It’s endlessly frustrating when you spend time on your email campaigns but just don’t get the results you were looking for. There are a number of reasons why this might be the case, but one of them could be the fact that your emails aren’t hitting people’s inboxes. 

If deliverability is holding back your email outreach, then follow these simple steps on how to avoid emails going to spam. 

Build a Targeted Prospect List

If you’re reaching out to anyone and everyone, then is your email any different from spam? Your emails need to offer some kind of value to the recipient, and this starts with having a targeted prospect list. 

If your emails are relevant and offer value, then people will engage with them. However, if you’re sending emails to a huge list that doesn’t stand to benefit from your services, then people are more likely to mark them as spam. 

If enough people start marking your emails as spam, then your future blasts are destined for the spam email folder.

It all starts with researching the right targets. If you’re reaching the right people with the right message, then your email outreach program will be much more effective. 

Warm Up Your Email Account and Email Domain

It requires some patience to avoid emails going to spam. 

You can’t just expect to go from sending no emails to thousands each day and the email companies not to think something suspicious is happening. When you’ve spent time researching your list and crafting personalized emails, this can be frustrating, but it’s an important step to keep your emails out of the spam filters. 

Gradually warm up your account, sending more and more emails each week. 

You might only start out by sending a handful of emails, but you can soon scale things and start doing good numbers. Yes, it means things take a little longer, but this is a common reason why people’s emails go to spam. 

Take your time to warm up the account, and use the extra days to research your list in greater detail. 

Maximize Your Engagement Rates

Whether you look at SEO, social media, email outreach, or virtually any kind of digital marketing, engagement rates are key. Essentially, they’re like a barometer of usefulness, and external companies will use this information to judge your content. 

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If the email providers see your emails have a very low engagement rate, then what does it tell them?

It probably indicates that you’re not offering much value and that your emails are likely to be spam. In many ways, this is a good thing because it gives you an opportunity to stand out. 

It’s within your power to create highly engaging emails that grab people’s attention and get them hitting the reply button. This is one of the key ways to avoid your emails going to spam - get people opening and engaging with your emails. 

With a targeted email list, you’ve already got a head start with this because you know what the people are looking for. All you need to do is make sure your subject lines are attention-grabbing and focus on personalizing your emails to your audience. 

Avoid Spam Words 

One of the things you want to do is keep your emails as natural as possible. The more you alter your language and force things, the more robotic and spammy it’s likely to appear (think of the super salesy car salesmen ads you see on TV).

Spammy emails are often quite easy to spot because they use a common language. If you’re writing naturally and focusing on offering value to the reader, then these words tend not to come up. However, if they do, the spam filters are pretty effective at blocking them from people’s inboxes. 

There are hundreds of spam trigger words, but the idea isn’t just to focus on avoiding them. It’s about using natural, human language that engages the person on the other side of the computer. 

If you do this, then you’re much more likely to craft cold emails that get responses and stay out of the spam folder. 

Avoid Using Attachments 

It’s tempting to bombard people with information when you send a cold email. You’ve managed to grab their attention, and now you want to talk about all the amazing things your company does and the great products you have.

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Of course, the next thing you remember is that it’s best to keep your emails brief, so what do you do? Sometimes people add attachments, giving them extra space to say everything they want to say. 

The problem is, this is a big spam red flag. 

The email providers see attachments as something of a wildcard - you could have put anything in there, and this could put their client at risk. This means that if you’re going to avoid emails going to spam, then you need to resist the temptation to add attachments. 

Once your prospect has replied and a conversation has begun, then you can send all the attachments you like. Remember that your goal with the first email is to begin a conversation - you don’t need an attachment to do that. 

Include Accurate Sender Information 

Part of avoiding emails going to spam is enabling email providers and recipients to know who you are. If you’re hiding your identity (even if it’s unintentionally), then it’s going to cause problems for your deliverability. 

Your send information, things like your email address, domain name “from”, “reply to”, and routing information should all be easily accessible. 

Another good email outreach tip is to have a clear, professional-looking email signature. This will allow people to easily identify who they’re communicating with, giving them the confidence they need to engage with your email. 

Conclusion: How to Avoid Email Going to Spam

It’s a huge problem for your outreach if your emails constantly end up in spam. You put a lot of effort into building your campaigns, and it can all be for nothing if you’re not able to reach your prospects. 

When thinking about how to avoid email going to spam, the most important thing to remember is value. 

Everything we’ve talked about in this article - from list building to engagement, and sender information all comes back to offering the recipient maximum value. That should be the aim of any email outreach, and if you do this well, then you’re much more likely to avoid the dreaded spam box. 

Start your email outreach today!