How to stay out of junk mail folders focusing on deliverability

Hey there


some good information here


I have always made sure from day one that I have the unsubscribe link visible


and also try to get them engaged as possible


in my welcome email I also provide a whitelist guide for my emails


this has really helped get in the inbox!

The best way to stay out of the spam folder is to know the domain makeup of your list and create a seed list of the highest percentage domains in the list. Then use the seen list to test inbox placement before sending your message.

For many, aol, hotmail, gmail, yahoo and parent domains using the same mx, can makeup as much as 90% of a list. So at the very least you should use them and any other seed accounts you can acquire.

If you are hitting the spam folder, you basically need to look at the following...

Back-end setup: spf, dkim, rdns, etc...
IP/ domain reputation: any domain / ip that is associated with the mailing.
Content: everything in the message body, including your template.

You then need to work through everything and isolate the problem and fix it accordingly.

You also want to add your seed list to you actual list(s), so you can check your placement on actual mailings sent.

Obviously you can't test all domains. For GI, I will test using spamassassin with razor and pyzor.

You can also domain / group target that you get the best deliverability with and even do it with ESPs. If an ESPs is spamming hotmail. I may choose to not send hotmail with it, if fixing the problem is beyond my control.

Anyway, that's my 2 cents.

Great information, thanks AussieCoz.
You have given me some ideas to check why some of my emails go to spam, even when the autoresponders spam check says 0

You make some good points and a few I don't think make a difference. Where I completely disagree is with this statement:

I don't know where you found that statistic but I don't believe it is a FACT or anywhere near that high. Maybe that is true if the emails are being sent from Nigerian princes about male enhancement products that are part of a pyramid scheme.

The two things I would add are
Always get them to white list your email that way no spam

Never use the word FREE in the title or any other contamination like it

Jason

Just build your own list. When you have your own list comprised of people who know you because they chose to be your subscribers then you don't have problems with deliverability.

I do not know i did face deliverability issue a long while ago

Got it sorted out in 57 days and it required a simple tweak .

Some people try to make the process even more difficult writing about all the jargons

well they could be true in few cases

In short whatever you do there will be emails landing in your SPAM and you cannot do much about it .

I am not talking about emails in internet marketing niche .It is with any other niche .

Sometimes i get emails from Gary Vanerchuck(and they land in my junk folder )

No one knows it is just a prediction

Make it simple but simplest

Cheers

very solid and useful information here.
email marketing is becoming harder because of spamming knowing the right things to do will ensure we are not wasting effort and money.
Awesome!!!

Hello...
Here are just a few tips that will help keep that email out of the spam folder......
1. Avoid large attachments
2. Don't use deceptive subject lines
3. Don't use false or misleading statements.
4. Tell your prospects where you are from
5. Avoid using the word "FREE" in your subject line
6. Honor all opt-out requests promptly
7. Use a spam checker
8. Use a good email delivery system

If you want more details on the items listed above, you can send me a private message and request my article on keeping your email out of the spam folder.
Thanks and Have A Great Day
Mike Griffith

Even if it gets inboxed, it doesn't mean that it will get opened. People are receiving so many emails a day. What is more important is to make people want to open your emails. Focus on building a relationship. Make people want to open your emails because of your name and content.

I do head on to my "spam" folder to look for emails from people I trust too

How to Avoid the SPAM Folder in 5 Easy Steps.

The war against SPAM is on! Internet Service Providers (ISPs) are waging an endless war against the spammers who invade our mailboxes. This war has heavy casualties in the form of "false positives"--legitimate commercial emails mistakenly routed by spam filters to bulk folders. If your marketing results suffer because you struggle to reach inbox space consistently, keep reading and learn 10 foolproof steps for avoiding the SPAM folder.

1. Avoid Purchased Lists: Have you ever been tempted to grow your list by a million potential customers in no time? Have you been to forums where thousands of "targeted leads" are sold for a few bucks? Purchased lists are ticking time bombs, waiting to devastate your reputation as a sender. Riddled with dead emails and spam traps, they quickly inform mailbox providers that you break the rules by sending unsolicited emails. At best, your messages may end up in junk folders. At worst, you may be branded as a spammer. If you still buy emails lists, STOP NOW.

2. Watch What You Say: Spam filters analyze your content. There are no magic keywords to enhance deliverability, but limiting the use of risky words--such as free, buy promo, etc.--reduces the likelihood of your emails landing in the spam folder. Moreover: Link only to legitimate sites with reputable domains don't go crazy with email size (30 kb is just fine.) Balance the image-to-text ratio. Host your images at credible services only.

3. Team Up With a Reliable ESP: Email Service Providers (ESP) is evaluated as senders based on the reputation of the Internet Protocol (IP) addresses and domains of their clients. Careless ESPs with low scores on the IP addresses of their senders are destined for spam folder delivery. Eventually, they will be blocked by the providers like Gmail, Yahoo! Mail, and Hotmail. ESPs that send only solicited emails and ban spammers from their platforms have greater credibility with mailbox providers. Their Customers are more likely to experience undisturbed inbox delivery if they follow the steps outlined in this post.

4. Get Certified: If you are on a dedicated IP space, you should definitely look at the certification provided by a company called Return Path. Once they audit your mailing practices, you can get a Sender Score Certified status which will guarantee that you inbox at most of the major ISPs out there. This service is not free, but it definitely deserves a closer look. The money spent on the fees should be easily returned by the increased conversions.

5. Avoid Dirty Tricks: What may have been effective in 1997 no longer works today. Remember, being caught red-handed in any of these practices may cause permanent damage to your deliverability ratios: Hashbusting: Inserting random characters in the subject line or content to fool spam filters, e.g. "F.ree. p.r!z.e" Deceptive Subject Lines: Starting the subject line with "Re:" or "Fwd:" to suggest an ongoing communication with the sender.

I've been buying data for over 16 years.

Those that say not to buy data, simply don't know how to clean, mail and mitigate the potential problems. If they did, they would never say that you shouldn't buy data.

Monetizing purchased data is really more of a business model than a subscriber / traffic strategy. So for many, building their own opt-in list will make more sense. However, if you know how to do it, the profit potential is huge.