Why Your Email Newsletters Are Going To Spam (And How We Can Help Fix That)

Newsletters Are Only Useful If They Pass The Spam Test

The humble email newsletter still stands out as a beacon of direct communication in today’s business world. It’s personal, cost-effective, and when done right, incredibly powerful. But, getting your crafted message into the inbox and away from the dreaded spam folder is like navigating a complex maze, filled with ever-changing rules and unseen pitfalls. This guide is designed to empower you with the basic techniques to ensure your newsletters reach their intended destination and don’t get lost in the spam.

The Foundation: Understanding Email Deliverability

Before we dive into the how, let’s quickly touch on the what. Email deliverability refers to the ability of your newsletters to land in your subscribers’ inboxes, as opposed to being cast into the void of the spam folder or, worse, rejected outright. Several factors influence deliverability, from the technical setup of your email domain to the content of your messages. The technical setup of your email domain plays a foundational role in email deliverability.

Email Authentication Protocols – Your Digital Passport

These protocols serve as a verification mechanism, assuring email providers that the message comes from a verified source and reducing the likelihood of being marked as spam. This includes the implementation of email authentication protocols like:

Server IP Address Reputation

Additionally, the IP reputation of the server sending the email can significantly impact deliverability. Email servers with poor reputations, often due to sending spam or having many messages marked as spam, are more likely to have their emails filtered into spam folders. Using a reputable email service provider can help maintain a positive IP reputation.

Content-Related Factors

Personalization and segmentation further enhance engagement, signaling to email providers that your content is valued by its recipients. Emails that resonate with the recipient are less likely to be ignored, deleted, or marked as spam, which positively influences sender reputation.

Balance Text and Images

Emails with a high image-to-text ratio (too many images) are often flagged by spam filters. To avoid this, ensure your emails contain a healthy balance of text and images. A rule of thumb is to have at least a 60:40 text-to-image ratio. This balance helps prevent your emails from being flagged as spam and ensures they’re accessible to recipients with images turned off. It’s not that having no images at all is inherently better, but rather it’s about finding the right balance and context for using images in your emails.

Alt Text for Images

Always use alt text for images. This ensures that recipients who cannot see the images still understand the message you’re trying to convey. Images without proper alt text can create accessibility issues for people using screen readers.

Avoid Spam Triggers

Certain words and phrases can trigger spam filters, causing your email to land in the spam folder.

• Be Mindful of Language: Avoid using overly promotional language like “Buy now,” “Free,” or “Guaranteed” in both the subject line and body of your emails. These are known spam triggers.
• Limit Links and Calls to Action (CTAs): Too many links or CTAs in an email can also trigger spam filters. Keep your CTAs clear, concise, and limited to a few key actions you want the recipient to take.

Mobile Optimization

With a significant portion of emails being opened on mobile devices, optimizing your email for mobile is crucial.

• Responsive Design: Use responsive email templates that adjust to the screen size of the device. This ensures that your emails are easily readable on any device.
• Test on Multiple Devices! Before sending out your emails, test them on different devices and email clients to ensure they look as intended.

The Right Tools for the Job

Choosing the right tools for managing your email campaigns goes beyond mere convenience; it directly impacts your email’s deliverability and, by extension, the success of your email marketing efforts.

Dedicated Email Addresses

Using dedicated email addresses for your newsletters and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) activities helps segregate your marketing efforts from your day-to-day business communications. This segregation is beneficial because:

• Improves Sender Reputation: Each email address develops a sender reputation based on engagement rates, spam reports, and bounce rates. By using a dedicated address for newsletters, you isolate the risk of damaging your main business email’s reputation due to potential low engagement or high spam reports associated with bulk email sends.
• Enhances Deliverability: Email services and Internet Service Providers (ISPs) track sender behavior at the email address level. A dedicated email address for newsletters, known for sending high-quality, consent-based communications, can build a positive reputation over time, enhancing deliverability.

Learn more in the dedicated article about how to secure and organize your business email for better management and brand consistency.

Professional Email Marketing Services

Professional email marketing services offer a suite of tools designed to optimize your email campaigns for maximum engagement and deliverability:

• Optimized Sending Times: These services use data analytics to determine the best times to send emails to your audience, increasing the likelihood of your emails being opened and engaged with.
• Spam Score Testing: Before you send out your newsletter, these services can run spam score tests, helping you identify elements in your email that might trigger spam filters, allowing you to make necessary adjustments.
• List Management Tools: Professional services provide tools for managing your subscriber list effectively, ensuring it remains clean and segmented. This means you can easily remove inactive subscribers or segment your list based on subscriber behavior, which is crucial for maintaining a high engagement rate.
• Automated Compliance Features: They also include features that help ensure your emails are compliant with regulations like GDPR and CAN-SPAM, reducing the risk of legal issues and enhancing subscriber trust.

Regularly Clean Your Email List

At the heart of high deliverability rates is a clean, engaged subscriber list. This starts with obtaining explicit consent to send emails, ensuring compliance with regulations like GDPR. Regularly cleaning your list, removing inactive subscribers, and making it easy for users to unsubscribe, paradoxically, helps maintain a healthier, more engaged audience.

• Monitor Engagement: Keep an eye on who’s opening your emails and who’s not. If a subscriber hasn’t engaged in a set period (e.g., six months), consider sending a re-engagement campaign or removing them from your list.
• Easy Unsubscribe Process: Make it easy for subscribers to unsubscribe from your list. A straightforward unsubscribe process can reduce the likelihood of your emails being marked as spam.

Monitoring and Adjusting – The Continuous Journey

To keep your email marketing effective, regularly check how your emails perform (like how many people open them), see what your audience likes, make emails more personal by grouping your audience based on their interests or actions, test different parts of your emails to find out what works best, and change your approach based on what you learn.

Also, keep an eye on:

• The latest email marketing tips to make sure your emails continue to hit the mark.
• Your sender reputation through services like Sender Score and adjust your strategies as needed to maintain a positive standing.

We Help You Communicate Effectively With Professional Email Management

Feeling overwhelmed? It’s understandable. The path to ensuring your newsletter reaches its intended destination is fraught with challenges. That’s where we come in. Our services are designed to navigate these complexities for you, from setting up and managing dedicated email addresses for your marketing efforts to upgrading your communications organization and compliance. We’re here to empower your business, ensuring your newsletters not only avoid the spam folder but also have the tools to engage and convert your audience.

High Quality Mailing Lists Win

Your newsletter is a direct line to your customers, a way to share your story, showcase your products, and build lasting relationships. By employing these techniques and focusing on building a strategy that respects both the technical and human aspects of email marketing, you can ensure that your messages are received loud and clear (and don’t hit the spam folder!)