Are Your Emails Going to Spam? Avoid These Keywords.

Are Your Emails Going to Spam? Avoid These Keywords.

Feel like too many of your emails are going straight to your customers’ junk folder or spam folder? You’re probably not wrong! As many as one-in-five emails, on average, get sent to spam. How can you avoid this trap? To start, make sure you’re not using these keywords.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sample Words to Avoid:

  • 100%
  • #1
  • 100% free
  • 100% satisfied
  • 50% off
  • Ad
  • All New
  • Amazing
  • Bargain
  • Best Price
  • Bonus
  • Brand New Pager
  • Cancel at any time
  • Check or money order
  • Claims not to be selling anything
  • Click here
  • Congratulations
  • Cost
  • Costs
  • Credit
  • Dear friend
  • Discount
  • Don’t delete
  • Email harvest
  • Email marketing
  • F r e e
  • Fast cash
  • For free
  • For instant access
  • For just $xxx
  • For just $yyy
  • For only
  • For only ($)
  • For you
  • Free
  • Free consultation
  • Free dvd
  • Free gift
  • Free or toll-free
  • Free sample
  • Free trial
  • Free website
  • Gift certificate
  • Give it away
  • Giving away
  • Giving it away
  • Great
  • Great offer
  • Great offer
  • Guarantee
  • Increase sales
  • Incredible deal
  • Insurance
  • Internet market
  • Internet marketing
  • It’s effective
  • Lower interest rate
  • Lowest insurance rates
  • Lowest interest rate
  • Lowest price
  • Luxury
  • Mortgage
  • Mortgage rates
  • Name Brand
  • New domain extensions
  • One hundred percent free
  • Order now
  • Outstanding values
  • Please read
  • Prize
  • Prizes
  • Profits
  • Promise
  • Promise you
  • Risk-free
  • Sale
  • Sales
  • Sample
  • Satisfaction
  • Satisfaction guaranteed
  • Special promotion
  • Stainless Steel
  • Stuff on sale
  • The best rates
  • This is not spam
  • We hate spam
  • Web traffic
  • Will not believe your eyes
  • Winner

This is not meant to be an all-encompassing list, by any means. It’s helpful to consider what about these words makes them triggers. In general, you want to avoid doing any of the following:

  • Making aggressive or exaggerated claims. This includes words like “prize,” “profits,” and “lowest price.”
  • Creating artificial urgency. Avoid words like “Act now!” or “Time is running out!” These increase the likelihood of your email being blocked.
  • Avoid sounding too good to be true. This guideline covers a wide variety of terms like “Earn cash” or “Financial freedom”
  • Don’t try to get around filters by sneaking in spam keywords indirectly. Spam filters are smart these days, and they recognize when you try to sneak in a F R E E instead of just typing “free.” The fact that you’re blatantly trying to get around a filter is a red flag to the system. Don’t do it.
  • And of course, you always want to avoid being unethical. People should know what your email is about based on the subject line. A “bait and switch” subject line creates a bad experience for your customers.

You might be thinking “Wait, what’s left?” Especially if you’re running an e-commerce site, these unwritten rules can feel like there’s nothing left that you are allowed to say. You have options, but you might have to be creative. Don’t forget to use all of the tools at your disposal, for example, the email builder in Infusionsoft by Keap has a built in Spam check that will analyze the content of your email and give you warnings if you’re about to cross a line.

At True Productions, we recommend that you take the time to consider the goal of each email and determine what you’re trying to convey. Have a clear call to action, and then structure the content of your email around that messaging, from subject line to closing phrase. Taking the time to consider your emails from all angles will pay off in the long run, helping you to keep a clean list of happy customers who love seeing your emails in their inbox!