Do you remember the first time you “met the parents” of your significant other? You were unbelievably nervous, afraid you might say the wrong thing or that you won’t live up to their expectations. Sometimes, you don’t get the best vibe from your significant other’s folks. But other times, well, they couldn’t be happier! Getting an email to your subscribers can often feel like getting the stamp of approval from the parent – spam filters are determining the future of your relationship!
Due to the infinite number of spam filters out there, and the fact that no two filters are alike, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach that will help you avoid them all, 100% of the time. Luckily, just as in meeting the parents, there are rules you can follow, guidelines to reference, and a look you can pull off to increase the chances of getting your email into the inbox.
From Address (A firm handshake)
Your handshake is one of the best ways to make a positive, genuine personal impact – just like your from address – and who doesn’t want to establish good rapport right of the bat? Spam filters want to validate who the email is coming from, make sure they are trustworthy – and they won’t accept fakes. Here are some guidelines for crafting effective from addresses:
- The from address should always contain a real name. Select a recognizable person from your organization and keep it consistent. This will help to build trust. Let your subscribers know who you are -- and the spam filters, too.
- Reply-to emails should be valid, working emails. If they can’t talk back to you, how can they be sure that you’re real?
Subject lines (Your First Impression)
A frown on your face and lack of enthusiasm when you first meet probably isn’t going to impress the parents. This first impression of you counts, just like it does with email. Your subject line is a first impression, and it can create a red flag for spam filters. Here are some tips for effective subject lines:
- Avoid use of certain words. Top filtered words you should never use: FREE, Free Instant, For Only, Double Your, As Seen, Offer
- Avoid using exclamation or question marks. One might be ok, but never more than one. Use proper capitalization, which means avoid using ALL CAPS. This mimics yelling, and is a huge negative.
- Be sure to have a subject! An email without one is a big red flag.
- Make sure your subject line does not contain G.a.p.p.y T.e.x.t or lots of whitespace between words.
- Don’t throw your money around - avoid use of the dollar sign - $$ - this is seen as a cheap ploy to impress parents and spam filters alike!
The Body of the Email (How you’re dressed, your conversation)
A great first impression means nothing if the real you (your content) is sloppy, high-maintenance, and irrelevant. While it’s important to focus on your subject lines, don’t forget that what’s INSIDE the email counts, too. The body of your email isn’t exempt from the rules and regulations of the spam filter! Here are some things you can do inside your actual email to help it get through:
List Removal Instructions -- don't be high maintenance!
Of course you have to have an unsubscribe button – we all know that. But don’t be high maintenance and make subscribers jump through hoops to get removed from your list. The best way is to use custom-encoded instant removal links. This allows your subscribers to unsubscribe with the simple click of a button. This is not only a good practice, but is also part of being compliant with the new CAN-SPAM regulations.
Do not ask your subscribers to email someone to get unsubscribed. This is not only against current CAN-SPAM regulations, but it can also get your message filtered. Be careful about the language you use for this list removal - don't say "we honor all removal requests" or “this is not spam” – it’s something spammers do and get you wrongly filtered.
Copy and Content
Here are some best practices when it comes to the copy and content of your email:
- Be careful about the phrases you use in the body of your email. Avoid common spam phrases like "be amazed,” "your income," "subject to credit approval," "earn $xx per week,” and "check or money order.” Sometimes, this means even look closely at what your advertisers are saying in their ads.
- ALL CAPS shouldn’t just be avoided in the subject line. The body of your email should contain less than one line of ALL CAPS, if you are going to use them at all. Yelling just doesn’t get you anywhere.
- Leave your extra baggage at home! Video, audio, and forms in emails are just that – extra baggage. Do not embed these things into your email - link to it instead.
- There is the saying “beauty is only skin deep.” And while this may be one point where club bouncers and email filters differ, image isn’t everything – and shouldn’t be everything when you’re designing an email. Excessive images without a good portion of text are often seen as spam, since spam filters can’t actually read the images. It’s also a bad practice for anyone who has images disabled and will get large red X’s in the email, but no message.
- No one likes a sloppy dresser – or a sloppy coder. So keep your code clean! A common mistake is to design HTML email in Microsoft Word and export the code to HTML – this results in sloppy behind-the-scenes code and spam filters hate it!
Whitelisting (Get Invited Back)
Even if you do all these things right – it still doesn’t hurt to have someone looking out for you. Get on your subscribers “safe sender list” by asking them to whitelist your From Address. That way, from the beginning, you are asking to be put on a list of people that should always get that stamp of approval!
So there you have it – the do’s and don’ts that will boost your popularity with those who control your access to your subscribers’ inboxes. And the best part – all of these guidelines will not only give you the nod, but when implemented consistently will improve your reputation.
Interested in learning more? Register for Signed! Sealed! Blocked?! Tips for Improving your Email Deliverability on Wednesday, March 9th at 2:00pm EST.
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