Introduction
Senders of bulk email have a unique opportunity to communicate. They have access to huge audiences and can use that power to reach out to as many people as they want, but they also have some responsibilities. In particular, bulk email senders need to know the rules of the game before they play them or else risk being caught by spam filters or having their emails blocked altogether by recipients. This blog explains.
1. Know the rules
The recipient must also know the rules. The latter should know what they can expect when receiving bulk emails and how much content should be included in the email body of each message.
If you are planning to send a lot of emails at once it is best if you have an idea about what kind of content will be included in these messages beforehand so that all recipients get an idea about what kind of information needs to be shared with them before sending out any more mass emails from your business/organization.
2. Use expert-level tools
- If you have access to advanced tools, they will help you avoid spam filters, track your email campaigns and send them in an organized fashion. All of these programs are free. They also offer a lot more than just this one feature so it's worth checking them out if you want something more robust than what comes with Gmail or Outlook for example.
3. Avoid shady tactics
One of the most common ways to avoid getting blocked by your spam filter is to make sure that you don’t use shady tactics. Spam traps are emails that look like spam but are actually sent by the recipient. This can cause your email address to be added to a blacklist and result in your messages being blacklisted from reaching their intended recipients. A legitimate email campaign should never resemble any kind of spam or phishing attempt, so make sure you avoid these practices.
Spammers use many different techniques for trying to get around filters and other anti-spam measures, including doing things like:
- Sending out large numbers of emails at once makes it more likely that some will get caught in filters before others arrive in inboxes
- Using multiple addresses, with each account registered under one name
4. Make sure you’re sending emails to a legitimate email address
- WHOIS information can verify a domain's validity. This is an easily accessible resource that shows you the registrant, administrative contact, and technical contact for your chosen domain name.
- If you’re unsure about whether or not the email address being used for sending bulk emails is legitimate, try checking out the site WhoIsHostingThisEmailAddress.com to see what kind of companies are using those addresses. It may also be worth contacting them directly with questions regarding their usage policies and practices before continuing on with sending campaigns through their service providers.
- You should also ensure that all domains listed in spam folders have been blacklisted before submitting them again; this will help prevent future issues like this one from arising due to insufficient checks being performed during initial submissions.
5. Keep your email list well maintained and up-to-date
Maintaining and updating your email list is key to avoiding spam. Here are some tips.
- Keep it clean. If you have a lot of old messages in your inbox, delete them or archive them for later use. You don't want any spammer seeing that there's an old message from someone with a similar name as one they sent recently that would give them clues about who might be receiving their emails from now on!
- Make sure the content of each message is relevant and accurate so that people who receive it will know why they're receiving it in the first place (and not just “SPAM”!). This also means making sure that all links work properly; if someone clicks on a link after clicking through an email newsletter, then this will cause problems down the road when trying/trying again later on…which leads us right into our next point.
6. Send content that people actually care about – and will open
Sending bulk emails requires relevant, entertaining content. You want people to open up the emails and read them in full because they will actually care about them. Others should easily understand your emails.
Here are some email quality tips:
- Make sure all messages have accurate, up-to-date information; don't make assumptions.If something has changed since it was written, then include a link back so that readers can verify/update themselves if necessary.
- If possible, use images instead of text for formatting purposes. They're easier on eyesight as well as bandwidth usage which means less data being sent out per person-the better thing overall.
7. Keep your formatting clean and simple
Make sure your subject line calls to action.
- Make sure that your subject line has a clear and concise call to action. The call-to-action should be specific, direct, and easy for readers to understand. This way, you'll keep them on track with what they need from you or your business and it will help build trust between them and you as well.
- Use a clean layout that's simple enough for anyone with any level of experience level to navigate through quickly without getting bored before it gets there. This means no fancy fonts or colors; just text on white backgrounds. If possible, use different shades of gray instead of black so that there's no contrast between text and background color it makes reading easier.
Senders of the bulk email must know the rules.
Spam is dangerous. It's like a game you can play with your friends, but the rules are complicated and it takes time to learn them. And even when you do know them, there are still hidden mechanics that can get in the way of playing the game correctly.
How to avoid spammers?
The first step is knowing what they're doing that way, when they send out their intended message and try to destroy your reputation by flooding your inbox with junk mail as fast as possible, at least then we'll know where they're coming from.
Conclusion
The best way to avoid the spam folder is to be aware of the rules of the road and avoid shady tactics. That means using advanced tools, making sure you’re sending emails to legitimate addresses, keeping your list well maintained and up-to-date, and sending content that people actually care about. These steps can help you avoid getting blocked from Gmail or other email providers in the future.
