Why is my email going to the spam folder?

Overview

No one wants their email to hit the spam folder, and while many mechanisms that determine when an email ends up in spam are opaque to marketers, Sendlane is here to help you avoid the spam folder! Read on to learn about the most common reasons emails end up in spam, how Sendlane protects you, and what you can do to avoid the spam folder.

In This Guide

• Content
• Subject Lines
• Links
• Email Address Issues

Content

Pre-Written Templates

When email service providers (ESPs) see many different senders trying to deliver the exact same content, their algorithms detect the copied content and will stop inboxing emails that use it. 

Whenever you use pre-existing content, you need to rework it before sending it so that you can be sure it is unique. You can use pre-existing content as a guide, but make the emails your own to help increase your deliverability.

Email "Curse Words"

In addition to crawling for duplicate content, email providers also have filters on specific words that are frequently seen in spam emails.

For a more detailed (but not exhaustive) list of words you should avoid in your emails, check out the Email Curse Word Database. While you are following this list, remember: your goal is to always stand out!

While it’s true that spam filters look specifically for these words, the chances of your messages being marked as spam will differ based on your own sending reputation.

Imagery, Formatting, and Special Characters

Adding excessive text formatting (like bold, italics, different font sizes or colors) and special characters or punctuation (like !!, $$, ... or ==>) is a huge red flag for spam filters.

Subject Lines

Subject lines can actually be more important than the body of your messages!

When you think about grabbing your audience’s attention, you should always go for shorter and more compelling sentences. Be clever and grab attention with just 5 words or so.

Also, it's important to be honest. Your subject line must  directly relate to the content that you're sending within the body of your message, and avoid using anything that could potentially be deceptive (especially like "RE:" or referencing order numbers since marketing emails aren't transactional).

Avoiding words in the Email Curse Word Database is important when crafting subject lines as well.

Unverified sending domains

Email marketers are subject to strict legal guidelines about how, when, and to whom they send email. 

As an email marketer, you need to establish where you're sending from.

According to DMARC’s most recent legislation, in order to send marketing emails, you are required to have your own domain-based email address, backed by a corporate website. DMARC is the email validation system that helps prevent email abuse including spam, phishing, fraud and other email-based scams. 

If your business domain is brand new, your domain is essentially a blank slate. Similar to how a credit score starts off very low before you've built up credit, you improve your rating by showcasing responsible spending. You also need to build up your domain/sender reputation with responsible  sending!

When your "from" email address is unknown to Gmail and other providers, algorithms set up to detect spam will be monitoring the address, subject line, and content of your emails very closely. 

Test your emails

Testing is one of the most important parts of the email marketing process. It helps ensure that the messages you send will be delivered to your recipients and that everything looks how you want it to.

If you don’t test, your emails may end up in your contacts' spam folders without you ever knowing it!

How to test emails in Sendlane

Additional Sendlane Resources

• How to Create Eye-Catching Emails with Sendlane’s Email Builder
• The Email Marketing Hustle Podcast: Email Marketing Isn't Dead... You're Just Doing It Wrong
• The Email Marketing Hustle Podcast: Inboxing Not Spam Boxing
• How to Identify and Avoid a Major Email Marketing Meltdown

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