Subject Lines and SPAM: Navigating the Tricky Terrain of Email Deliverability
Next in our series on subject lines, I take a look at email deliverability.
The advent of email revolutionised communication, offering a quick, cost-effective means of reaching audiences.
However, it also gave birth to an undesirable byproduct: spam.
To combat this, Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and email clients use sophisticated spam filters to detect and block unwanted emails.
A key criterion these filters evaluate is the email subject line.
Let's delve into how certain words, phrases, or punctuation in subject lines can trigger these spam filters, resulting in lower deliverability rates.
Understanding Spam Filters
Spam filters employ complex algorithms to examine various elements of an email, such as the sender's reputation, email content, and particularly the subject line.
If these filters deem an email to be spam, they can send it straight to the recipient's spam folder, drastically reducing the likelihood of your email being seen.
Therefore, understanding how to avoid triggering spam filters can greatly enhance your email deliverability rates.
Subject Line Red Flags
Certain elements in your subject line can set off spam filters. Some of these include:
Misleading or Deceptive Language: Using deceptive language is not only unethical but can also trigger spam filters.
This could include making false promises or using misleading phrases. For instance, "You're a Winner!" when the email content doesn't contain any prize or award.
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Overuse of Capital Letters or Exclamation Points:?"LIMITED TIME OFFER!!!" might seem like a good way to grab attention, but it's more likely to end up in the spam folder.
Overuse of capital letters or punctuation such as exclamation points is a common characteristic of spam emails, making this a major red flag for spam filters.
Spam Trigger Words: Certain words or phrases are commonly associated with spam and can lead to your emails being filtered. These can include words like "Free," "Guarantee," "No obligation," "Risk-free," "This won't last," "Get out of debt," and more.
Poor Grammar or Spelling: Subject lines with poor grammar or spelling errors can raise spam filter alarm bells. Ensure your subject lines are grammatically correct and free of spelling errors.
Avoiding the Spam Folder
While it's impossible to avoid every spam filter, there are strategies to increase your chances of landing in the inbox:
Prioritise Relevance and Quality: Craft subject lines that are relevant and valuable to your audience. Irrelevant subject lines can lead to high bounce rates or people marking your emails as spam, damaging your sender reputation.
Personalise Subject Lines: Personalisation can show the recipient that the email is intended specifically for them, making it less likely to be marked as spam.
Test Your Emails: Use spam testing tools before sending your emails. These tools can provide you with a spam score and highlight potential issues that could lead to your email being marked as spam.
Keep a Clean Email List: Regularly remove unengaged subscribers from your list. High engagement rates can improve your sender reputation and reduce the chances of being marked as spam.
Experiment and Monitor: Try different subject line techniques, and monitor your email metrics. If you notice a drop in your deliverability rates after using a specific word or technique, it might be triggering spam filters.
Feel free to give these a go and good luck :)