers worldwide who put lots of effort and thought into their campaigns just to see them end up in the spam folder.
Once in the spam folder, an email is likely to never be seen by the eyes of its intended recipients unless they are rummaging through the folder in search of some lost password recovery email.
So, why are your emails going to spam, and what can you do to prevent that from happening? We tackle both of these topics here, so keep on reading!
You lack proper authentication
Email authentication is what helps distinguish between emails that are legitimate and those that are spam. So, if said authentication is missing, you, as a sender, seem less trustworthy, and on top of that, your domain name is more prone to being used by spammers and scammers to send deceptive emails.
Solutions
- Set up Sender Policy Framework (SPF), DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM), and Domain-based Message Authentication (DMARC) authentication methods.
- Monitor your authentication results and correct things if needed.
- Keep up with the latest updates and policies in email security.
You use spammy words
It’s no secret that each of your outgoing emails, be it a marketing email or a transactional email, is checked by spam filters set up by Internet service providers (ISPs) and email service providers (ESPs) such as Gmail, Yahoo, Microsoft Outlook, etc. These filters are built to look for specific words and word combinations often used by spammers and flag emails containing them in their body or subject line.
Solutions
- Avoid using all capital letters, excessive exclamation marks, emojis, and numbers/numeric characters, as well as unnecessary spaces and punctuation, and heavily sales-oriented language.
- Avoid common spam trigger words such as free, lowest price, easy money, etc.
- Keep an eye on your grammar and spelling.
- Don’t exaggerate your claims and promises.
- Keep your language somewhat neutral.
You include suspicious attachments and links
As email attachments are often the source of malware, spam filters take a close look at them, especially if they are executable files (.exe). Other file types, such as ZIP files, macro-enabled Office files, and even PDFs, can also contain malicious code or phishing links and are thus seen as red flags.
Solutions
- Run scans on attachments before uploading them to make sure they are free from malware.
- Consider using a secure file transfer service instead of adding your file as an attachment.
- Steer completely clear from using suspicious file types.
You have inaccurate “FROM” information
The “FROM” line of an email should contain accurate information about who the email sender is. When it comes to spam emails, misleading information is often put in this field to trick the recipient. With that said, it’s clear why inaccurate “FROM” information could be the culprit for why your emails are being marked as spam.
Solutions
- Use a recognizable sender name and a valid email address associated with your domain.
- Maintain consistency of the “FROM” field across your email communications.
- Follow proper procedures for updating the “FROM” field information when necessary.
- Monitor your “FROM” filed information, especially if you use automated systems and third-party platforms.
- Ensure contact forms on your website use the admin address of your site in the “FROM” field instead of the addresses entered into them.
You lack permission to email people
GDPR, the CAN-SPAM Act, and other rules and regulations strictly prohibit sending unsolicited emails. What’s more, unsolicited emails are more than likely to be reported by recipients as they are a form of unwanted communication. So if your email list partially or completely consists of email addresses you purchased or simply didn’t obtain organically, then the messages you send to those addresses will end up being flagged as spam, not by spam filters but by the recipients themselves.
Solutions
- Check if all the people on your email list have given you explicit consent to send them emails and remove those who have not.
- Use an opt-in form when collecting email addresses and include a disclaimer stating that you will be using this information and how.
- Take things a step further by using a double opt-in and asking for an email address confirmation upon sign-up.
- Keep your privacy policy updated, especially on the aspect of email address collection and storage.
- Make unsubscribing easy and effortless.
- Educate team members with access to your email list on laws and regulations related to email sending.
- Seek legal advice if you have trouble understanding and complying with laws and regulations related to email sending.
Thank you for reading this part of the article! To read full version and find out more reasons why your emails are going to spam follow Mailtrap blog!