With recent updates to spam filters, Google continues to crack down on spam mail in your inbox. It’s not just Google, either. Yahoo and Outlook have both released announcements in early 2023 to update their spam policy.

What does this mean for email marketing? It means you need to brush up on why emails are marked as spam and how to avoid it. In this article, we’ll do exactly that.

What is Spam?

Email providers agree that spam emails are unwanted emails that are sent to a number of inboxes within a short amount of time. Your email service provider (ESP) most likely has a spam folder that’s full of ads and your ‘new cousin,’ the Prince of Serbia. ESPs have implemented “spam Blockers” to shield their users from these types of unsolicited emails.

So, how do these spam blockers determine if an email is spam? Here are a few things they look at:

Bad Links

A lot of scams try to get the user to click on a bad link. That means you need to be careful where and how you’re placing any links.

Consider putting your link in your signature rather than the body of the message. Whatever you do, don’t put the same link in an email twice!

Don’t forget an unsubscribe link, either, it’s legally required!!!

HTML Content

HTML can be great for email campaigns. However, it can make your emails load slower, meaning there’s a higher chance of landing in the spam jail. Again, adding too many links in your code is also an area of caution. We think it’s best to include one single, relevant link that ties in with the content of the email.

Media Content

If you head to your email and open your promotions tab, what’s there? Usually, it’s any email subscriptions that look like magazines or are overly promotional. Specifically, it’s about the media. If you’re cramming picture after picture, video after video, and even a few graphics, you’ll end up in the “promotion” inbox.

We recommend sticking with the “less is more approach” or sticking your graphics in your email signature.

Attachments

We can’t deny that attachments are a fantastic way to provide value in a prospecting campaign. However, when sending them in your first email, it can send you straight to spam. Additionally, if you have no connection with the recipient, they can view it as a possible virus. This can lead to the email being marked as spam and potentially causing damage to the sender’s reputation.

Spam Trigger Words

It’s worth noting that certain words and phrases are frequently linked to spam emails – which can activate spam blockers. Here are a few examples:

“Free”
“Earn money”
“Act now”
“Click here”
“Buy now”
“Limited time offer”
“Get rich quick”
“Earn extra cash”
“Make money fast”
“Guaranteed”
“Winner”
“Bonus”
“Urgent”

Domain Reputation and Bounce Rate

Emails have reputation. What this means is that depending on your email reputation, you have a higher likelihood of being marked as spam. You can check your domain reputation here and look for chances to improve.

If your emails consistently receive little interaction (such as opening, clicking, or replying), ESPs may be more likely to direct your messages to the spam folder.

Email Authentication

In Google’s most recent update, they announced that all emails need to pass authentication or they will be marked as spam. Luckily, most ESPs have you complete authentication on sign-up. If you haven’t done so, do it right now.

Looking for more tips and tricks on how to send better cold emails? Here are 6 of our favorite tips!

Formatted Text

If you check your spam folder, you’ll find that a lot of the messages are filled with bolded words, different fonts, and all-around funny formatting. As a general rule of them, stay away from all of this. Doing so can help you stay under the watchful eye of spam blockers.

Bad formatting can trigger spam detection

You’re Sending Too Many Emails

Sometimes, there’s a simple reason you keep getting marked as spam. And what is that reason, you ask? You’re sending too many emails.

While you should be cautious about the number of emails you send, this is especially true for a new or inactive account. Luckily, We-Connect mimics human behavior and sends emails at random times. However, if you’re sending a lot of messages, your emails can still be marked as spam.

If you have no choice and need to send a lot of messages, go the safe route and use multiple accounts.

How To Prevent Getting Marked as Spam

We’ve already talked about a few things you can do to steer clear of the spam folder. Here’s the rest of it:

Email Warmup

Before you launch your first email campaign, you need to warm up that inbox. How can you do this? It means you need to slowly increase the number of emails you send while keeping a high engagement and click rate. Fortunately, there are tools available that use software to simulate human email behavior and automatically warm up your email account.

Use Variables to Personalize Your Message

Most email marketing software has variables. Variables are certain criteria about the recipient, such as their name, job title, or industry. Adding variables to your message is a great way to personalize your emails to make them look natural.

Test out how variables can make a big difference in your campaigns with a 14-day free trial of We-Connect. While you’re at it, learn what authentic personalization looks like.

Keep Your Content Simple

Follow the KISS principle here. That’s right, keep it simple, stupid. Here are a few things you should keep in mind when writing your next email campaign:

Tips for avoiding spam filters:

Don’t include links, images, or attachments in the body of your email or too many links in your signature. Wait until your email account has been established before sending images and attachments.
Keep your email plain and simple without special formatting.
Avoid using words that can trigger SPAM filters such as “Buy,” “Discount,” “Not Spam,” “Open Now,” “Don’t Miss Out,” “Guaranteed,” “Free,” or “Free Gift.”
Review your message and make sure it doesn’t sound spammy.
Avoid using all caps, emojis, symbols, too many exclamation points, multimedia, large attachments, or too many/large images.

Using email authentication protocols:

SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are email authentication protocols that help improve email deliverability by verifying the authenticity of the sender’s domain and preventing email spoofing.

SPF allows a domain owner to specify which IP addresses are authorized to send emails on behalf of their domain.
DKIM verifies that the email was sent from the specified domain and has not been tampered with during transmission.
DMARC provides greater control over email delivery and allows domain owners to specify how their email should be handled if it fails authentication checks.

Combining these rules will help your message land in your leads’ primary inbox.

Try We-Connect for 14 days free and learn how you can automate your email campaigns for the best conversion.