You’ve spent hours crafting your email, using the best subject line possible to catch your reader’s attention and keep them interested in what you have to say, but it still ends up in their spam folder. Don’t worry — there are plenty of ways to prevent your emails from ending up in the trash before your readers even get a chance to read them!
Here are few effective methods for making sure your future emails aren’t lost in the sea of other promotions and marketing campaigns that fill up everyone’s inboxes every day.
1. Ask a question in the subject line:
When you ask a question in your subject line, recipients are more likely to open your email. Studies show that 61% of emails with questions in their subject lines get opened, while only 32% of emails without a question get looked at.
The message is clear: Make it easy for people to see what they’re going to get out of reading your email by making it personal and inquisitive.
You don’t even need to know what question you want to ask before you write your email. Just think of some questions that are relevant and ask them. When you do, make sure that your question is relevant and intriguing.
The most effective emails have questions at both ends: a header question for recipients who open with just their eyes, and a sentence or two about why they should read on for those who are intrigued enough by their first glance at your email but not yet compelled to open it.
After you ask a question in your subject line, make sure you explain what you’re emailing about in your first sentence.
Remember that whether or not people are compelled to open your email depends more on what they’ll get out of reading it than on anything else. They won’t bother to figure out why you sent them an email if they don’t think it will be interesting or helpful, so tell them.
2. Make it direct and personal:
If you’re sending an email that’s intended for a specific person (rather than a blind broadcast or a blast), make sure that it’s clearly directed at them.
People appreciate personalization — it shows you took time to pay attention. If someone else is cc’d on your email, that message may be deleted immediately because it looks like spam or junk mail.
If you want your email to avoid being marked as spam, make sure it’s personal and directly addressed. If you receive a generic email that someone else is also cc’d on, delete it immediately because it may be junk mail.
Also, if you send an email with no personalization and no call-to-action (what do you want your audience to do), then delete that one as well.
Your call-to-action is very important, but people are also concerned about privacy and protecting their personal information.
If you send an email that contains a lot of links or forms for them to fill out, there’s a good chance they’ll mark it as spam and delete it. Make sure your call-to-action is direct and ask your subscribers directly what they want you to do next.
3. Keep it short but informative:
Before hitting send, make sure your email isn’t too long. Having a long message in your subject line may result in it being marked as spam by email filters. Be clear and concise with what you’re sending so your reader will be more likely to open it. It should be short enough that they can scan through it in a few seconds and determine if they want to open it.
If you want to ensure your emails won’t be marked as spam, don’t use words that indicate spam. Avoid using email addresses like generic addresses such as info@ or support@. Instead, use a name in your email address so it appears more personalized and less likely to be marked as spam.
If you’re sending an email with sensitive information, make sure you include contact information so they can respond if they have any questions. Including your phone number or a link where they can reach you is recommended. An email address or website is also useful so they can get in touch with you quickly and easily.
4. No links in the body of the email:
The most common reason emails go to spam is because they’re using a large number of links in their email. Don’t put a single link in your email, rather place all of your links within an email signature that you include at the bottom of every message. This will greatly reduce your risk of going to spam.
Don’t Reply All: Most emails that go to spam do so because someone (or multiple people) replied all. Never reply all, because it can get your email sent directly into a spam folder.
Don’t Be Too Obvious: Make sure your From name and email address are something generic and professional. If you use a service like Gmail, Outlook, or Yahoo! Mail, you can use their name on file setting. Otherwise make sure you don’t include any information that might seem weird or overly personal in an email.
Don’t be Overly Wordy: No one likes getting a long-winded email. Keep it simple and clean, making sure to get right to your point without padding your email with unnecessary words or fluff. Also, try not to ask any questions in your first email, just provide information and let them decide if they want more information later.
Make Sure You’re Not Including Malware: Even if you’re doing everything else right, if your email is a virus or contains some other type of malware, it will likely get filtered into a spam folder. Make sure you have an anti-virus program installed on your computer and regularly scan all attachments that come through.
Test, Then Send: You never know if your email is going to go directly into spam or not. If you’re unsure, set up a test email that looks just like an actual email and send it to one of your friends. This way you can catch any typos or formatting errors without worrying about spam filters getting in your way.
Make Sure You’re Not Too Many Distractions: Make sure you’re not sending your email while too many distractions are in front of you. This will make it harder for your recipient to focus on what you’re trying to say, so you want it as easy for them as possible. Ideally you should take a short break away from everything else and just think about what it is that needs to be communicated.
Don’t Include Anything Sensitive: If you don’t want your email to go directly into spam, be sure it doesn’t include anything sensitive like your full name, email address, phone number, social security number, credit card information or anything else that someone might use maliciously. If you need that information to communicate effectively with someone else (like your name and email address) then make sure it is not included in a signature but instead at the bottom of every message.
Make Sure You Have a Good Subject Line: Having a good subject line is crucial for getting your email into someone’s inbox instead of going directly into spam. If you don’t have an enticing subject line, there’s no way your recipients will even consider opening it up.
5. Add images wherever possible:
Images add visual interest and help your email stand out among a crowded inbox. They also make it easier for someone to scan your email, making them more likely to read it.
If you have an image in mind that works with your content, always use it!
But don’t stop there — be creative and design custom images using a tool like Canva or use freely available stock images as part of your marketing strategy.
Images help improve click-through rates (CTR), making them more likely to be opened. In fact, email marketing platform MailChimp found that messages with images received an average of 53% more clicks and 173% higher sales.
In addition, having an image in your email will help prevent it from going to spam. Your message is likely to be flagged as spam if it’s text-heavy and doesn’t use any images. Images are a key way to increase trust and credibility with your customers, and improve deliverability overall.
6. Set up an auto responder series:
Inbound emails are great, but when you’re just starting out, you don’t want to be inundated with spam. That’s why it’s a good idea to set up an auto responder series — so new leads can get information in advance of your sales and support team getting in touch.
You can set up an auto responder series with MailChimp or AWeber, but there are many providers available. Just make sure you get one that suits your budget and is easy to use. Then, sit back and watch as new leads start making their way into your sales funnel — without even realizing it!
7. Don’t use salesy words:
If you use words that are typically associated with sales, like free or discount, your email may go directly into a recipient’s spam folder. Be sure not to use such words in your subject line.
Instead, opt for straightforward descriptions about what is in your email (e.g., an announcement about a new product). Avoid attachments and links: Most recipients don’t want to deal with attachments or click on unfamiliar links when they receive an email.
In fact, in general, recipients are more likely to open emails that don’t contain attachments or links. However, if you really need an attachment or link, ask permission first.
Ask permission: Even though it’s easier to get forgiveness than permission, most email marketers advise against sending emails without at least asking for permission beforehand.
Asking your audience if they would like to receive information is a great way to protect yourself against complaints and ensure that your brand is perceived as trustworthy and knowledgeable.
If you’re selling a product or service, consider your value proposition and why someone would want it. Explain how your product or service will help recipients, not just what it does.
Be sure not to tell recipients that they need something that they don’t; rather, tell them what problem they have and how your product will solve it.
Be specific: A lot of sales messages are vague because they think being general is more appealing. In fact, in most cases, specificity is better.
8. Verify your domain:
You’ve got a hot product or service, you know your niche and you’re ready to start taking orders. But before you can even think about reaching your customers, there’s a crucial step in your business development process that must take place — and it happens long before you launch. First, confirm that your email is not going straight into spam.
If you don’t want your messages going straight into a recipient’s spam folder, you need to ensure that there is a very high chance that your message will be seen.
Your business’s success depends on you being able to communicate effectively with clients, so ensure that your email is seen in recipients’ inboxes.
Conclusion
To ensure that emails get delivered to customers’ inboxes and not their spam folders, marketers must implement opt-in messages with double-opt-in messages. Double opt-in ensures that recipients of your marketing emails are receiving them of their own accord and are not viewing them as junk mail. It is important for companies sending these emails to have an unsubscribe link or contact information in each email so that potential customers can easily remove themselves from your mailing list if they choose.
In order to ensure that your emails are being received and not going into spam folders, you must implement a double opt-in process. This means that recipients of your email marketing campaigns have given their permission by opting in and confirming they want to receive your messages. They can do so by simply clicking on a link or entering their contact information when requested. Each recipient should then be automatically removed from future mailings unless they respond with another confirmation of their interest in receiving future mailings.
Also, make sure your email marketing messages include an unsubscribe option. This should be clearly labeled and easily accessible so that those who want to remove themselves from your mailing list are able to do so. You must honor all requests in a timely manner. Allowing individuals to opt out of future mailings is vital, because it will prevent them from feeling harassed or angry by your constant attempts at selling or promoting new products or services.