- Email spam is the result of misleading subject titles, targeting customers who haven’t opted in, using email spam trigger words and other less-than-ideal practices.
- Over 200 words and phrases can increase the chances that your email will land in the spam folder.
- You can still use a couple of email spam trigger words in your emails if you take a few extra steps.
- This article is for small business owners looking to minimize the frequency with which their marketing emails hit the spam folder.
Email marketing is an especially powerful tool for marketers. New email marketing tactics and strategies allow even the smallest companies to create campaigns that are professional and effective.There are, however, some things that will land your email in the spam folder faster than you can say "delete." These things include, among other factors, email spam trigger words.
What causes email spam?
Some reasons why emails wind up in the spam folder include improperly misleading subject titles and marketing emails sent to recipients who haven’t opted in. Low-engagement approaches to email marketing and campaigns targeting inactive addresses can also lead to emails landing in the spam filter. So can the numerous possible violations of the CAN-SPAM Act. Of course, email spam trigger words are also a fast path right to the spam folder.
What are email spam trigger words?
Craig Klein, CEO of SalesNexus, an online CRM and email marketing firm, offers a list of more than 200 words that, when included in your company's emails, can result in them being classified as spam by your recipient's spam filter.
"This is not the definitive or an entire list of words that activate spam filters," said Klein in his post on the email marketer's website. "It does give you a general idea of what to avoid in your email marketing. Obviously, anything salacious or that has sexual or pornographic words will get you blocked and could get you in trouble with your ISP (internet service provider). In addition, don’t use $, !, * or any symbols, particularly in the subject line. Things like mon$y or nak*d just don't make it. The folks that create the filters are way too sophisticated for that type of silliness." [Read related article: Transactional Emails to Help You Close the Deal]
Klein's list, compiled by the marketing services director of SalesNexus, Steven Greene, includes no-brainers like "online pharmacy" and "money – no refund!" But many of the terms on the list are phrases you might use every day. They include "click to remove," "click below" and terms like "marketing solutions."
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The full list of email spam trigger words
The list of email spam triggers includes these 200+ terms.
- 4U
- Accept credit cards
- Act now! Don't hesitate!
- Additional income
- Addresses on CD
- All natural
- Amazing
- Apply online
- As seen on
- Auto email removal
- Avoid bankruptcy
- Be amazed
- Be your own boss
- Being a member
- Big bucks
- Bill 1618
- Billing address
- Billion dollars
- Brand new pager
- Bulk email
- Buy direct
- Buying judgments
- Cable converter
- Call free
- Call now
- Calling creditors
- Cancel at any time
- Can't live without
- Cash bonus
- Cashcashcash
- Casino
- Cellphone cancer scam
- Cents on the dollar
- Check or money order
- Claims not to be selling anything
- Claims to be legal
- Claims you are a winner
- Click below
- Click here link
- Click to remove
- Click to remove mailto
- Compare rates
- Compete for your business
- Confidentially on all orders
- Congratulations
- Consolidate debt and credit
- Copy accurately
- Copy DVDs
- Credit bureaus
- Credit card offers
- Cures baldness
- Dear email
- Dear friend
- Dear somebody
- Different reply to
- Dig up dirt on friends
- Direct email
- Direct marketing
- Discusses search engine listings
- Do it today
- Don't delete
- Drastically reduced
- Earn per week
- Easy terms
- Eliminate bad credit
- Email harvest
- Email marketing
- Expect to earn
- Fantastic deal
- Fast Viagra delivery
- Financial freedom
- Find out anything
- For free
- For instant access
- For just $ [some amount]
- 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
- Full refund
- 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
- Insurance
- Investment decision
- It's effective
- Join millions of Americans
- Laser printer
- Limited time only
- Long distance phone offer
- Lose weight spam
- Lower interest rates
- Lower monthly payment
- Lowest price
- Luxury car
- Mail in order form
- Marketing solutions
- Mass email
- Meet singles
- Member stuff
- Message contains disclaimer
- Money back
- Money making
- Month trial offer
- More internet traffic
- Mortgage rates
- Multi level marketing
- MLM
- Name brand
- 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 inventory
- No investment
- No medical exams
- No middleman
- No obligation
- No purchase necessary
- No questions asked
- No selling
- No strings attached
- Not intended
- Off shore
- Offer expires
- Offers coupon
- Offers extra cash
- Offers free (often stolen) passwords
- 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
- Pennies a day
- People just leave money laying around
- Please read
- Potential earnings
- Print form signature
- Print out and fax
- Produced and sent out
- Profits
- Promise you …!
- Pure profit
- Real thing
- Refinance home
- Removal instructions
- Remove in quotes
- Remove subject
- Removes wrinkles
- Reply remove subject
- Requires initial investment
- Reserves the right
- Reverses aging
- Risk free
- Round the world
- S 1618
- Safeguard notice
- Satisfaction guaranteed
- Save $
- Save big money
- Save up to
- Score with babes
- Section 301
- See for yourself
- Sent in compliance
- Serious cash
- Serious only
- Shopping spree
- Sign up free today
- Social security number
- Special promotion
- Stainless steel
- Stock alert
- Stock disclaimer statement
- Stock pick
- Stop snoring
- Strong buy
- Stuff on sale
- Subject to credit
- Supplies are limited
- Take action now
- Talks about hidden charges
- Talks about prizes
- Tells you it’s an ad
- 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
- University diplomas
- Unlimited
- Unsecured credit/debt
- Urgent
- US dollars
- Vacation offers
- Viagra and other drugs
- Wants credit card
- 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
- Winning
- Work at home
- You have been selected
- Your income
How to approach email marketing when you’re covering the above topics
If you can’t avoid one or two of the above phrases in an email, you can still bypass the spam filter. To do so, take these steps:
- Provide full context in your emails.
- Personalize your emails – e.g., address recipients by name.
- Contact only recipients who have opted in to your emails.
Using best practices in creating an email list, avoiding common email marketing mistakes, using the right customer segmentation, and choosing one of the best ESPs, such as the one described in our iContact review, can help on all these fronts. Follow these best practices, and your days of hitting the spam folder might soon be in the past.