You’ve developed great content, you’ve designed the perfect newsletter, and you can’t wait to share the information to educate or inspire your audience. So you hit SEND. What could go wrong? One big thing can get between your newsletter and your audience, and that is the spam filter. “But I have opt-in permission from every person on my list,” you say?
Interestingly, it’s estimated that one out of every five emails gets filtered as spam or blocked entirely. Webmail providers are simply cracking down on spam, and, well, the filters aren’t always accurate, so sometimes legit emails get moved to the junk folder. Several issues can send even the most friendly, relevant, and personable email to spam folders, and some of those issues can stem from innocent mistakes.
Maybe these seven tips will help you reach your valued audience.
1. Understand what constitutes “spam.”
You certainly know what it is when you receive it. But it can be trickier to realize when you’re mistakenly sending it. Spam is defined as unsolicited email sent to a group of people. The keyword in this definition is “group.” If you send a single, unique email to someone and it’s a one-to-one correspondence, it isn’t spam, even if you’re soliciting business in some way in the email. But if you send that same email to a group of people, and that email does not have unique content for each recipient, it is spam.
The CAN-SPAM Act requires the following:
- Never use deceptive headers, from-names, reply-tos or subject lines. (more on this below)
- Always provide an unsubscribe link. (Added automatically by email distribution service provides like Mailchimp, Constant Contact, AWeber, Emma, etc.)
- Remove unsubscribers from your list within 10 business days. (This is usually an automatic feature of email distribution service providers.)
- The unsubscribe link must work for 30 days after your email is sent.
- You must include a physical address in your email. (Most of the distribution services won’t accept a PO address as a real physical address.)
- Never buy a list of email addresses! Not only is it a waste of money, because the quality can’t be guaranteed, it is not worth risking your reputation. Plus, you run the risk of having your email service provider fine you, close your account or even take legal action.
2. Avoid spam “trigger” words and misleading subjects lines.
Spam filters look for spammy phrases like “Click here!’ or “Free!” or “Buy Now!” or “Once in a Lifetime Opportunity!’ They’ll assign points against you for using them. You can also have points scored against you for talking about lots of money, describing some sort of breakthrough, looking like a mortgage, drug product or investment pitch, containing urgent matter, and referencing a money-back guarantee (a double point penalty!)
If your email’s spam score exceeds a certain threshold, it gets funneled into your recipient’s spam folder. And each recipient’s server can set a different score threshold, so getting through one server’s settings doesn’t guarantee getting through all of them. And if that weren’t enough, hosts adapt their scoring systems constantly.
And, while subject lines can (and should) be used to draw readers in, NEVER mislead or trick them into opening an email. That’s just bad form (and actually, against the law).
3. Avoid aggressive content.
Don’t use multiple exclamation points or all caps, and avoid coloring fonts in bright red or green. Avoid sending emails as one big image. And never convert a Microsoft Word file into HTML — it creates a very sloppy HTML. It’s more than just bad etiquette. Sloppy HTML code and chaotic typography is suspicious to spam filters. Email service providers, such as Mailchimp, make writing emails as easy as possible. They usually have a spam checker that will run diagnostics to check your score and alert you if you’re close to common server thresholds (although there’s no universal threshold.)
One thing that has shifted over the years is use of emojis. Five years ago, we never would have recommended using them. They are now commonplace. Today the emphasis, even business emails, is to be more personal, engaging, inviting — very often in the subject line. How do you make that call? It should be part of your overall marketing strategy. When you know your brand, your voice, and your audience, it will be obvious what is acceptable (or not).
4. Be consistent.
One of the most common reasons emails don’t make it to an inbox is due to spam complaints. If a subscriber reports an email as spam — whether or not it actually is, it gets recorded by the mailbox provider. If there are too many of these complaints, your campaigns will get directed right to the spam folder.
Makes sense, but why would a subscriber flag your email as spam? First, they may hit junk by mistake rather than delete. Second, they may not remember you. If you aren’t sending out emails on a consistent schedule or if your branding isn’t consistent, they may delete you (after they report). Third, they may not recognize the “from” line — always consider using a real person’s name, unless you’re sure they’ll recognize the company.
Remember, sometimes, people just get too many emails. Don’t take it personally, but make your unsubscribe easy to find and do. Chances are those subscribers will simply opt out and not hit “spam.”
5. Other ways innocent marketers get reported.
Here are some of the most common scenarios:
- A marketer collects emails legitimately (through an opt-in form on their site), but takes too long to get in contact. So the person receiving the email doesn’t remember signing up and marks it as spam.
- You send emails too frequently for the recipient and annoy them. The key here is to know your audience and err on the side of caution when it comes to frequency or offer options if you have multiple newsletters, products or services.
- You have an online store and you send email to every customer instead of just those who elected to be added to your list. Don’t hide that button, make it prominent.
- You exhibit at a trade show or attend a networking event and receive a list of attendee email addresses or business cards of people you’ve met. Instead of emailing them with an invitation to join your list, along with an explanation of how you got their email address, you assume permission and start sending them your regular newsletters and promos. Instead, take it as an opportunity to reach out, engage and ask permission.
- You don’t check your subscriber lists regularly. If you find that people have unsubscribed or haven’t clicked on your email in a long time, consider removing them from your list. The accounts that don’t interact at all with your content could be inactive or abandoned. If these accounts add up in your list, spam filters are more likely to redirect you.
The key is to ASK people to join your list — first and always. Create an opt-in form on your website so people can sign themselves up. Also, make your emails look professional and consistent, and have something of value to say. Educate. Inspire, Share news. Be personable. If you don’t look like spam, you’re not likely to be reported as spam. Also, encourage subscribers to label your emails as important. Having priority in people’s inboxes can really help your numbers, and it will make sure subscribers can find your emails.
6. Offer subscribers options.
One of the best things you can do to serve your subscriber list, and avoid being reported as spam, is to offer subscribers choices on what they want to receive when they sign up. If they agree to monthly newsletters, don’t send them weekly promotions or daily tips or reminders. Set up different lists for each type of content. Don’t send hard-sell promotions to a person who’s only agreed to receive soft-sell newsletters. Make your hard-sell offers as an aside in the newsletter, being sure that you provide plenty of content value, too. And contact new subscribers right away. Create an autoresponder (in Mailchimp, etc.) that replies to their signup, welcoming them and giving them something like their first newsletter or a “Top Ten” list of tips.
7. Use best practices for HTML emails.
Your email service provider can provide tips on this, but the general rule is, optimize photos, keep your html code clean and simple, and optimize for mobile. It’s a good idea to send a test and check a variety of devices.
Newsletters can usually avoid email purgatory, a.k.a. spam, by following the tips outlined. Just remember, your list isn’t a sea of unknown faces. It’s a list of individual people. All of whom deserve regard for their time and attention. Put that extra time into prepping and checking your email habits; we’ll all be better for it!
