And simple ways to avoid these preventable mistakes.
By Kelly Forst May 29, 2020
No one wants their emails to wind up in the spam folder.
But did you know some of the most common reasons emails go to spam are also the most preventable?
AWeber’s CEO and Founder Tom Kulzer joined The Hustle & Flowchart podcast to share his top tips for entrepreneurs — including how to dodge the spam folder and improve your email deliverability.
Here are his top 3 tips:
1. Encourage interaction and engagement.
Have human conversations over email. Start a conversation with your subscribers by encouraging them to reply with their thoughts about a question or with feedback.
“Have a genuine reason for your audience to reply to your email. And make sure that if they do reply, you don’t send a canned response. Engage with people — they’re people,” said Kulzer.
Plus, Kulzer cautions that lack of engagement over time can indicate to internet service providers — like Yahoo!, Gmail, or Outlook — that your audience isn’t interested in your content.
“While you might have your audience’s permission to email them, they may not have opened a message from you in a while. The longer your contacts go without engaging with your emails, the more likely it is to have an impact on whether internet service providers deliver your messages to the spam folder.”
Running a re-engagement campaign will let you get a sense of who is truly interested in keeping in touch — and who’s not. Look at your stats, and clear your list if they’re truly not active subscribers.
Related: Winning back subscribers with re-engagement emails
2. Never use link shorteners.
There’s no reason to use link shortener services in emails.
Tom explains, “Many people use link shorteners to make the link look cleaner in an email. But if you have a visible URL in your emails — shortened or not — email service providers are going to rewrite the link behind the scenes so that the sender can track click through rates.
This rewritten link and the redirect can be a sign that the message is fraudulent and is more likely to be sent to spam.”
An easy fix? Link words in your email, rather than including the full link address or using link shorteners. Use language such as ‘click here to contact customer support,’ or ‘read more here.’ Not only will it help you avoid the spam folder, it will look better, too.
3. Set expectations before people subscribe.
On your email sign up form, tell people exactly what they’ll receive as subscribers before they join your list.
“One of the most common reasons emails land in the spam folder happens before you even press send,” said Kulzer. “On your sign up form, explain how often your subscribers are going to hear from you, what they’re going to get, and what they’ll receive after delivering the lead magnet you promised in your form.”
By setting expectations with your audience up front, they’ll be less likely to mark you as spam because they know exactly what to expect.
Want to learn more about avoiding the spam folder — and how your email service provider impacts deliverability? Kulzer dives deep into the topic of email deliverability — and provides some technical insight — on the Hustle & Flowchart Podcast below.
Or, find it on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your podcasts.
Have questions? Our team is available 24/7.
Reach out to us at [email protected] for email deliverability assistance.