Explore how spam filters work and whether they will affect your email deliverability.
Spam filters use multiple criteria to judge incoming emails. This generates a spam score. The higher the score, the more likely your email campaign will be marked as spam – and not delivered to your recipient.
Score levels vary depending on the server. Your campaign might pass through some filters but not others. Alternatively, your emails might even bounce.
This article covers what spam filters look for:
Email addresses & domains
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Make sure your email refers to your recipient's name
Emails only addressed to an email address are more likely to be marked as spam -
Get added to your recipient's contact list
Ask them to add you to a safe sender list or offer double opt-in, where they confirm their subscription by clicking a link in a confirmation email. This makes your next email less likely to be marked as spam -
Send from an established domain
Brand new domains are seen as less trustworthy by spam filters -
Check your domain hasn't been previously marked as spam
Use an online spam checker to see if your domain is on any spam lists -
Verify your domain
Email campaigns can only be sent from an address on a verified domain. Add your domain under Settings → Marketing → Domains, then add the DNS records to your domain provider
IPs
Check previous emails sent from your account, to confirm no spam emails have been sent previously.
Some spam filters will flag your campaigns if anyone with the same IP address has sent spam.
When you send campaigns through Upsales, your content is delivered using servers. That means if one person decides to send spam through Upsales, it could affect deliverability for our other users.
URLs
- Be sure all your URLs are working, with no redirects
- Avoid using URL shorteners
- Use descriptive URLs, rather than randomly generated URLs. For example, use upsales.com/whitepaper and not upsales.com/document_id234f!iX5
Code
Too much imported code or extra tags can trigger spam filters. They can also affect your email's appearance. An Upsales template helps minimise the risks.
Trigger words
Some spam filters will look for particular words in your email. Some of these words on their own aren't always a problem. It's just that they can contribute to the overall spam score.
Review your email to see if you're using any from the below. Can you swap them for another word?
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Price-related words
$$$ (or your local currency), bargain, cash, costs, free, guaranteed, refund -
Price-related verbs
Buy now, earn extra income, pay later, call now -
Financial terms
Cards accepted, credit card, credit check, interest rates -
Email marketing phrases
Click here, download, satisfaction guaranteed -
Offers
Free gift, free trial, limited offer
Unsubscribe link & company information
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Include an unsubscribe link
Every email sent through email campaigns or flows must contain an unsubscribe link. Add it with the Unsubscribe link tag. An email campaign without one is not sent. -
Add your company information
Anti-spam rules expect contact details such as your street address and phone number in every email. Enter them under Company information in Settings → Marketing → Email settings and include them in your emails with tags.