Spam. We loathe it, we detest receiving spam mails and it’s actually just not fun dealing with it, but hey, we do what we have to do. We often get asked why emails end up in the subscriber’s spam folder but there are some things that people forget to check. One of the most often overlooked elements that can trigger spam filters is the words that you use in your subject line.
PLEASE NOTE: This article serves as a guide and doesn’t mean the words you use on this list WILL definitely trigger spam filters. This list is based on multiple sources and experience within the email marketing industry.
Context is important when it comes to whether your emails will be seen as spam or not. Email Service Providers have become a lot smarter in understanding the context in which words are used. The word “free” might be perfectly fine to use, but when combined with something such as “free bank account” it might trigger a spam filter and prevent you from landing into the inbox.
Let’s look at the definition of spam trigger words as defined by Hubspot:
“Spam trigger words are phrases that email providers flag as fraudulent and malicious. When they identify these emails, they then route them away from recipients’ inboxes.”
A spam filter is a computer filter program that prevents messages from getting to a user’s inbox if it detects that the email is unsolicited or unwanted. Spam filters use a set criteria to make judgements about whether an email message is spam or not. The earliest versions of spam filters used only the subject lines of messages to exclude spam messages from a user’s inbox.
Since then these filters have become sophisticated programs that use more advanced filtering techniques to identify spam.
There are 7 categories that words can be grouped into when it comes to triggering spam filters.
When you’re writing your subject line, you should stay away from words that specifically try to tell a subscriber that the email is not spam.
Manipulative, fear-mongering emails that focus on urgency can definitely land you in the spam folder, but can also leave a bad taste in your subscriber’s mouth.
A better way to create urgency is to provide a solution to a problem, rather than to focus on the problem.
Often when you’re offering something that is readily available the value of it is perceived to be lower. This is because people by nature want what they can’t have. Subject lines that follow a cheap and nasty tone often contain pre-qualification phrases that make it seem like everyone is winning, instead of making people feel special.
If it sounds too good to be true, that’s because it probably is. People are a lot more savvy than you think and will struggle to trust your business or open your emails if your subject line includes words that make your offers hard to believe. Don’t oversell what you’re offering, rather let your product or service do that for you.
Just like any other marketing channel you use, just because you have more control over your email marketing doesn’t mean you should use phrases that are ethically or legally dodgy.
No one likes to feel like they are being bossed around, so make sure your subject lines don’t come across as too pushy or overly instructive. You want to ensure people want to open your email but not to a level where you are being excessively forceful.
Do not beg people to open your emails. People want value when they are receiving emails from you. You don’t want your subscribers to feel sorry for you or for your brand to seem desperate.
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