Send relevant content

The foundation of a successful email program is a commitment to sending your recipients content that is both relevant and engaging. This requires intentionality – simply sending emails for the sake of sending will only hurt your engagement. Aimless, irrelevant emails risk being ignored or even marked as spam. Instead, focus on crafting emails that genuinely resonate with your audience.

 

Avoid trigger words or misleading subject lines

Certain phrases, such as “earn extra cash” or “increase sales,” can inadvertently trigger spam filters, regardless of your original intent. To ensure your messages reach their intended recipients, pay meticulous attention to the wording you use, from the subject line to the body of the email.

 

Ask your subscribers to add you

Encourage new subscribers to add your email address to their approved contact list, or “primary tab.” This helps ensure your emails are delivered to their inbox instead of the spam folder. When subscribers include you on their approved senders list, it sends a trust signal to email providers like Gmail and Apple Mail, which can lower your overall spam score.

 

Forego attachments

Avoid attaching documents, coupons, or other content to your emails. Attachments can significantly slow down email downloads and often cause messages to bounce or end up in spam folders. Instead, include a link or call-to-action button that directs subscribers to a dedicated landing page where they can access that additional content.

 

Avoid using too many photos and not enough text content

Spam filters may block emails with an abundance of images, and some email providers disable images by default, potentially making image-heavy content inaccessible to recipients. To ensure your message is received as intended, it’s best to avoid relying solely on images. Instead, follow these image-related best practices:

  • Provide alternative text (alt text) descriptions for all uploaded images.
  • Limit the number of images in your email to three or fewer.
  • Test your emails containing images across different email clients (such as Gmail and Yahoo) before sending to your full contact list, to confirm the images display properly.