Access to the mailbox should be the number one priority for the sender. After all, campaigns and emails can’t be successful if they never arrive. Even the most experienced senders run into inbox problems from time to time. Email is constantly changing and evolving as a communication channel, which means that senders must change and evolve with it. Determining how and why your emails end up in spam is key to taking advantage of email.
Emails end up in spam for a variety of reasons, and there is no universal reason or solution. Each sender’s situation is unique. From fixing misleading expressions to improving bad sender reputation, we’ve put together a list of best practices to map out how to deal with spam.
CAN-SPAM
For your letter not to go to CAN-SPAM, you should make sure to understand the following.
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- Not using misleading or false information in email headers.
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- Not using misleading expressions in email subject lines
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- Clearly and conspicuously identify advertising messages
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- Tell recipients where your business is located
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- Tell recipients how to opt-out of future messages
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- Respect opt-out requests and process them quickly
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- Be aware of what third parties or others are doing on behalf of your business
Compliance with these rules is of course a legal obligation, but they are also best practices not to get in spam. Sending clear, truthful, and easy-to-navigate messages can help improve your sender reputation and experience for recipients.
Sender reputation
A huge part of getting an email to your inbox is your sender’s reputation. Your sender reputation is a measure for ISPs of how recipients respond to your messages, including how often they delete or spam your messages. Your sender reputation is based on several metrics, including spam reports, engagement and open rate, and block rate. Learn more about checking your reputation on our blog.
Remember that with better subscription and unsubscribe access, recipients are less likely to delete your messages or mark them as spam. Fewer spam reports mean better sender reputation.
Spam traps
‘Spam traps’ are email addresses that ISPs and other organizations use to identify and catch spammers. These addresses can look like failed deliveries or low engagement rates and tell ISPs that you’re not following email collection guidelines. Maintaining a list of email addresses regularly can also help you avoid duplicate addresses and correct any typos or errors in manually entered addresses.
Your emails can also end up in spam because your recipients are getting more emails than they expected or signed up for. Consider giving recipients the option to tell you their preferences via email during registration. Recipients overwhelmingly prefer to indicate their subscription preferences when they subscribe, rather than at any other time. By respecting your recipients’ preferences from the start, you’re more likely to get a high engagement rate and end up in your inbox rather than your spam folder.
The most important thing to remember when your emails end up in spam is to stay calm and avoid panicking. Problems with spam complaints are completely solvable! With a little work and tweaking on the sender side, you’ll be back in your inbox in no time.