You spend exactly 7 hours and 23 minutes preparing a newsletter that you perfect down to the smallest detail. You even added a gif from your favorite TV series. Then you send the email and it ends up… in spam. That’s a shame, isn’t it? No way. Let’s reclaim your emails’ rightful place in your subscribers’ inboxes. With our tips, you can increase their deliverability.
1. Choose a Reliable Email Marketing Platform
Not all platforms are created equal. If you choose a questionable or outdated solution, your Internet Service Providers (ISPs) may consider your emails suspicious and mark them as spam before they reach your audience.
Poor deliverability, wasted effort, and loss of trust in your campaigns—you don’t want that. Invest in a reliable platform that prioritizes deliverability and compliance.
In addition, ISPs also take into account email interactions. If your campaigns have low open rates over time, they are more likely to end up in spam.
So choose a platform that offers features like A/B testing, dynamic content personalization, and advanced segmentation. A good choice is, for example, MailerLite, HubSpot, Samba.ai or Mailchimp.
Bonus tip:
We at the agency have been using MailerLite for years and we won’t let it go. Read our comparison of email marketing tools, where you can also find other options.
2. Maintain a good sender reputation
Internet service providers rate your sender reputation based on how subscribers interact with your emails. If people mark you as spam, don’t open your emails, or unsubscribe in bulk, your reputation will suffer. Poor sender reputation = spam.
Here’s what you can do:
- Monitor your sender reputation using tools like Google Postmaster or SenderScore.
- Send emails regularly (not too often, not too infrequently).
- Avoid sending to inactive subscribers.
Bonus tip:
Warm up new domains and IP addresses by gradually increasing your email volume. This builds trust with ISPs.
3. Create your own subscriber list
One thing that will definitely land you in email hell is a fake contact list. These recipients haven’t opted in to your emails, so sooner or later they’llmark you as spam. So no googling and downloading email addresses or buying from some speculator on the internet, okay?
To collect email contacts use registration forms on your website. Give people value (e.g. a discount, e-book or access to a webinar) in exchange for their email. Platforms like Sumo, OptinMonster, or MailerLite signup forms can help you build your list.
Bonus tip:
Use social media and promote a landing page with a registration form there. It should be clear what value subscribers will receive – e.g. “Exclusive tips to increase sales directly to your inbox”.
4. Clean up your database regularly
Even if you have your own list, you don’t have it all figured out. Sending emails to people who aren’t interested in your content is like standing up to a wall and talking to it – completely pointless.Inactive subscribers, fake addresses, or typosdamage the sender’s reputation andtrigger spam filters.
So clean up your listat least once every 3-6 months by removing:
- invalid or non-existent email addresses
- email addresses to which you can temporarily not deliver emails (e.g. because the recipient’s mailbox is full). If this problem persists, remove them.
- inactive subscribers = people who have not opened your emails or clicked on any links in them for several months
You can use tools such as NeverBounce, ZeroBounce or MailerCheck to verify email addresses and clean up your list. Many email marketing platforms have these features built-in. Also in MailerLite you have the option to automatically unsubscribe all inactive addresses.
Bonus tip:
Before you completely delete inactive subscribers, run a reactivation campaign to win them back. Offer them something of value – like a discount or exclusive content. Automatically remove those who don’t respond after 2-3 reconnection attempts.
5. Watch out for the subject line
Even if you have your own list, you’re not completely out of luck. Sending emails to people who aren’t interested in your content is the first thing email filters check. Words like “free,” “urgent,” or “limited time offer” scream spam to both ISPs and your subscribers.
Create subject lines that are clear, authentic, and focused on the benefits.Avoid using all CAPITAL LETTERS, excessive exclamation points (!!!), or words that trigger spam.Some emojis, like 💡🤔☝✔❌, can also be considered spam. Instead, focus on curiosity or relevance:
Not like this: SALE NOW!!! FREE INSIDE OFFER!!!!
Better: “Save 20% on your next order”
Bonus tip:
It’s best to keep the subject line short and concise. This means it is less than 50 characters long and the most important thing is at the beginning.
6. Send relevant content
If your content is not relevant, subscribers will ignore your emails and in the worst case, they will mark them as spam. Your open and click-through rates gradually decrease, which damages your reputation as a sender. You are losing potential customers. What to do about it?
Focus on personalization and segmentation to deliver what people will be interested in. 99% of the time, your male customers won’t be interested in the latest lipstick shades on offer.
Address your customers by name in the subject line or body of your email, recommend products based on previous purchases or reference recent interactions. Segment your customers into smaller groups based on:
Demographics – age, location, etc.
Interests – specific products or topics
Behavior – purchase history, email interactions (called engagement), website activity
Bonus tip:
If your newsletter contains more images than text, it is more likely to end up in spam. Moreover, Outlook and Gmail, for example, do not display images by default unless the recipient sets it up. To ensure maximum deliverability, keep the image to text ratio at approximately 70:30 in favor of text.
7. Check your links
You may not think much about links in your emails, but spam filters do.Suspicious, broken, or insecure links are a signal to ISPs that scream “phishing scam.” Even innocent mistakes – like a typo in a URL – can cause your email to be sent to spam. Not to mention, broken links ruin the user experience and erode trust. So before sending an email, test every link to make sure it works. Avoid using URL shorteners (like bit.ly) as they can look like spam to email filters. Make sure all links are HTTPS. Check for broken links using tools like Dead Link Checker.
Bonus tip:
Make sure your links are relevant to the content of the email. If you’re promising “Free Conversion Tips,” don’t link to a random product page—it looks spammy.
8. Quick Logout
Another surefire way to end up in spam is to make it difficult for people to unsubscribe. Nobody likes to feel trapped. If subscribers can’t easily unsubscribe, they’ll hit the “Report Spam” button faster than you can say deliverability.
The more people who mark your emails as spam, the more ISPs will assume your content is unwanted—and start blocking your emails altogether.
Always have a clear and visible unsubscribe link at the end of your email. Don’t hide it behind vague wording or colors that blend in with the background. Use a one-click unsubscribe process. If people have to overcome obstacles, they’ll be more likely to mark you as spam.
Bonus tip:
When unsubscribing, you can ask people why they left: “Too many emails? Content not relevant? Other?” This will give you valuable feedback. Also give people the option to adjust their preferences (e.g., receive fewer or only some of your emails).
9. Follow the rules
Laws like the Ignoring these rules can lead to fines or blacklisting.
Therefore, only send emails to people who have explicitly opted in. Be transparent about how you will use their data. Include a link to your privacy policy when signing up. Include a prominent unsubscribe option in every email.
Specific GDPR rules to follow:
– Send a confirmation email after signing up to ensure consent.
– Clear consent language: No pre-ticked boxes or vague language like “Sign up for updates.”
– Subscribers must be able to view, update, or delete their information.
Bonus tip:
Add a GDPR-compliant footer to your emails: “You received this email because you signed up for [website]. If you no longer wish to receive our newsletters, please click the link [here].”
How to keep your email from ending up in spam: a summary
Getting into the inbox is not a miracle, it’s a strategy. Choose a reliable tool, build your own subscriber list and clean it regularly. It is also very important to segment the list into small groups of subscribers so that they receive the most relevant content.
You can also avoid the spam folder with well-written subject lines and by checking all links in your email. Don’t forget to add an unsubscribe option and follow GDPR rules.
Deliverability = trust. Build it, nurture it, and watch your email campaigns succeed. Start implementing these 9 strategies and earn your rightful place in your subscribers’ inboxes. And if you have any questions on the topic or would like advice on your campaigns, contact us. We’re happy to help.
