The perfect marketing email should be clear, concise, and void of spam-triggering words. Your audience’s email platform may send the email your team worked hard on to the spam folder if the email contains spam words or catchphrases. We’ve compiled the ultimate list so your emails land without a hitch.
What are Spam Trigger Words?
Email providers mark certain words and phrases that seem misleading, fraudulent, or malicious. Your emails may also go to a spam folder if the recipient hasn’t opened an email from your brand for an extended time. It’s important to clean up your email subject lines so they’re not triggered and routed to a junk or spam folder.
Beyond the email provider’s preferences, your readers can also detect spam when they see it at a glance. Avoiding email spam words will increase the open rate of emails rather than readers immediately deleting or ignoring them.
Email platforms check for red flags like:
- Emails without an unsubscribe button
- Spam words and phrases
- External links to unsafe websites
- Messages in all camps or with colorful fonts
- Broken HTML code
The guidelines for spam words and phrases are straightforward—avoid wording that may be perceived as:
- Over-promising results of using your product or service
- Sensationalize monetary outcome
- Overtly explicit
- Click-bait
Basic Rules of Crafting the Perfect Marketing Email
It’s just as important to outline the rules of crafting the perfect marketing email and not just the words to avoid. Make the most of your team’s resources—delivering your marketing email straight to your client’s inbox instead of junk, social, or promotions folders. We’ve condensed the hot tips of email marketing into three golden rules. Follow these best practices, and you’ll see an increased open rate.
- Personalize Email Segments and Automation
Add a personalized touch to your email subject lines and body text. Your readers want to feel connected with you and your brand. Personalizing emails makes a huge difference in performance. A 2022 survey showed personalized emails outperformed one-time sends by 139%!
- Don’t Over Promise
We all know a relentless sales pitch when we hear one, and they rarely prompt us to opt in. The perfect marketing email is approachable and conversational. Don’t over-promise readers about the perks of your product or service. Not only will they get flagged by the email platform, but your audience may ignore your audience, unsubscribe, or lose trust in your brand.
- Grant Opt-Out Access
Be sure your marketing emails are compliant—giving readers ample opportunity to unsubscribe if they wish. Of course, you don’t want readers to bail, but not offering an unsubscribe option is one way to get emails straight into the spam folder.
Spam Words to Avoid in Marketing Emails
Keep this list handy for your next email writing session.
❌ Don’t Write ❌
- Guaranteed Income
- Be Your Own Boss
- Opportunity
- Potential Earnings
- Make Money From Home
- Biz Opportunity
- Big Bucks
- Make $$$
- Earn Per Week
- Online Degree
- Promise
- 100% Guarantee
- XXX
- $$$
- Cheap
- Fast cash
- Money back
- No fees
- Cards accepted
- Explode your business
- No investment
- Stock Alert
- Get out of debt
- Pre-approved
- Miracle
- Never
- Ads
- Increase your traffic
- Increase your sales
- This isn’t spam
- This isn’t junk
- Web traffic
- Lose weight
- Diagnostic
- Reverses aging
- #1
- 100% free
- Guarantee
- Giveaway
- No catch
- No inventory
- No obligation
- No middleman
- No trial
- Refund
- Shipping alert
- Free
- Free gift
- Free Investment
- For free
- One time
- Now only
When in Doubt, Reevaluate and Rewrite
If you’re unsure if a word or phrase is spam, we recommend using a replacement. Try to read your email draft as if you’re the customer. Ask yourself these questions to get clarity:
- Is the email subject line personable?
- Does the email subject line make me want to open it?
- Is the email's message concise and free of sensational claims or promises?
- Is the email designed well and easy to read?
- Is there a clear space to opt-in to the offer?
- Are there opportunities to unsubscribe?
Before You Go
Keep your business in safe waters by using email templates. Subflow’s platform allows your marketing team to create templates for various types of subscribers. Build emails with spam-proof copy to avoid landing in your audience’s spam folders. Check it out for free here.
Email campaigns are a fantastic way to generate leads, nurture existing ones, and grow your business.