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Do you avoid the word "FREE" In e-mail subject lines?

by Dan Ambrose
21 replies
This is a simple thread to ask you whether you avoid the word FREE in the subject line of an email to avoid SPAM or whether you find it doesn't affect your campaigns by using the word.

So please vote and give your reasons why - we might all get some value from all of this.

BTW... I used the word FREE in this thread subject line.. and YOU clicked it lol
#avoidthe #email #free #lines #subject #word
  • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
    Originally Posted by mm365 View Post

    BTW... I used the word FREE in this thread subject line.. and YOU clicked it lol
    This thread didn't have to pass through a gauntlet of over-aggressive email filters.

    Which is the only reason I avoid using the word in subject lines...
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  • Profile picture of the author JayXtreme
    Yes.. I avoid it... not because of open rates..

    because of Delivery issues... Spam filters and the word FREE have a love/hate relationship... the spam filters love to hate the word FREE

    Peace

    Jay
    Signature

    Bare Murkage.........

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    • Profile picture of the author Frank Murphy
      I love it coz it brings me 60% more clicks!
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  • Profile picture of the author Jeff Usher
    I al-w-ays la*ugh a-t th e e-mail*s I g et tha*t tr/y t*o av0id th3 u5e 0f
    th-e w0rd FREE .....

    Jeff
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  • Profile picture of the author SolomonHuey
    I avoid the word free because it tends to get me the most unsubscribes and/or spam complaints. My lists seem to like it better when I sell them things.

    Solomon Huey
    Signature

    Solomon Huey
    Having Trouble Getting Traffic [YOU]?     - My Blog - EliteSafelist - FastActionAds

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  • Profile picture of the author Loren Woirhaye
    Yes, I usually avoid it. The best-pulling subject lines
    are ones that have nothing to do with free internet
    crap. They have to do with funny stuff. If you can
    package your offer in an entertaining way and work
    the promise of laughs into the subject line you are
    on to something.

    Alternatives to free:

    fr~ee, Phree , gratis!, fr33 (weird one), complimentary,
    something-for-nothing
    Signature
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  • Profile picture of the author tommygadget
    I don't use free because it is simply overused. Free is now associated with worthless for many people. There are so many ways to get an email opened so I have not run out of things to say.

    TomG.
    Signature
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  • Profile picture of the author Dan Ambrose
    Thanks for all your replies.

    Personally I hate it when I get emails that contain the words fr~ee, f.ree, f.r.e.e, F*ree, phree etc,etc..,

    You have to consider the fact that the word ITSELF, when used in the email body doesn't necessarily mean spam filters will reject it.

    For example, when you contact a friend inviting him round for a meal, you could write:

    Hey Joe,

    I was wondering if you're free to come round for dinner tomorrow night. It's going to be fantastic as we're getting a whole host of millionaires round to talk about how to succeed in the online world.

    Be good if you can make it.

    Sincerely,

    Daniel

    It just won't get filtered. It's the context that matters, not the word.

    However I will also say that when I'm honest and upfront with my list (as if I'm contacting them personally), I get much more clickthroughs and sales.

    I don't want to pussyfoot around the spam issue with my list.

    With that said, I will still try to avoid the word free in subject lines because it allows little or no room to put it in context and is usually filtered out by SPAM filters.
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    • Profile picture of the author Adrian Jock
      Originally Posted by mm365 View Post

      You have to consider the fact that the word ITSELF, when used in the email body doesn't necessarily mean spam filters will reject it.
      You're right.

      Most people wrongly assume (or they heard from others) that the word free is penalized by spam filters. That's not true. If you're talking about the email body, the major spam filters do NOT penalize the word free but some specific combinations of words that include the word "free".

      Originally Posted by mm365 View Post

      It's the context that matters, not the word.
      Sorry but that's not true. The spam filters don't read your emails so that to understand the context. This is not how spam filters work. They are not human beings. The spam filters analyze the content according to a certain algorithm setup by the software programmer and user.

      If you use the words or combination of words that are penalized, then no matter the context, the email gets "penalty points". This doesn't mean that is automatically blocked or flagged as spam. When the email is marked spam ... is another story (depends on the threshold setup by the ISP or by the user himself)

      Originally Posted by mm365 View Post

      With that said, I will still try to avoid the word free in subject lines because it allows little or no room to put it in context and is usually filtered out by SPAM filters.
      You're confused. In the title of this thread you use the word "FREE". In this post you use the word "free".

      From spam filters point of view they are different.

      For example, some Spam Assassin versions penalize the word "FREE" in subject lines, but not the word "free" in subject lines. The versions 3.1.x penalize also subject lines that start with "Free".
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  • Profile picture of the author Deni111
    I avoid the term. I did a small test and my open rates declined when I used the word.
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  • Profile picture of the author jayden.fellze
    The term "free" can bring you one-time enthusiasts, but it would not help you build a strong client database. Everybody knows that worthy things do not come free. Companies and marketers are on the internet to make business, and not for the purpose of charity!
    Signature
    >> FREE Report: 100 Targeted Visitors/Day From Scratch In 2 Months <<

    .
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  • Profile picture of the author Ric Raftis
    I really liked the word posted by Loren Woirhaye... "complimentary". Now that's a bit more up market. And interesting with jayden.fellze that the comments you make are quite contradictory to your sig line "FREE Report For Beginners".

    It's a pain trying to get the word through spam filters, so anything that has to be "disguised" with * throughout the word can only detract from the quality of the email.

    Cheers,
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  • Profile picture of the author Private Label Ebook Shop
    I avoid the use of the word free due to delivery issues and decline in open rates.

    Rather then using free I tend to replace it with gift, present, offering, without charge, at no cost, complimentary, on the house, etc.
    Signature
    Private Label Rights Ebook Store
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    • Profile picture of the author Paul Myers
      "Free" only creates significant delivery problems in close proximity with certain other words. The worst is "membership."

      Mixing weird characters in your words - like f~ree - is much more likely to cause you problems with delivery these days.

      As far as the impact on subscriber quality - that depends on how the offer is presented, dunnit?


      Paul
      Signature
      .
      Stop by Paul's Pub - my little hangout on Facebook.

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      • Profile picture of the author Chris Lockwood
        Originally Posted by Paul Myers View Post

        "Free" only creates significant delivery problems in close proximity with certain other words. The worst is "membership."
        Just shows how stupid the filters are. What if you're actually offering a free membership?
        Signature
        Comprehensive membership site training
        My other blog
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        • Profile picture of the author Paul Myers
          Chris,
          Just shows how stupid the filters are. What if you're actually offering a free membership?
          Then they think you're spamming porn. That's the thing that caused that particular ruleset.


          Paul
          Signature
          .
          Stop by Paul's Pub - my little hangout on Facebook.

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          • Profile picture of the author Ruth Hendrickson
            I've used the word "FREE" with good results. I set the word off by itself in the subject line and make it all caps.
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  • Profile picture of the author Jagged
    What other words are frowned upon by spam filters? What options for those do we have? Are there any that get better results than others?
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    • Profile picture of the author Loren Woirhaye
      I use GetResponse which claims to be running the latest
      version of SpamAssassin and frankly I'm a little surprised
      at how good it is getting... as in permissive of good
      content that uses terms pertaining to making money.

      These days the spam filters are getting more contextual,
      not just relying on SPAM WORDS but looking at words
      in context and density.

      After all we don't want them blocking a friend's email
      which says: "Are you free saturday?", and so forth.
      Signature
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      • Profile picture of the author Dan Ambrose
        Originally Posted by Loren Woirhaye View Post

        I use GetResponse which claims to be running the latest
        version of SpamAssassin and frankly I'm a little surprised
        at how good it is getting... as in permissive of good
        content that uses terms pertaining to making money.

        These days the spam filters are getting more contextual,
        not just relying on SPAM WORDS but looking at words
        in context and density.

        After all we don't want them blocking a friend's email
        which says: "Are you free saturday?", and so forth.
        Presisely my point a few posts up.

        Why is it that friends emails always get through?

        Or perhaps its only because they are in your address book?
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        • Profile picture of the author Adrian Jock
          Originally Posted by mm365 View Post

          Why is it that friends emails always get through?

          Or perhaps its only because they are in your address book?
          You got it! You whitelisted them by adding them to the Address Book.

          For example, you can try this in Gmail:

          1) Add another address of yours in the Address Book (let's call it X)
          2) Send an email from X to your Gmail account
          3) Mark that email as spam (yes, do it!)
          4) Send a second email from X to Gmail.
          5) The new email will not go to the Spam folder but again to Inbox (because the email address X is whitelisted by YOURSELF, so ... Google knows that it's not spam, OK?)
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