How do I avoid spam filters?

This article covers deliverability within the context of the content of your email broadcasts. If you are more interested in the back-end settings in your email system that can affect deliverability, please see the article linked here. 

First, take a look at the two sample emails below:

  

The email on the left breaks many of the guidelines found below--it will likely go to your supporters' spam folders. The email on the right stays on message, with clean content, and a clear call to action.

Here are a few tips for avoiding spam filters and high unsubscribe rates:

Use simple, clear content

• Avoid excessive amounts of links and/or images.
• Avoid excessive amounts of highlighted, bolded, underlined, and multi-colored text.
• Avoid excessive amounts of unnecessary punctuation (e.g. 'Very important to do this today!!!!')
• If you paste in your content from an outside source like Microsoft Word, the system will suggest auto-cleaning that content when you paste in--make sure you do that.

Do not use all caps

Do not use all caps, especially in the subject line! This is a key thing that many spam filters look for.

Don't use spam keywords

Try to avoid using words or phrases, especially in the subject line, like:

Free offer	Do it today	Don't hesitate
Unlimited	Act now	Join Millions
Order now	Urgent	Exciting opportunity

The last link below in the resources has some great tips related to spam keywords.

Keep your emails mobile-friendly

If you want an image or table to take up the full width of your email, set its width to 100% with no height value. If your image is less than 300 pixels wide, you should be fine.

Avoid Attachments

If you are sending a broadcast to thousands of contacts, including any attachments (regardless of quality or type) can be seen as a red flag for spam filters. Try embedding a file rather than attaching it. 

Find the best broadcast frequency for your members

The number one reason people unsubscribe is because they feel like you're sending too many emails. The generally accepted best practice is one email broadcast per week maximum, although that doesn't work for all groups. Any more than that and you usually run a higher risk for people filtering you to spam or unsubscribing. You have to find what works best for you.

We work extremely hard to maintain our whitelist status with email providers so that we can continually send email quickly and effectively for all of our clients. 

You can check Messaging > Messaging Report and click on your broadcast to get more details about why any emails failed. You can click the failed emails to see the bounce report from our servers. If you have a high volume of failures, in many cases, that is because there is some content in your emails tripping up spam filters.

Resources: 

Crafting a Spam-Free Subject Line
Email Marketing Best Practices in Action
Why People Unsubscribe
Email Marketing Unsubscribe List
How to Avoid Spam Filters