Our best advice for SEO and Email writing is that if you write well for humans, the robots can read it too.
We also like using AIDA.
We have a whole webinar about it too.
- Is the subject line good enough…. catchy enough? but accurate?
- How does the preview text look?
- Did I put enough emoji’s in it?
- Should I just do a plain text like some Gurus say to do?
A critical question to ask is if your email has spam triggering words or not.
With sophisticated AI and newer blockers, email service providers actually scan each email to determine if it is spam or genuine. Sometimes it takes a bit of training for new email inboxes to begin trusting known and whitelisted email contacts.
What are Spam Triggering Words?
Spam Triggers are best known as just words that we typically find in spam. Does that mean using it just once will trigger a filter? Well, not quite. Its actually a bit contextual.
Genuine usage of the word like ‘free’ is ultimately fine. But, repeating the same and combining it with other words like ‘free bank account’ or ‘free housing’ might trigger spam filters and prevent your email from going into the inbox.
As with most human relationship and communication, you want to avoid sounding:
Needy: with words like ‘Help’, ’Distress’
Manipulative: with words like ‘Urgent’, ’Don’t delete’
Sleazy: Self explanatory but avoid sounding like “Cousin Vinny”
Cheap: words like Free, 100% off, Full Discount
Far-fetched: pie in the sky words like ‘free money’, ’lose weight’, ’billions’
If you are still curious…. just take a look at your Gmail Spam Box. You know the kind.
What to avoid:
We’ve taken the time to compile a list of phrases and words that can at times trigger spam filters. This isn’t completely exhaustive but its pretty close to 500 words which we feel is a good reference for people getting started.
- % Satisfied
- %
- off
- Acceptance
- Accordingly
- Act
- Now
- Affordable
- All
- New
- As
- seen on
- Auto email removal
- Avoid
- Bargain
- Be amazed
- Bonus
- Brand new pager
- Bulk email
- Buy
- Buy direct
- Buying judgments
- Cable converter
- Call
- Call free
- Call now
- Can’t live without
- Cancel at any time
- Casino
- Celebrity
- Chance
- Claims not to be selling anything
- Clearance
- Click
- Click below
- Click here
- Click to remove
- Compare
- Compare
- Compare rates
- Compete for your business
- Copy accurately
- Copy DVDs
- Deal
- Direct email
- Direct marketing
- Do it today
- Don’t delete
- Don’t hesitate!
- Dormant
- Email harvest
- Email marketing
- Explode your business
- F r e e
- Fantastic deal
- For just $(insert whatever amount)
- For Only
- Form
- Free
- Free consultation
- Free DVD
- Free hosting
- Freedom
- Get
- Get it away
- Get it now
- Gift certificate
- Give it away
- Guarantee
- Guaranteed
- Have you been turned down?
- Have you been turned down?
- Here
- Hidden
- Home
- Increase sales
- Increase traffic
- Increase your sales
- Incredible deal
- Internet market
- Internet marketing
- It’s effective
- Join millions
- Join millions of Americans
- Laser printer
- Leave
- Lifetime
- limited time
- Limited time offer
- Long distance phone offer
- Lose
- Luxury car
- Mail in order form
- Maintained
- Marketing
- Marketing solutions
- Mass email
- Medium
- Member
- Miracle
- Month trial offer
- More Internet Traffic
- Multi level marketing
- Never
- New domain extensions
- No age restrictions
- No cost
- No disappointment
- No gimmick
- No inventory
- No middleman
- No obligation
- No purchase necessary
- No questions asked
- No selling
- No strings attached
- No-obligation
- Notspam
- Now
- Now only
- One hundred percent free
- One hundred percent guaranteed
- One time mailing
- Online marketing
- Open
- Opportunity
- Opt in
- Order
- Order now
- Order shipped by
- Passwords
- Performance
- Print form signature
- Print out and fax
- Priority mail
- Prize
- Prizes
- Problem
- Produced and sent out
- Promise you
- Quote
- Quotes
- Removal instructions
- Remove
- Reserves the right
- Reverses
- Rolex
- Sale
- Sales
- Sample
- Satisfaction
- Save $
- Save big money
- Search engine listings
- Search engines
- See for yourself
- Serious only
- Shopping spree
- Sign up free today
- Solution
- Stainless steel
- Stop
- Strong buy
- Stuff on sale
- Subscribe
- Success
- Teen
- The best rates
- The following form
- They’re just giving it away
- This isn’t a scam
- This isn’t junk
- This isn’t spam
- This won’t last
- Undisclosed recipient
- Unlimited
- Unsolicited
- Unsubscribe
- Urgent
- Vacation
- Vacation offers
- Visit our website
- Warranty
- We hate spam
- We honor all
- Web traffic
- Weekend getaway
- While supplies last
- While you sleep
- Who really wins?
- Will not believe your eyes
- Win
- Winner
- Winning
- Won
- You are a winner!
- You have been selected
- % free
- Accept credit cards
- Access
- Ad
- Amazing
- Auto email removal
- Being a member
- Best price
- Billing address
- Bulk email
- Cancel at any time
- Cannot be combined with any other offer
- Cards accepted
- Dear [email/friend/somebody]
- Dig up dirt on friends
- Direct email
- Direct marketing
- Email harvest
- Email marketing
- Free gift
- Free leads
- Free preview
- Free sample
- Free trial
- Full refund
- Get started now
- Gift certificate
- Give it away
- Great offer
- If only it were that easy
- Important information regarding
- Increase traffic
- Info you requested
- Information you requested
- Internet market
- Internet marketing
- Maintained
- Marketing
- Marketing solutions
- Mass email
- Member
- Member stuff
- Message contains
- Message contains disclaimer
- MLM
- Multi level marketing
- Multi-level marketing
- Name brand
- No catch
- No disappointment
- No hidden
- Not intended
- Obligation
- Offer
- Online marketing
- Order status
- Please read
- Safeguard notice
- Satisfaction
- Satisfaction guaranteed
- Search engine listings
- Search engines
- Sent in compliance
- Solution
- Special promotion
- Supplies are limited
- Talks about hidden charges
- Tells you it’s an ad
- Terms and conditions
- The following form
- This isn’t junk
- This isn’t spam
- Buy direct
- Buying judgments
- Call
- Call free
- Can’t live without
- Trial
- We hate spam
- Web traffic
- Weekend getaway
- As seen on
- Bargain
- Be amazed
- Bonus
- Cheap
- Claims not to be selling anything
- Clearance
- Click to remove
- Collect
- Compare rates
- Compete for your business
- Deal
- Don’t hesitate!
- Explode your business
- F r e e
- Fantastic deal
- For just $(insert whatever amount)
- For Only
- Free DVD
- Free hosting
- Get it now
- Limited time offer
- Long distance phone offer
- Mail in order form
- Money back
- New domain extensions
- No cost
- No gimmick
- No inventory
- No middleman
- No obligation
- No questions asked
- No selling
- No strings attached
- No-obligation
- Now
- Now only
- One hundred percent free
- One hundred percent guaranteed
- Opportunity
- Order shipped by
- Problem
- Promise you
- Quote
- Quotes
- Sale
- Sales
- Save $
- Save big money
- See for yourself
- Guarantee
- Guaranteed
- Have you been turned down?
- Increase sales
- Increase your sales
- Incredible deal
- It’s effective
- Join millions
- Join millions of Americans
- Lifetime
- limited time
- Serious only
- Sign up free today
- Strong buy
- Stuff on sale
- Success
- The best rates
- They’re just giving it away
- This isn’t a scam
- This won’t last
- Unlimited
- Urgent
- Warranty
- We honor all
- While supplies last
- While you sleep
- Will not believe your eyes
Financial Industry
We work with a lot of independent financial advisors and this is a few items we’ve noticed
- “Hidden” assets
- $$$
- Additional income
- Apply Online
- Avoid bankruptcy
- Be your own boss
- Beneficiary
- Big bucks
- Billion
- Billion dollars
- Calling creditors
- Cash
- Cash bonus
- Cents on the dollar
- Cost
- Costs
- Credit
- Discount
- Double your
- Double your income
- Earn
- Earn $
- Earn extra cash
- Earn per week
- Easy terms
- Eliminate debt
- Expect to earn
- Extra income
- Fast cash
- Free money
- Get out of debt
- Get paid
- Hidden assets
- Hidden charges
- Home based
- Home employment
- Home Based business
- Income
- Income from home
- Investment
- Investment decision
- Leave
- Loans
- Lower interest rate
- Lower interest rates
- Lower monthly payment
- Lower your mortgage rate
- Lowest insurance rates
- Make $
- Make money
- Million
- Million dollars
- Money
- Money making
- Mortgage
- Mortgage rates
- No credit check
- No fees
- No investment
- Off shore
- One time
- Only $
- Pennies a day
- Potential earnings
- Pre-approved
- Price
- Prices
- Print form signature
- Profits
- Pure Profits
- Refinance
- Refinance home
- Refinanced home
- Risk free
- Save up to
- Stock alert
- Stock disclaimer statement
- Stock pick
- Subject to cash
- Subject to credit
- They keep your money – no refund
- Thousands
- US dollars
- Why pay more?
- Winner
- Winning
- Work at home
- Work from home
- Your income
Ecommerce
- AS SEEN ON
- BUY DIRECT
- Buying judgments
- Clearance
- Order
- Outstanding values
- Sample
- shopper
- Wants credit card
- What are you waiting for?
Legal
- Claims
- Claims to be in accordance with some spam law
- Claims to be legal
Email filters have “seen it all,” so they have pretty big word lists used in spam emails. Using words in your email that resemble spam can increase the chances of your mail being listed as spam.
Fixing subject lines is just the beginning when you are trying to avoid the spam box. There are many other details you should take care of when trying to improve deliverability. For example….
- Use correct spelling and grammar. Take time to edit and proofread. You can use services like Grammarly to help you with that.
- Link only to genuine sites with reputable domains. Avoid shortening your links when you link.
- Make it easy to unsubscribe. If your unsubscribe button is hidden or not present, readers are going to mark your emails spam.
- Having email authentication systems in place is an essential step in building trust between you and mailbox providers. Messages that pass authentication checks have much more chances to be delivered to the Inbox.
Want to learn more? Reach out to us directly and we’d love to talk you through how to improve your emails.
Contact Us
Free consultation, free coffee, and a better business.
Quick tips to avoid the spam box
- Send only to opted-in subscribers
- Explicitly ask subscribers to whitelist your email address
- Comply with anti-spam laws
- Proofread your emails to avoid spelling & grammar errors
- Avoid spam-trigger keywords
- Send them to a cleaned up list
- Include an unsubscribe link
