The tricky part is that email deliverability isn’t an exact science. You might find yourself accidentally relegated to spam for a variety of reasons, from the health of your email list to your authentication status.
Fortunately, that doesn’t mean you just have to live with landing the spam folder. There are a few tried-and-true tricks to help you get back in the inbox in no time.
How to keep your emails out of spam and in the inbox
Even the most seasoned email marketers experience email delivery issues—it happens all the time. That’s where we come in! We’re here to help you get back into the inbox and avoid the spam folder altogether.
In this post, we’ll cover some of our best advice to ensure your messages avoid spam filters and get delivered to your recipients. Look for tips regarding how to do the following:
- Build your own email list
- Provide a double opt-in
- Authenticate your email
- Clean up your email list regularly
- Avoid deny lists and monitor your reputation
- Be compliant with Internet privacy laws
- Provide an email preference center
- Monitor your email engagement metrics
- Send relevant content
- Utilize spam checkers
How to avoid email going to spam
1. Build your own email list
Email content is vital for communicating important information to stakeholders, providing shipping confirmations or security alerts, etc., but it can’t help your recipients if the emails never make it to their inboxes or go to an unengaged audience. Always avoid:
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- Renting, purchasing, or co-registering an email from a third party
- Sharing or using a shared list with a partner
- Scraping emails or using a robot to collect emails—known as email harvesting—puts you squarely into the spam folder, so don’t ever do it
You want an email list of folks interested in receiving your emails to ensure engagement. That’s why organically building your email list is in your best interest long term. It may not be the easiest or fastest way to grow your list and audience, but it is by far the most effective.
2. Provide a double opt-in
Verifying recipient registration and opt-in is crucial to building a healthy, sustainable email list. Using a double opt-in ensures that subscribers consent to receive your emails by sending them a confirmation or welcome email that requires action, usually in the form of a check box or link agreeing to terms. Once they’ve completed this action, they are on your mailing list.
3. Authenticate your email
Email authentication can be tricky but is key to verifying that you are who you say you are and that you’re sending legitimate emails. Inbox providers trust authenticated mail more than unauthenticated mail and are more likely to deliver those messages straight into the inbox.
The following 4 methods authenticate your email and help prove to providers that your email is worthy of the inbox and not the spam folder:
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- Sender Policy Framework (SPF) confirms your identity by comparing the sender’s IP (found in the domain’s DNS record) with a list of IPs authorized to send from that domain. For an in-depth explanation of SPF, check out Sender Policy Framework: A Layer of Protection in Email Infrastructure.
- DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) ensures that email isn’t tampered with during the transmission/sending process. For a crash course on all things DKIM, read How to Use DKIM to Prevent Domain Spoofing.
- Domain-Based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance (DMARC) leverages the power of DKIM and SPF by requiring both to send and deliver mail. What Is DMARC? outlines everything you need to know.
- Brand Indicators for Message Identification (BIMI) attaches your business’ logo to your emails, making them more recognizable to recipients. For everything BIMI, check out What Is BIMI? (Brand Indicators for Message Identification).
These authentication methods are the responsibility of the individual sender, but SendGrid can help you get started with each. Learn more about how our Expert Services can help you to mitigate deliverability issues and set your email program up for success.
4. Clean up your email list regularly
Email lists and subscribers naturally ebb and flow as recipients drop off of your list. Some folks just don’t want to receive your emails, and that’s okay! The quality of your list is much more important and valuable than the number of contacts on your list.
While some individuals may unsubscribe, others will ignore your emails or mark them as spam. This is detrimental to your sending reputation, making your emails less likely to reach recipients’ inboxes, including those that actively engage with your messages. A leaner, more engaged email list is always more effective than a large list of unengaged users.
Regular list maintenance helps stave off low engagement and its impact on your sender reputation. Removing unengaged users, bounced emails, and other spam traps are some of the most effective ways to clean your list.
Remember that email list turnover is normal—don’t take it personally! Be proactive, clean up your list, and you’ll experience improved delivery rates to the inbox.
5. Avoid email denylists and monitor your reputation
Your email domain has an associated sending reputation, and if it begins to slip, you may find yourself on an email denylist. Even the most cautious and well-intentioned senders can end up on an email denylist occasionally. Reduce the risk of ending up on a denylist by implementing the following sending practices:
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- Use confirmed opt-in or double opt-in to ensure engaged recipients.
- Implement a sunset policy to remove confirmed unengaged subscribers.
- Use real-time address validation to reduce the risk of false emails or typos ending up in your email list. SendGrid’s Email Validation API works in real time to support senders and detect errors in email addresses with machine learning.
Keeping watch over your delivery rates will notify you of any signals that you may be on a denylist
6. Be compliant with internet privacy laws
While compliance doesn’t guarantee email delivery, it can help you bypass some internet service provider (ISP) roadblocks. Over the past 20 years, internet privacy laws have boomed around the world. The most important pieces of legislation for marketers and senders are Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing (CAN-SPAM), the Canada Anti-Spam Law (CASL), the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and the California Consumer Protection Act (CCPA). These laws govern all commercial email, so let’s review what each asks of senders.
CAN-SPAM
The CAN-SPAM Act protects recipients’ privacy by requiring senders to abide by a set of sending requirements and standards aiming to weed out bad actors.
Under CAN-SPAM, commercial communications must avoid deception by clearly stating the purpose of emails, respecting recipients’ preferences, and being transparent throughout the sending process. For more information on CAN-SPAM, check out 5 CAN-SPAM Myths & Best Practices: From a Lawyer’s POV.
CASL
The Canada Anti-Spam Law (CASL) serves a similar function to CAN-SPAM, aiming to create a more transparent relationship between senders and recipients. CASL applies specifically to commercial electronic messages (CEMs), defined as “any electronic message that encourages participation in a commercial activity, regardless of whether there is an expectation of profit.”
For an in-depth look at how CASL affects your sending practices, check out Canadian Anti-Spam Law: What You Need to Know.
GDPR
Perhaps one of the most talked about pieces of privacy legislation in recent years, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has been top of mind for many since its inception in 2016. Its regulations cover the entirety of the EU, meaning that anyone sending email to the region must be compliant.
The GDPR aims to grant those in the EU more control over their personal data by requiring companies to be transparent with how they use it. Businesses working within the EU must be compliant with the regulation’s strict data processing requirements, covering where and how personal data is stored and used, as well as ensuring the security of that data.
For more information on the GDPR, read General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR): What Senders Need To Know.
CCPA
The California Consumer Protection Act (CCPA) feels like the natural descendent of the above privacy legislation, granting consumers more control over the use of their data. However, it only applies to businesses falling within specific categories. For businesses to be subject to the CCPA’s requirements, only one of the following must apply:
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- The business’ annual revenue exceeds $25 million
- The business “buys, receives, or sells the personal information of 50,000 or more consumers, households, or devices”
- The business can claim that 50% or more of its annual revenue comes from the sale of consumers’ personal information
Check out What Is the California Consumer Privacy Act? for more information on how the CCPA affects sending practices.
Remember, compliance with these pieces of legislation is obligatory, and meeting the requirements of one does not guarantee compliance with another. Err on the side of caution—you don’t want to be an email spammer!.
7. Provide an email preference center
Preference centers provide new and existing subscribers with the freedom to adjust how often they receive your emails. By providing a preference center that puts recipients in control of how and when you contact them, you reduce the risk of having subscribers mark your emails as spam.
8. Monitor your email engagement metrics
Metrics and email performance are the tried-and-true way to know how your email program progresses and improves. Before you can utilize these key performance indicators, it’s important to understand your baseline metrics—we all have to start somewhere, right?
Start with the following basic metrics:
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- Spam complaints
- Open rates
- Click-through rates
- Delivery rates
When you start tracking these metrics, don’t panic if you notice negative trends. The most important thing you can do is act quickly and calmly to remedy the problem. For example, in the case of dropping open rates, review your subject lines and email frequency. These 2 variables often have the most impact on this metric.
Also, when testing emails, use real content and recipients. Some practices, like seed testing, allow senders to test emails sent to small batches of recipients to understand how an ISP will respond but don’t provide a perfect analysis. Because every ISP weighs seed testing differently, try not to put all of your eggs in one basket here. In most cases, seed testing provides a false sense of security to senders—send tests to real recipients to get a more accurate idea of how they’ll respond.
9. Send relevant content
The core of any successful email program is a commitment to sending relevant, interesting content to your recipients. This means being intentional about your sending practices and not sending for the sake of sending. Aimless sending can cause your engagement to suffer, and that’s the last thing we want. The emails you send should resonate with your recipients. Otherwise, you risk getting ignored—or worse, sent to spam.
The next time you draft an email, consider the following before hitting send:
- Am I sharing new, urgent, or relevant information with my recipients?
- Have I shared an update about this topic recently? Is it too soon to send another update?
- Do all of my subscribers need to know this information? Should I update a specific segment of my list instead?
- Would I find this email valuable as a recipient?
Finding what email content works best for your brand often involves trial and error, so feel free to try new things and experiment with new styles of copy as you get to know your recipients.
10. Utilize spam checkers
Spam checkers are online tools that allow you to test your emails and indicate how likely recipients will mark them as spam. Although ISPs have the final say in how messages are filtered, spam checkers can often provide senders with peace of mind as they prepare new campaigns.
SendGrid’s email testing provides a spam-checking tool that shows how your emails may perform against some of the most powerful spam filters in the industry, as well as inbox rendering previews and URL checkers. Understanding how your emails may perform against these filters can help you to troubleshoot in advance and improve your likelihood of landing in the inbox the first time you send.
11. Segment and personalize your emails
Crafting emails that resonate with each recipient isn’t just about avoiding the spam folder—it’s about building a connection. Segmenting your email list and personalizing the content lets you send emails that feel tailor-made for each subscriber. This boosts your engagement rates and decreases the likelihood of your recipients marking your messages as spam.
Begin by categorizing your subscribers based on relevant criteria such as their purchase history, geographical location, or engagement level. This segmentation allows you to tailor your messaging to fit the specific interests and needs of different groups. For instance, send a special offer to those who haven’t purchased in a while, or a personalized product recommendation to frequent buyers.
Personalization goes beyond just inserting a subscriber’s name in the email. It’s about crafting content that speaks directly to their interests. Use data-driven insights to customize your emails with content that matters to each segment. Whether it’s a product update that’s relevant to their usage or a helpful tip that aligns with their business goals, personalized touches can make your emails too good to ignore—and too relevant to be marked as spam.
12. Tell your subscribers how to allowlist emails
Consistently reaching your subscribers’ inboxes can sometimes be as simple as teaching them how to allowlist your email address. Taking this proactive approach safeguards your emails from inadvertently landing in the spam folder, helping to maintain your engagement rates and deliverability.
Start by including a brief, clear set of instructions on how to allowlist your emails in your welcome or confirmation emails. This guide should be easy to follow, catering to users who might not be as tech-savvy. Explain that by adding your email address to their contacts or safe senders list, they’ll ensure they never miss out on valuable information.
For example, you might include a simple step-by-step guide like this in your welcome email:
- Open an email from us.
- Click on our sender name.
- Choose “Add to contacts” or “Add to safe sender list.”
You can also provide links to detailed instructions for popular email services like Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo to guarantee every subscriber knows exactly how to keep your emails front and center.
FAQs about emails going to spam
Why are my legitimate emails going to spam?
Your emails might be landing in spam due to low engagement rates, poor list hygiene, or lack of proper authentication. Even if you’re not intentionally spamming, your messages could be considered “graymail”—emails that aren’t exactly spam but aren’t highly desired by recipients either.
How can I improve my email deliverability?
To boost your email deliverability:
- Build your own email list organically
- Use double opt-in for new subscribers
- Authenticate your emails using SPF, DKIM, and DMARC
- Regularly clean your email list
- Monitor your engagement metrics
- Send relevant, personalized content
What’s the importance of email authentication?
Email authentication proves you are who you say you are, making inbox providers more likely to trust your emails. Use methods like SPF, DKIM, DMARC, and BIMI to verify your identity and protect against email spoofing.
How often should I clean my email list?
There’s no set frequency, but you should regularly remove unengaged subscribers, bounced emails, and potential spam traps. A lean, engaged list is more valuable than a large list of uninterested recipients. Consider implementing a sunset policy to automatically remove confirmed unengaged subscribers.
What are some signs that my emails might be going to spam?
Look out for:
- Declining open rates
- Increased spam complaints
- Lower click-through rates
- Reduced overall engagement
- Feedback from subscribers that they’re not receiving your emails
How can I make my emails more engaging to avoid the spam folder?
To boost engagement:
- Segment your email list
- Personalize content for different subscriber groups
- Send relevant, interesting content
- Use compelling subject lines
- Optimize for mobile devices
- Include clear calls-to-action
What should I do if I end up on an email denylist?
If you find yourself on a denylist:
- Identify which denylist you’re on
- Review and improve your sending practices
- Clean your email list
- Request removal from the denylist
- Consider working with email deliverability experts to resolve the issue and prevent future listings