How to Avoid Spam Filters in Emails

Avoid getting flagged as spam.

Anti-spam filters protect mailboxes from being inundated with junk mail. Yet these filters can be so effective in screening out spam that even "legitimate" mail is swept away if it bears signs that it might be junk. Email marketers who send mail only to consenting subscribers are the most affected. However, even private users can lose important messages due to spam filtering. To prevent filters from blocking non-junk mail, learn how they work and avoid spam-like habits.

Instructions

1. Choose your subject lines carefully. Avoid spam-sounding phrases in the subject line. Anti-spam software look for typical junk mail lines such as "Make money," "Lose weight fast," "Viagra," "Information requested," or "You won!" When deciding on a title, make sure you do not sound like a spammer. Look in your own junk folders for examples of real spam, and avoid them. Even if your message does not end up in the junk folder, your recipient may delete the message if the title looks like spam.

2. Tone down your language if you are advertising or making an offer. Do not stuff your messages with commercial phrases and keywords. Anti-spam software will automatically junk your mail if your messages score high in spam-sounding words. Be careful using keywords like "free," "money," "offer," "money-back guarantee" and similar words.

3. Use images with discretion. Spammers (and even legitimate marketers) often use images as "email bugs" to verify if their mail is opened. Never send image-only email and do not put too many images in a single message. Spam filters may mistake you for a spammer if you do not place text in the message body. It is also a good idea to use pictures sparingly because pictures use up disk space and bandwidth. Use only the images you need and keep your messages small.

4. Ask your recipients to put you in their "safe" list. Email services like Yahoo! and Gmail, and email programs such as Outlook and Thunderbird, have mail filter tools. Tell your readers or contacts to create a filter that will mark your messages as safe and will deliver them to the inbox. Give step-by-step instructions for each service or program to make sure your recipients know how to set things up.

5. Require a voluntary subscription from your readers. You should never send unsolicited email, especially for commercial purposes. Do not use shady tactics to obtain people's email addresses (for instance, in exchange for a free download.) Do not buy email addresses from third parties who try to sell them to you. Do not trick people into signing up for your newsletters. If someone asks to be unsubscribed from your list, remove him promptly.

6. Limit the amount of email you send. People will get tired of you if you send them mail too often. Even readers who subscribe to your newsletter may opt out if your messages start to fill up their mailboxes.

References

• Mail Chimp: How Spam Filters Think

Resources

• Internet-Based Moms: Marketing Your Business Through Email