How to Prevent Your Emails from Going to Spam 10 min read

If you’ve noticed that your carefully crafted sales emails keep on disappearing into the spam abyss, it’s time you did something to prevent your outreach efforts from going to waste. Spam filters have become increasingly sensitive and stringent, which means that you need to be very careful and take several factors into consideration when creating your messages and setting up your email campaigns.

In this guide, we’ll share actionable strategies to ensure your emails land directly in your prospects’ inboxes, boosting your chances of engagement and conversions.

What Exactly Are Spam Filters?

You might be wondering how spam filters determine which emails are legitimate and which are junk. There are a few key types of filters at play:

• Content filters scan the text within your email. Certain words such as “FREE,” “guaranteed,” “money,” an abundance of punctuation (!!!), or text in CAPS LOCK can raise red flags. They also look for phrases or patterns commonly found in spam.
• Blacklist filters. Think of these as a “do-not-enter” list for email servers and domains. If yours ends up on one, your emails are blocked. This can happen if you send too much spam, engage in poor email practices, or if you don’t regularly clean your list so that you send emails to outdated or defunct addresses. 
• Rule-based filters operate on preset rules. They might block emails with too many images, for example, or those missing a physical address.
• Bayesian filters are more sophisticated. They learn over time what individual users consider spam based on what they mark as junk. So, what’s acceptable to one person might be spam to another.
• Permission filters focus on consent. If someone didn’t explicitly sign up for your emails, they might be filtered as spam.

Understanding these different filters is crucial to improving your email deliverability. Fortunately, there are strategies you can use to ensure your emails reach the inbox, which we’ll explore in a bit.

Why Spam Filters Are Your Frenemy

Spam filters are designed to protect end users from unsolicited messages. While that’s great for inbox hygiene, it can be a major headache for sales professionals, even when their intention isn’t to be pushy. 

Here’s what triggers spam filters:

• Shady sending practices.  Buying email lists, using misleading subject lines, or sending from suspicious domains raises red flags.
• Poorly formatted emails.  Overloaded with images, excessive links, or spammy-sounding phrases can land you in the spam folder.
• Low engagement. If your emails are consistently ignored or marked as spam, your reputation suffers. 

Now that you have an overall idea of what spam filters are and how they work, we can talk about the best practices for outsmarting them. 

1. Build a Healthy Email List

Building a healthy email list is essential for successful outreach, but it’s a process that requires time, effort, and ethical practices. 

Don’t take any shortcuts, which means that you should avoid the temptation of purchasing email lists, as these often contain outdated or inaccurate information, leading to high bounce rates and potential spam complaints. Scraping email addresses from websites is another risky practice that can harm your sender reputation. Instead, focus on organic growth by offering valuable incentives for people to join your list.

Create lead magnets such as ebooks, whitepapers, or exclusive content that aligns with your target audience’s interests. Promote your lead magnets through social media, blog posts, and targeted ads to attract potential subscribers. Ensure your website has prominent signup forms, offering a clear value proposition for joining.

Once you’ve started building your list, respect your subscribers’ privacy. Never share your list with third parties without explicit permission. By sticking to ethical practices and focusing on organic growth, you’ll cultivate a high-quality email list that actively interacts with your content and drives conversions.

2. Scrub Your List Regularly

Maintaining a healthy email list isn’t just about adding new subscribers — it’s also about regular upkeep. Over time, email addresses become outdated, people change jobs or interests, and some contacts may no longer find your content relevant. Keeping these contacts on your list both wastes your resources and negatively impacts your email deliverability.

High bounce rates from outdated or incorrect email addresses can trigger spam filters, lowering your sender reputation. Moreover, sending emails to unengaged recipients can lead to low open and click-through rates, signaling to email providers that your content isn’t valued.

Regularly scrubbing your list by removing inactive subscribers and verifying email addresses is crucial. This practice ensures that your emails are reaching a genuinely interested audience, improving engagement metrics and overall campaign performance.

3. Authenticate Your Email

When it comes to email marketing, trust is key. To ensure your emails are delivered and not flagged as spam, it’s crucial to verify that you are who you say you are and that your emails are legitimate. This process, known as email authentication, involves implementing various protocols that confirm your sender identity and protect your domain reputation.

Three key authentication methods work together to achieve this:

• Sender Policy Framework (SPF) is a protocol used to verify that the IP address sending the email is authorized to send on behalf of your domain. It involves adding an SPF record to your domain’s DNS settings, specifying which servers are allowed to send emails from your domain.
• DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM). This method adds a digital signature to your emails, which receiving servers can verify to ensure the email hasn’t been tampered with during transit. This procedure includes generating a pair of public and private keys, with the public key published in your domain’s DNS records.
• Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance (DMARC). This protocol builds on SPF and DKIM, providing an additional layer of protection. It allows you to specify how receiving servers should handle emails that fail authentication checks, such as rejecting or quarantining them.

Implementing these authentication protocols not only improves your email deliverability but also protects your brand from email spoofing and phishing attacks. By proving that your emails are genuine, you build trust with both email providers and recipients, increasing the chances of your messages landing in the inbox.

4. Stay Away from Blacklists

Email denylists or blacklists are a sender’s worst nightmare. These databases compile IP addresses and domains known for sending spam or engaging in suspicious email activity. Once you land on a blacklist, your emails are at risk of being blocked or filtered into spam folders, drastically reducing your reach.

To avoid denylists:

• Prioritize consent. Only send emails to people who have explicitly opted in to receive them.
• Maintain list hygiene. Regularly clean your list by removing inactive subscribers and verifying email addresses.
• Monitor your sender reputation. Use tools to track your email deliverability and address any issues promptly.

Insist on double opt-in

While a single opt-in (where someone simply submits their email address) is technically valid, a double opt-in is considered best practice. It consists of sending a confirmation email to new subscribers, requiring them to click a link to verify their interest. This extra step ensures that only genuinely interested people are added to your list, reducing the risk of spam complaints and invalid addresses.

Implement sunset policy 

A sunset policy is a strategy for managing inactive subscribers by sending a series of re-engagement emails to those who haven’t opened or clicked on your emails for a certain period. If they don’t respond to any of these attempts, they are removed from your list. This helps maintain a healthy, engaged list and avoids sending emails to people who are no longer interested.

Catch mistakes early with real-time address validation

Typographical errors and invalid email addresses can hurt your deliverability. 

Real-time address validation tools can catch these mistakes at the point of entry, prompting users to correct them before submitting their information. This way, you can be sure your emails are sent to valid, existing addresses, reducing bounce rates and improving your sender reputation.

Remember, building a healthy email list and maintaining a positive sender reputation are ongoing processes that require diligence and attention to detail.

5. Send Relevant Content

One of the most effective ways to avoid the spam folder and keep your subscribers engaged is to consistently deliver relevant content. Email marketing is a two-way street — it’s not just about sending messages but also about listening to your audience and delivering value that they’ll appreciate. 

When your emails align with your audience’s interests and expectations, they are less likely to be marked as spam.

To ensure your content resonates:

• Segment your list. Split your subscribers into groups based on demographics, interests, or purchase history. This allows you to tailor your messages to specific segments, increasing their relevance.
• Personalize your emails. Use merge tags to include subscribers’ names or reference their past interactions with your brand.
• Offer value. Provide informative articles, exclusive discounts, or helpful tips that your audience will appreciate.
• Survey your subscribers. Ask for feedback on what type of content they enjoy and what they’d like to see more of.
• Track engagement metrics. Keep an eye on open rates, click-through rates, and conversions to gauge which types of content perform best.

6. Use Spam Checkers

Even with the best intentions, certain words and phrases in your emails can trigger spam filters. This is where spam checkers come in handy. These tools analyze your email content and flag potentially problematic elements, allowing you to make necessary adjustments before hitting send.

Autoklose takes spam checking a step further with its built-in spam checker. This powerful feature automatically highlights spam words and phrases in both your subject lines and email copy. It provides suggestions for alternative wording, helping you craft emails that are less likely to trigger spam filters and more likely to reach the inbox.

By using Autoklose’s spam checker or other similar tools, you can proactively pinpoint and address potential issues, improving your email deliverability and ensuring that your messages reach their intended audience.

7. Stay Compliant with Different Internet Privacy Laws

Besides following best practices and not neglecting technicalities, email marketing is also about respecting legal boundaries. 

Various countries and regions have enacted internet privacy laws to protect consumers’ data and online experiences. To maintain a trustworthy reputation and avoid legal complications, it’s essential to be aware of and comply with these regulations. Understanding the nuances of ecommerce privacy is also crucial in this context, as it directly impacts how businesses handle customer data in online transactions.

Key laws to consider:

• GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation). This comprehensive EU law sets stringent rules for collecting, storing, and processing personal data of EU residents. It requires obtaining explicit consent for email marketing and provides individuals with the right to access, rectify, or erase their data.
• CAN-SPAM Act regulates commercial email messages, mandating clear identification of the sender, accurate subject lines, and easy unsubscribe options in the US. CAN-SPAM Act also prohibits deceptive practices and harvesting email addresses.
• CASL (Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation). Similar to CAN-SPAM, CASL governs commercial electronic messages in Canada, requiring consent, identification, and unsubscribe mechanisms. This regulation also covers other forms of electronic communication, such as text messages and social media.

Key compliance tips:

• Obtain explicit consent. Ensure you have clear and affirmative consent from subscribers before sending them marketing emails. Avoid pre-checked boxes or other deceptive tactics.
• Provide clear unsubscribe options. Make it easy for subscribers to opt out of your emails by including a visible unsubscribe link in every message.
• Honor unsubscribe requests promptly. Remove unsubscribed addresses from your list within a reasonable timeframe.
• Protect personal data. Implement security measures to safeguard subscribers’ personal information from unauthorized access or breaches.
• Be transparent. Clearly state your privacy policy and how you collect and use subscribers’ data.

Closing Words

By implementing these strategies and paying attention to your email practices, you can dramatically improve your chances of landing in the inbox, not the spam folder. It’s crucial to remember that email deliverability is an ongoing process that requires lots of updating and tweaking. But with the right tools and knowledge, you can ensure your message gets through, fostering meaningful connections with your audience and driving real results.