Is Your Email Going to Spam? Here’s Why It Happens

Having your emails go to Spam is every email sender’s worst nightmare. So why do emails end up in the dreaded spam folder instead of the inbox?

Well, you should know a few things to avoid this happening.

What’s A Spam Filter, And How Does It Work?

It’s essential to understand what a spam filter is and how it works if you want to maximize the success of your bulk emails.

So, what is a spam filter?

It’s a sophisticated device or software that screens emails, determining which ones should be delivered and which ones should be filtered out into the dreaded “spam” folder.

These filters can have varying degrees of complexity, including configurable devices and algorithms and machine learning technology in some cases.

Regardless of their level of sophistication, they all serve the same primary purpose: to separate good emails from bad ones by dissecting them and evaluating their content.

By understanding how spam filters work and making it your ally rather than your enemy, you can gain an advantage over other marketers who send bulk emails.

In short, knowing more about spam filters will give you the power to craft messages that make it through spam filters successfully so that they land in recipients’ inboxes instead of their spam folders.

Why Spam Is A Problem For Email Marketers?

Spam is more than just an annoying nuisance — it’s a problem for email marketers.

With as many as 60 billion spam emails sent daily, up to 20 percent of marketing emails may never reach their intended recipients.

Not only does this waste money on the email itself, but it also prevents any potential conversions and satisfies that customers would have been made through those emails.

This is why staying out of spam folders is essential for email marketers; with an average Return on Investment (ROI) of 122 percent, lost potential income from spammed emails can be significant.

This issue needs to be addressed to get the most out of your email marketing efforts, so make sure you know what to do to keep your messages out of spam filters.

9 Reasons Why Your Emails Go To Spam

1. You Didn’t Get Permission

The number one requirement to avoid having your emails go to Spam is simple: you must always have permission before sending an email.

Purchasing a list of emails or obtaining emails through any unethical means is unethical and ineffective and could land you in hot legal water.

This means when someone opts into your mailing list, they do so willingly and consent to it– no other way around it.

Otherwise, if you don’t receive explicit permission, there is a high risk that your emails will end up as Spam or, worse yet– incur a fine.

To be extra safe and ensure everyone who opted-in knows what they agree to, a checkbox on popups for collecting emails should be included asking visitors to agree to terms and conditions.

Follow this simple precautionary rule, and you’ll avoid any unwanted SPAM!

2. The Sender’s Information Is Incorrect

The second way to avoid having your emails go to Spam is by ensuring that the sender’s information is accurate.

According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the sender information must identify the person or business that initiated the message.

Please ensure that your ‘From,’ ‘To,’ ‘Reply-To,’ and routing information, such as origin domain name and email address, are all accurate.

If not, it could mislead the recipient and send your emails straight to their spam folder.

For example, could you be sure to include your full name or company’s name in the sender field, s people know who is sending them an email?

It doesn’t have to be lengthy – a simple “Rio from DigitalMarketer” will do!

Doing this will ensure that your emails aren’t in someone’s dreaded spam folder!

3. Your Subject Is Weak

If you want to ensure your emails don’t end up in the Spam abyss, then the subject line is crucial.

Convince and Convert estimates that around 69% of emails are marked as Spam based on their subject alone.

So, it’s essential to ensure you get this right.

To ensure your emails don’t slip into Spam territory, here are some attributes your subject lines should not contain:

• Excessive capital letters can come off as shouting.
• Too many exclamation points.
• False promises.
• Sounding overly pushy.

When you craft your email’s subject line, consider how it will be perceived from your subscribers’ perspectives.

A simple change in wording or image can be all that stands between a successful delivery and being swept away with the rest of the unwanted Spam mail!

4. Using Spam Trigger Words

If you’re sending out emails, it’s essential to be aware of the words that can cause your messages to end up in the spam folder.

Automation notes that email filters will look at the content of your emails, and if they spot keywords like “Double your income!” or “You’re a Winner!” then it could trigger a red flag and send your message to Spam even if you have had no ill intentions.

That’s why it’s essential to know which specific words to avoid when crafting an email.

5. No Opt-Out Link

One of the most important things to remember regarding email marketing is that an opt-out link must be included in every email you send.

It’s easy to overlook this when you’re focused on ensuring your emails look professional and well-written, but it can cause a lot of trouble if there is not one.

If you don’t include the opt-out link, you risk annoying your subscribers and sending your emails straight to Spam folders.

Even worse, the FTC could fine or even sue companies that don’t provide their customers with a straightforward way to avoid receiving further emails.

6. Your IP Address Has Been Used To Send Spam

If it’s essential to ensure that your emails don’t go to Spam, then please know your IP address and its relation with Spam.

If an IP address associated with your email has ever been used for any form of Spam in the past, it can have a drastic impact on the delivery of your emails.

To avoid this problem, it’s best to make sure that you work with a trusted, reliable email marketing service provider who takes their email deliverability seriously and has procedures in place to stop Spam from affecting your or anyone else’s emails.

By entrusting one of these reputable companies with handling your email campaigns, you can rest assured that your IP address will not be associated with any form of Spam.

7. Low Mailbox Usage

If you want to avoid having your emails land in the spam folder, you need to ensure that you have a high rate of active mailbox usage.

If the ratio of inactive email accounts is too high, it flags a warning sign for email service providers, who tend to send your campaigns straight to the spam box.

To ensure that your emails don’t get flagged by spam filters and end up in your subscriber’s inboxes, you should regularly delete any inactive emails from your list.

You can also send a win-back email to try and revive engagement before deleting them from your list.

This kind of message should be direct and address the situation head-on before providing a clear call to action (e.g., “Yes, Keep ‘Em Coming”).

Depending on which email service provider you use, this process could be automated with features that automatically purge any old emails from your list – making it easier to clean up an inbox full of inactive users!

8. Sending Too Many Attachments

One of the most significant factors that can cause emails to be sent to Spam is sending too many attachments.

Think about it: the more branches you send, the more likely it is for malware or viruses to sneak in.

To reduce this risk, keep any attachments sent in emails down low.

It’s advised not to send any attachments in newsletters, but if you have to attach a document or file, you can try uploading it to cloud storage services like Google Drive or Dropbox before including a link to the file in your email.

This way, your message won’t trigger spam filters as much as simply sending an attachment would.

So remember – keep the number of branches low and ensure recipients know if you have anything attached!

9. Using Link Shorteners

Using link shorteners in your emails can be tempting, making tracking clicks on links easy.

But when you do this, you’re taking a risk — which could mean the difference between your message getting delivered or going directly to Spam!

Link shorteners make it easier for spammers to hide malicious websites from unsuspecting victims and can cause spam filters to identify your email messages as potential junk.

To protect yourself from this risk, could you consider whether your email provider offers link and engagement tracking options that don’t involve using link shorteners?

That way, you can rest assured that you won’t risk having your messages get blocked or sent straight to Spam folders!

Conclusion

In conclusion, we’ve discussed the importance of avoiding having your emails sent to the spam folder.

By addressing these issues quickly and implementing best practices such as sharp subject lines and programming around the keywords that trigger spam filters, you can avoid having your emails marked as Spam and improve your return on investment.

This also helps maintain a good reputation with your audience, allowing them to trust your messages.

With these tips in mind, email marketing will become an even more powerful tool for gaining new customers.