From a user’s perspective, spam filters are a great ally. After all, who wants to see their inbox filled with junk mail?

But from an email marketer’s perspective, avoiding spam filters can be a major pain. There’s nothing worse than working hard on an email campaign only to have it get caught in a spam filter. And sometimes the metrics for what qualifies as spam are frustratingly vague.

Thankfully, there are a few best practices you can adopt in order to minimize the chances of getting your emails past a spam filter. Let’s go over a few of these.

1. Make sure your emails comply with validation standards

There are certain technical standards that email providers use to validate whether an email sender is trustworthy. Some of these include:

• DKIM (Domain Keys Identified Mail), an email validation system that uses cryptographic signatures to verify that an email was sent from the domain it claims to be sent from.
  
• SPF (Sender Policy Framework), an email validation system that helps prevent spammers from forging the “from” address on an email.

Determine which validation standards are used by your email provider or hosting provider, and make sure that your emails comply with them. That’ll help your emails slip neatly into inboxes, avoiding spam filters and the wasted effort that comes with getting flagged.

2. Review your mailing lists regularly

One of the quickest ways avoid spam filters is to regularly check your mailing lists for email addresses that no longer exist. Inactive email accounts are often scooped up by ISPs or email providers and used to flag emails as spam.

That’s why it’s important to review your mailing lists on a regular basis and remove any inactive or invalid email addresses. It’s always best to be sure that your emails are only going to people who actually want to receive them — you get more returns on your effort and on your marketing spend.

3. Always aim for high engagement

Another metric that spam filters take into account is engagement, or how often people open your emails.

Generally speaking, the more engaged your subscribers are, the more likely you’ll be to avoid spam filters. So if you’re seeing a lot of bounces or low open rates, that’s a sign that you might need to take a closer look at your email marketing strategy.

Some tips for improving engagement include:

Use a URL shortener

URL shorteners like TinyURL can be a great way to improve engagement and click-through rates. They make it easier for people to see what they’re clicking on, and they also make your links look neater in the email itself.

By using a custom branded domain and links that communicate exactly what users can expect by clicking, you can also ensure that you put up a consistent and trustworthy brand presence throughout your campaign that’ll entice users to click more in the future.

Segment your audiences

One of the best ways to improve engagement is to segment your audiences. By sending targeted and relevant emails to small groups of people, you’re more likely to reach people who are actually going to click on your links. So take the time to segment your list and send emails that are tailored to each group.

Avoid using spammy words

There are certain “spammy” words and phrases that can trigger a spam filter, so it’s best to avoid them if you want your emails to make it into inboxes. Some of these include:

• “100% free”
  
• “click here”
  
• “guaranteed winner”
  
• “limited time offer”
  
• “risk-free”

Of course, there are many other words and phrases that can trigger a spam filter, so it’s always best to run your email content through a spam checker before sending it out. That way, you can be sure that your email is as clean as possible and stands the best chance of making it into inboxes.

4. Above all else, be trustworthy

At the end of the day, spam filters are designed to protect people from unwanted and untrustworthy emails. If your intentions are good, and your product or service solves your users’ pain points without overpromising, then your content shouldn’t have any trouble making it past the filter. 

Conclusion: avoid spam filters and build trust with TinyURL

Building trust with your audience should be one of your top priorities, no matter what type of marketing you’re doing. But it’s especially important when it comes to email marketing – without it, you might find that your emails are being sent to oblivion by a vengeful spiced ham construct.

One of the best ways to get there is through consistency. With TinyURL, you can maintain a consistent brand and tone for all your links, making them feel more organic and safer to click on. Sign up for a free trial now and watch your emails glide past the filters and right into your subscribers’ inboxes.