Do you ever wonder how many of the emails you send to your newsletter subscribers get caught up in spam filters and junk mail folders?
While checking my Gmail today, I was surprised to see how many marketers' messages – to which I subscribed – were in the spam folder.
A quick scan down the list and it was easy to see why Gmail deemed those messages to be junk… they were rife with spam trigger words and phrases.
Here's a partial screenshot of what I found. I've circled and blurred the names of marketers (and affiliate networks) and placed rectangles around the spammy words and phrases.
I particularly like ‘buy parajumpers online', don't you? 🙂
You'll notice that exclamation points, ALL-CAPS, and mentions of money (income, sales, millionaire) and medicine are all big no-no's.
Here's a list trigger words and phrases that get caught in spam filters and that you should try to avoid using in your email marketing campaigns.
- 100% Free
- 18+
- 21+
- $$$, $$ or $
- % (as in loan rate)
- 100% satisfied
- 4U
- Accept credit cards
- Account Balance
- Account Error
- Act now! Don’t hesitate!
- Additional income
- Adults only
- All natural
- Amazing
- Application
- Apply Online
- As seen on _____
- Auto email removal
- Avoid bankruptcy
- Bargain
- Be amazed
- Be your own boss
- Become a member
- Best price
- Big bucks
- Billing address
- Billion dollars
- Bulk email
- Business opportunity
- Business proposal
- Business relationship
- Buy direct
- Call free
- Call now
- Can't live without ____
- Cancel at any time
- Cannot be combined with any other offer
- Cash bonus
- Cashcashcash
- Casino
- Cents on the dollar
- Check or money order
- Claim now
- Claim your _____
- Claims not to be selling anything
- Claims to be in accordance with some spam law
- Claims to be legal
- Claims you are a winner
- Claims you registered with Some Kind of Partner
- Click below
- Click here (link)
- Click to remove
- Compare rates
- Compete for your business
- Confidentially on all orders
- Confirm your address
- Congratulations
- Consolidate debt and credit
- Copy accurately
- Coupon
- Credit bureau
- Credit card offers
- Credit score
- Creditors
- Cures baldness
- Dear friend
- Different reply to
- Dig up dirt on friends
- Direct email
- Direct marketing
- Discount code
- Do it today
- Don't delete
- Drastically reduced
- Earn per week
- Easy terms
- Eliminate bad credit
- Email marketing
- Erotic
- Expect to earn
- Extra income
- Fantastic deal
- Fast Viagra delivery
- Financial freedom
- Find out anything
- For free
- For instant access
- For just $ _____ (some amt)
- Free
- Free access
- Free cell phone
- Free consultation
- Free DVD
- Free grant money
- Free hosting
- Free installation
- Free investment
- Free leads
- Free membership
- Free money
- Free offer
- Free preview
- Free priority mail
- Free quote
- Free sample
- Free trial
- Free website
- friend@ (in return address)
- Full refund
- Funding
- Get It Now
- Get paid
- Get started now
- Gift certificate
- Great offer
- Guarantee
- Have you been turned down?
- Hidden assets
- Home employment
- Human growth hormone
- If only it were that easy
- In accordance with laws
- Increase sales
- Increase traffic
- Instant cash
- Insurance
- Investment decision
- It's effective
- Join millions of _____
- Laser printer
- Last Chance
- Limited time only
- Loan
- Long distance phone offer
- Lose ____
- LOTTO
- Lower interest rates
- Lower monthly payment
- Lowest price
- Mail in order form
- Marketing solutions
- Mass email
- Meet singles
- Membership information
- Message contains disclaimer
- Millionaire
- MLM
- Money back
- Money making
- Month trial offer
- More Internet traffic
- Mortgage rates
- Multi level marketing
- Name brand
- Natural
- New customers only
- New domain extensions
- Nigerian
- No age restrictions
- No catch
- No claim forms
- No cost
- No credit check
- No disappointment
- No experience
- No fees
- No gimmick
- No hidden charges
- No inventory
- No investment
- No medical exams
- No middleman
- No obligation
- No purchase necessary
- No questions asked
- No selling
- No strings attached
- Not intended
- Offshore
- Offer ______
- On sale
- Once in lifetime
- One hundred percent free
- One hundred percent guaranteed
- One time mailing
- Online biz opportunity
- Online pharmacy
- Only $
- Opportunity
- Opt in
- Order now
- Order status
- Orders shipped by priority mail
- Outstanding values
- Over 18
- Over 21
- Pay less
- Payment details, i.e. Payment declined
- Pennies a day
- People just leave money laying around
- Please read
- Porn
- Potential earnings
- Price drop
- Print form signature
- Print out and fax
- Priority mail
- Prizes
- Profits
- Promise you _____!
- Pure profit
- Real thing
- Refinance
- Removal instructions
- Remove (in quotes)
- Remove subject
- Removes wrinkles
- Requires initial investment
- Return on investment
- Reserves the right
- Reverses aging
- Risk free
- Round the world
- Safeguard notice
- sales@
- Satisfaction guaranteed
- Save $
- Save big money
- Save up to _____
- Score with babes
- Search engine listings
- Search engine optimization
- See for yourself
- Sent in compliance
- SEO
- Serious cash
- Serious only
- Shopping spree
- Sign up free today
- Social security number
- Special promotion
- Stock alert
- Stock disclaimer statement
- Stock pick
- Stop snoring
- STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL
- Strong buy
- Subject to credit
- Supplies are limited
- Take action now
- Terms and conditions
- The best rates
- The following form
- They keep your money — no refund!
- They're just giving it away
- This isn't junk
- This isn't spam
- Trial offer
- University diplomas
- Unlimited
- Unsecured credit/debt
- Urgent
- US dollars
- Vacation offers
- Viagra (and other drugs)
- We hate spam
- We honor all ____
- Weekend getaway
- What are you waiting for?
- While supplies last
- While you sleep
- Who really wins?
- Why pay more?
- Will not believe your eyes
- Winner
- Won
- Winning
- Work at home
- You have been selected
- Your income
- XXX
Yes, that is a very long list of spam words, but you don't have to remember them all.
You can use SpamAssassinâ„¢, the spam filtering tool provided by Aweber. It automatically checks your message and displays key areas that appear to be spam and are caught by the filter.
Aweber advises that any message with a score below 5 is OK to send.
Comments, questions or suggestions? Please leave a comment below!
Cheers,
