Episode 63 - Avoiding Spam

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📰 Top Story: Avoiding the Spam Folder by Jessica Jantzen

You've probably noticed sometimes your emails don't make it to the inbox. Maybe you've seen them land in the spam folder and wondered, "What the heck happened?" Well, you're not alone. I've been in the trenches for 10+ years, sending millions of emails across different countries, and I'm sharing my experience to help you avoid the mistakes I've seen and made.

Why Does Deliverability Matter?

Let's cut to the chase: 1 in 6 legitimate marketing emails doesn't make it to the inbox. That's according to Validity's report. And with an average revenue of $0.10 per email, those lost messages could be costing you a lot.

Imagine sending out 100,000 emails for a campaign. 1 in 6 won't reach its target. That's a huge hit to your bottom line. So yeah, deliverability matters a lot.

Why Email Deliverability Is Tougher Than Ever

We're not living in 2005 anymore. Email has evolved, and staying on top of the game is harder than ever. Here's why:

• Increased Email Volume: Since COVID-19, global email volumes have doubled. That's double the competition for inbox space.

• Apple's Mail Privacy Protection: This makes it harder to measure engagement through open rates, which can unintentionally harm deliverability.

• Tough Economic Conditions: People are more selective about the emails they open when money is tight.

The 5 Key Checks Every Email Must Pass

Before your email lands in someone's inbox, it has to pass through a series of important checks. Think of it like your email going through a quality control process.

1️⃣ Authentication: Your Email's ID Card

Back in the early 2000s, email systems were like the wild west. Anyone could pretend to be someone else. Authentication was born to solve that problem.

SPF (Sender Policy Framework): Think of SPF like a guest list. It checks if the email address sending the message is allowed to send emails on behalf of your domain.

DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail): DKIM adds a digital signature to your email, like a stamp of approval that proves the email hasn't been tampered with.

DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance): DMARC is like the referee. It enforces the rules using both SPF and DKIM.

How to Check Your Setup: Head to aboutmy.email and generate a special email. Send your newsletter to that email and wait for the results. You'll get a summary of different checks and results.

2️⃣ Reputation is Everything

Your sender reputation is like your email's street cred. It's how email service providers decide whether to trust your messages or toss them into the spam folder. Think of it as your email's "credit score."

Your reputation is built on IP reputation (your sending address) and domain reputation (your website domain). Here's the catch: it's super easy to damage your reputation with just a few bad emails, but fixing it can take weeks or even months.

What Impacts Your Reputation:

• Spam complaints (when people click "Report as Spam")

• Bounce rates (emails that don't reach their destination)

• Engagement levels (opens, clicks, replies)

• Sending volume and consistency

Pro Tip: Use Google Postmaster Tools to monitor your reputation with Gmail. Since about 50% of email addresses at many companies are Gmail accounts, this is crucial data.

3️⃣ Content That Passes the Test

I can't tell you exactly which content elements will determine inbox placement, but I've got a solid checklist of best practices:

• Keep subject lines within recommended character limits

• Avoid spammy language like "FREE" or "WIN" in all caps

• Balance your image-to-text ratio

• Keep emails under 102KB (Gmail cuts off larger emails)

• Use clean HTML code

• Make unsubscribing simple

4️⃣ Engagement Rules Everything

Engagement metrics are like your report card. High engagement signals to ISPs that your emails are wanted. Low engagement? That's when deliverability starts to suffer.

Positive signals: High open rates, click-throughs, replies, and forwarding. Negative signals: Spam complaints, deletions without reading, low engagement

5️⃣ The Final Destination: Inbox Placement

Getting delivered isn't enough. You need to land in the right place. When Gmail introduced the Promotions tab in 2013, marketers everywhere panicked. According to Zerobounce, 25% of people never check their Promotions tab.

Quick Wins to Improve Your Deliverability

1. Test your authentication setup at aboutmy.email

2. Monitor your reputation via Google Postmaster Tools

3. Make unsubscribing easy to prevent spam complaints

4. Keep sending patterns consistent

5. Use a real, personalised "Reply-To" address to encourage responses

The Bottom Line

Your sender reputation determines everything. Even a high delivery rate doesn't guarantee visibility if you're landing in Promotions or spam. It's super easy to damage your reputation with just a few bad emails, but recovery can take months.

Focus on the fundamentals: proper authentication, protecting your reputation, creating engaging content, and making it easy for people to unsubscribe. Master these basics before diving into advanced tools and techniques.

Remember, deliverability isn't just about getting your emails delivered. It's about getting them into the Primary inbox where people actually read them. That's where the real magic happens for your business.

Want More?

This is just the beginning. I've written the full deliverability guide (5x longer with deeper insights) that you can read for free at insidecrm.io.

But here's the thing - after more than 10 years in the field, I wanted to learn more from others and am building this community of CRM pros who share their knowledge. I write articles based on hands-on experience, record podcast episodes with professionals who've solved tough problems, and meet regularly to talk through challenges together. We're diving deep into AI, customer lifetime value, WhatsApp marketing, and other topics.

If you're looking to level up and get inspired by a community that shares what actually works, come join us at insidecrm.io.

cheers,

Jessica

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Quick word from Tom: Thank you to Jessica for penning episode 63! A short while ago, I sat down with Jessica to talk about how CRM pros can evaluate their visibility and impact. You can watch that Customer Retention show special here. 

Until next week, 

Tom

Do you need help with Customer Retention?

When you are ready, contact me to discuss consulting, my fast-track retention accelerator, courses, and training. Or if you are interested in sponsoring this newsletter, get in touch via [email protected]