Let’s start!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What is the Spam Folder?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
A spam folder, also known as a junk folder, is the place in your email account where you can see unwanted emails that did not manage to reach your inbox and are flagged as spam by email service providers (ESPs). <\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n
These filtering systems help users as they significantly decrease the number of unnecessary and promotional emails that people receive on a daily basis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Every time you send a message, email service providers (ESPs) examine the reputation of your email address and your email content. If there is something suspicious about your emails, ESPs automatically block your email. As a result, it does not reach the targeted inbox. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, that’s not the only reason emails end up in a spam folder. Let\u2019s take a closer look at what else might be causing it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Why Do Emails Go to the Spam Folder?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Below, you can find other common reasons why emails go to spam instead of the inbox.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Poor Email Authentication<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Another common reason why your emails end up in a spam folder is poor email authentication. It is a process that is used to verify that emails are not forged or faked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you are an SEO specialist, link building outreach<\/a> is an integral part of your job. However, if your email authentication measures are not properly set up, your outreach efforts may be in vain, as your emails could be flagged as spam. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s quite easy for spammers and phishers to send emails on behalf of your company. This is where email authentication comes in handy to stop scammers from using your domain without your consent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are three main types of email authentication to know:<\/p>\n\n\n\n If these protocols aren\u2019t set up correctly, your emails may end up in the spam folder instead of someone\u2019s inbox, no matter how good your template is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Spam filters also pay attention to domain reputation when scoring your emails.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Your domain reputation<\/strong> reflects how trustworthy your domain (e.g., yourcompany.com<\/em>) is based on past sending behavior. If your domain has been associated with spammy or irrelevant emails, its reputation drops. <\/p>\n\n\n\n To check your reputation, we recommend using Google Postmaster Tools<\/a>. It provides valuable insights on the overall health and deliverability of your email campaigns, as well as details about how often your emails are being marked as spam by users. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, in the screenshot below, you can see that the spam complaint rate reached 4.8%<\/strong>, which signals a deliverability issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These spam complaints are recorded and used to calculate your domain reputation. The more people mark your emails as spam, the more your domain loses credibility, and the harder it becomes to land in the inbox instead of a spam folder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Email warmup is the process of sending a gradually increasing number of emails from a new email account to build a positive reputation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ignoring this step and jumping into an outreach can get your emails straight to the spam folder. It can raise red flags with spam filters, especially if your domain has little or no sending history. <\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s why we recommend taking the time to warm up your email account properly to prevent emails from going to the spam folder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One tool we use and highly recommend is Snov.io. It gives you clear insights into how many of your warmup emails are going to the spam folder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the first screenshot<\/strong>, you can see the \u201cSaved From Spam\u201d<\/strong> column. This shows how many warmup emails were delivered to the spam folder<\/strong>. For example, one account had 124 emails<\/strong> land in spam folder, which highlights just how important warmup is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The second screenshot gives a visual overview of inbox placement. Here, out of 40 emails sent, 1 ended up in the spam folder. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Here’s what we recommend when it comes to email warmup:<\/p>\n\n\n\n An overloaded email is one that comes with too much content, such as lengthy texts, too many images, or attachments. These types of emails can overwhelm both your reader and spam filters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We recommend avoiding:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pro tip:<\/strong> Keep your message short, clear, and to the point. Break your content into smaller paragraphs and use bullet points or numbered lists to improve readability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A misleading subject line is another major reason why emails go to spam instead of the inbox. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Below are some examples:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now that you already know what a bad subject line looks like, let’s find out how to write professional subject lines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not sure if your emails are landing in the inbox or the spam folder? Here are a few signs to watch for:<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, we recommend keeping an eye on how your emails are performing. The sooner you catch issues, the easier it is to fix them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now that you already know what causes your emails to end up in a spam folder, let’s learn some useful tips to improve your deliverability and make sure your emails reach the inbox.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Your domain’s reputation and credibility are two things email servers take into account when deciding whether your message is spam or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Before you start your email campaign, you will need to warm up your domain and email address to show email servers that your domain and email address are legitimate and trustworthy. This process is especially important as you begin to collect email addresses<\/a> and prepare to send messages to your growing list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In terms of credibility, a new domain starts neutral, and the reputation builds up over time. This is exactly why you need to warm up your domain and email address before launching mass email<\/a> campaigns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is not recommended to start email campaigns if your domain is less than six months old. Once you start sending emails, make sure to start slow. Avoid sending 200 emails a day. Instead, gradually increase the number of emails sent each day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As we have already mentioned, poor email authentication is a big issue when it comes to email marketing<\/a> campaigns. If you lack properly set up email authentication, your emails will land in the spam folder of the recipient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Email authentication protocols enable email servers to understand if a particular sender is authorized to send emails from a specific domain or email address.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To prevent your emails from getting into the spam folder, consider using the email authentication protocols we have already discussed in this article.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Using a reliable Email Service Provider (ESP) can highly reduce the chances of your emails ending up in the spam folder. These providers have built relationships with prominent email providers, ensuring that their emails are more likely to be delivered to the targeted inbox.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Reputable ESPs comply with email authentication protocols like SPF, DKIM and DMARC<\/a>. They also actively keep track of and manage IP addresses’ reputation, which plays a significant role in email deliverability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n ESPs keep a good sender reputation by performing strict anti-spam policies and regularly removing users who are involved in spammy behavior. Besides, some major email service providers offer advanced features, including engagement tracking, enabling you to monitor email performance and optimize your campaigns for better inbox placement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Trigger words and phrases in your emails can significantly increase spam rates. Such words make you sound like a spammer and trigger spam filters. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are some emails we\u2019ve received with subject lines full of spammy words. Annoying, isn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Therefore, it is recommended to use spam checker tools to check your email copy for spam words\/phrases before sending it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here, at SayNine, we use Mailmeteor\u2019s tool<\/a> to make sure there are no words that can trigger spam filters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
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<\/li>\n\n\n\nPoor Domain Reputation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"email](\"https:\/\/saynine.ai\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Frame-16-1-1920x921.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nRunning Bulk Outreach Without a Warm-Up<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"email](\"https:\/\/saynine.ai\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Frame-6-1920x649.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"overview](\"https:\/\/saynine.ai\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Frame-7-1920x703.png\")
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<\/li>\n\n\n\nOverloaded Emails<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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![\"Optimize](\"https:\/\/saynine.ai\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/email-content-optimization-scaled-1-1920x1080.webp\")
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<\/li>\n\n\n\n![\"How](\"https:\/\/saynine.ai\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/emails-with-attachments-scaled-1-1920x1080.webp\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nMisleading Subject Lines<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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How to Tell if Your Emails Are Going to a Spam Folder<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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<\/li>\n\n\n\n5 Tips to Prevent Emails from Going to Spam<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Warm Up Your Email<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Set Up Email Authentication<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Use a Reputable Email Service Provider<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Avoid Spam Words<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Examples](\"https:\/\/saynine.ai\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Frame-5-1920x1155.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"Mailmeteor's](\"https:\/\/saynine.ai\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Frame-4-1920x875.png\")
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