Emails going to the junk folder? Here’s how to prevent it

If you send bulk emails like newsletters or DEM on a daily basis, you have probably already faced the problem of your email going to the junk folder. Unfortunately this is a pretty common issue, even if you’re running a 100% legitimate email marketing campaign.

Why does this happen?

There are three main reasons, concerning the outgoing mail server in use, how you structered your newsletter and how is your email list created and managedand. So here are some correlated ways to avoid that your emails end up stuck in junk mail filters:

  1. Improve your design. A neat HTML code and a good balance between text and images is essential for your email not to be taken as spam. In particular, never send an image-only newsletter.
  2. Avoid spammy words in the subject line. It may sound trivial, but a short and effective subject line without dubious words or symbols (including “$$$” or “no cost” or “your income”) is a huge help to stand out of the junk mail folder.
  3. Keep your email lists squeaky clean. Erase double contacts, misspelled email accounts, and of course delete anyone who doesn’t want to receive your communications anymore. Which leads us to the next point…
  4. Always provide an unsubscribe link. Even if all your contacts have given their permission to send them emails (the only valid way for a professional marketing), you must always give them the chance to opt-out in one click from your mailing list. So be sure to put an unsubscribe link at the end of each newsletter.
  5. Choose a truly reliable SMTP server. Unfortunately, if you try to send a bulk email with a normal free outgoing mail server, such as using Gmail, a part of your messages will be always filtered out. So to ensure that all emails will get to the intended inboxes without being labeled as spam, you should rely on a professional SMTP server like turboSMTP.

For further information you can also check our free guide on email deliverability.