New series: No Spam - best practices on how not to fall into spam Part 2 of 4
February 13, 2025
1. Recipient marks your messages as spam
The most common reason for ending up in spam is that your email is manually marked as unwanted. This can happen if:
- you are sending messages to people who have not given their consent,
- Your organization is using a purchased database of email addresses,
- subscribers don't see the value in your messages.
If you don't want your emails to be marked as spam, send them only to people who actually want to receive them. Remember that obtaining consents to send commercial offers is not only a good practice, but also a legal obligation.
2. Enable unsubscribing from newsletters
Failure to provide anunsubscribe option is an easy path to spam. If recipients can't find an unsubscribe option, they are likely to mark your emails as unsolicited.
How to avoid this mistake?
- Clearly place the unsubscribe link in the e-mail signatures.
- Ensure a clear unsubscribe process, with no hidden steps.
- Provide subscribers with the ability to choose how often to receive messages.
3. Avoid suspicious links in emails
Links in the body of an e-mail can raise suspicions of spam filters if:
- lead to spam-related domains,
- are shortened using tools like bit.ly,
- employ multiple redirects.
If you want your emails to look professional, use full and readable URLs. If you must shorten a link, make sure it leads to a verified page.
4. Avoid high-risk attachments
Spam filters treat .exe, .zip, .rar attachments as a potential threat. In the case of Gmail and other email services, executable files are even blocked.
What to do instead?
- Use links to the cloud - e.g. Google Drive, OneDrive.
- If you must attach a file, use PDF, DOCX or PNG formats, which are considered safer.
5. What email titles lead to spam?
The email title is the first element that both the user and the spam filter evaluate. Avoid:
- False prefixes: Re:, Fw:, which suggest that the message is a continuation of an earlier conversation.
- Manipulation: Urgent! Your account is at risk!
- Misleading subject lines: Order confirmation (when the order did not take place).
The best strategy is to write reliable and concise topics, which reflect the content of the message.
6. Spam filters don't like sloppy content
Linguistic errors, excessive punctuation and suspicious phrases can automatically mark your email as spam. What to avoid:
- WRITING IN CAPITAL LETTERS,
- bright colors in the content,
- excessive emoticons 😊😡🎉,
- phrases like “Your chance of a lifetime!”, “You've been chosen!”, “Double your income in a week!”.
Good practices? Take care of linguistic correctness and avoid over-expression.
7. Comply with spam regulations
Each marketing e-mail should contain full details of the sender. If you use Google Workspace, you can customize the e-mail signature to include:
- company name,
- business address,
- phone number.
This is not only a good practice, but also a legal requirement in many countries.
8. Adjust the frequency of sending
Sending messages too frequently can lead to subscriber fatigue and emails being marked as spam. To avoid this:
- Clearly define the frequency of communication from the sign-up stage.
- Analyze open and unsubscribe rates to adjust your mailing strategy.
- Give recipients the choice of, how often they want to receive your messages.
Summary
Want to increase the deliverability of your emails? Follow these rules: ✅ Send messages only to people who have given you permission to do so, ✅ Provide an easy way to unsubscribe, ✅ Avoid suspicious links and attachments, ✅ Use clear and reliable titles, ✅ Write correctly and naturally - no flashy language.
With these practices, your email signature and messages will have a better chance of reaching the inbox! 📩