Avoiding Spam Trigger Words: How to Improve Email Deliverability in 2024

15
Min
Created On:
September 23, 2024
Updated On:
September 24, 2024
spam trigger words

Avoiding Spam Trigger Words: How to Improve Email Deliverability in 2024

15
Min
Created On:
September 23, 2024
Updated On:
September 24, 2024
spam trigger words

You thought you had created a killer email, but it ended up in the spam folder. Despite your best efforts to create engaging content, are your open and click-through rates not where they should be? The culprit could be spam trigger words

These words are like red flags to email service providers (ESPs), signaling that your email could be spam. Well, this gets your emails filtered out of the inbox.

In 2024, email deliverability remains a critical aspect of successful email marketing. Now that we are completely moving away from open rates tracking, you must be more careful with your email deliverability.

To maximize your email’s potential and ensure it reaches your recipients, it’s crucial to understand how to avoid spam trigger words like “discount”, “exclusive offer”, “urgent action needed”, and how they can impact your email campaigns. 

In this detailed guide, we’ll explain what spam trigger words are, why they matter, and how to avoid them in your email marketing strategy. We’ll also cover best practices to ensure your emails pass through spam filters and land in your audience’s inbox.

What Are Spam Trigger Words?

Spam trigger words are words and phrases that email service providers (ESPs) and spam filters identify as signals of unwanted or unsolicited email. 

These words often appear in spam emails or overly aggressive sales pitches, and thus, ESPs use them as a basis to filter out potentially harmful content.

One in six emails land in spam folders, translating to around 16% of emails. This was according to a study done by Validity in 2023.

Why Are They Problematic? 

When your email contains too many of these words or if they appear in combination with other suspicious elements (like a poorly formatted email or incorrect authentication), it can be flagged as spam. This hurts your deliverability, meaning your emails might end up in your recipients’ spam folders instead of their inboxes.

Here’s why avoiding spam trigger words is essential:

  • Reputation Damage: Hitting too many spam filters can lower your sender's reputation, making it harder for future emails to get delivered.
  • Lower Engagement: Emails caught by spam filters don’t get read, which affects your open rates, click-through rates, and overall engagement.
  • Reduced Conversions: The fewer emails that reach inboxes, the fewer chances you have to convert leads or engage with customers.

Why Avoiding Spam Trigger Words Is Crucial for Email Marketing

Your emails won’t reach your audience’s inbox if the spam trigger words interfere. Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, and other email providers have designed complex algorithms to analyze your entire email content and detect spam words.

So, if you want a successful email campaign, you must avoid spam trigger words. If you are not yet convinced, here are a few other things you should know.

Key Reasons to Avoid Spam Trigger Words:

  1. Maintain High Email Deliverability
    When ESPs detect spam words in your subject line or body text, it raises a red flag. If these words are combined with other spammy signals (like poor HTML, missing authentication, or high bounce rates), your emails may be sent straight to the spam folder. Use language that doesn’t trip these filters to maintain high email deliverability.
  2. Improve Open and Click Rates
    High deliverability ensures that your emails are seen, which increases the likelihood that your recipients will open them. More opens mean more engagement opportunities, which can improve your click-through rates (CTR).
  3. Avoiding Sender Reputation Damage
    If your emails are consistently marked as spam, your sender's reputation suffers. This reputation is like a credit score for email marketing—once it’s damaged, it’s hard to rebuild. Avoiding spammy language helps you preserve your credibility with ESPs.

Avoiding such spam trigger words can significantly improve email deliverability, leading to better engagement, higher open rates, and stronger campaign conversions.

Common Spam Words to Avoid in Email in 2024

While every ESP has its filtering algorithm, several words consistently cause problems across platforms. Here are the spam words to avoid in email content, particularly in your subject lines and call-to-action (CTA) buttons.

Categories of Spam Trigger Words:

  1. Sales and Promotionsome text
    • "Buy now"
    • "Discount"
    • “Act now”
    • “Order now”
    • "Free"
    • "Special promotion"
    • "Exclusive deal"
    • "50% off"
  2. Money and Financesome text
    • "Earn money"
    • "Get rich quick"
    • "Investment opportunity"
    • "Limited-time offer"
    • "Cash bonus"
    • “Save big money”
    • “Lowest price”
    • “No hidden costs”
  3. Urgency and Scarcitysome text
    • "Act now"
    • "Urgent"
    • "Limited time"
    • "Hurry!"
    • "Don't miss out"
    • “This won’t last”
    • “Final chance”
    • “Last chance”
    • “Offer expires”
  4. Risky and Guarantee Languagesome text
    • "Risk-free"
    • "Guaranteed"
    • "100% satisfaction"
    • "No cost"
    • "Money-back guarantee"
  5. Health and Wellnesssome text
    • "Lose weight fast"
    • "Cure"
    • “Burn fat”
    • “Secret formula”
    • "Miracle"
    • "No prescription needed"

These are just a few examples of spammy words that ESPs flag. Use them sparingly, and make sure the context feels natural and non-deceptive when you do.

How to Identify Spam Trigger Words in Your Emails

While avoiding spam words is critical, manually identifying every potential issue can be time-consuming. Thankfully, tools are designed to scan and flag spam trigger words, giving you insights into how spammy your email might appear to ESPs.

Tools to Detect Spam Trigger Words:

  1. MailTester
    This tool allows you to send a test email to an address. It will evaluate the content for spammines, identify problematic words, and give you suggestions for improving deliverability.
  2. GlockApps
    GlockApps provides email deliverability testing and spam filter testing. It helps marketers check how their emails are being perceived by spam filters and identifies content that could trigger spam flags.
  3. SpamAssassin
    SpamAssassin scores your email based on its likelihood of being flagged as spam. It’s useful for identifying words or phrases that might hurt your deliverability.

Using these tools regularly before sending out email campaigns will help you catch issues early and ensure you stay compliant with ESP standards.

Strategies to Avoid Spam Filters Without Losing Your Message

While spam trigger words are important to avoid, your email campaigns don't have to lose their effectiveness or persuasive power. 

Here are some actionable strategies to avoid spam filters while maintaining engaging content.

1. Use Alternative Phrasing

Instead of relying on spammy words like "Buy now" or "Free," consider alternative phrasing that conveys urgency or value without triggering spam filters. For example:

  • Instead of "Free trial," use "Complimentary trial" or "No-cost trial."
  • Instead of "Limited-time offer," use "Exclusive offer for subscribers."

2. Write for Engagement, Not Just Sales

Emails packed with promotional language are more likely to trigger spam filters. Instead, focus on creating content that informs, educates, or entertains. Emails that provide value beyond sales pitches are more likely to bypass spam filters and engage readers.

3. Personalize Your Content

Personalization helps reduce the risk of being marked as spam. Emails addressed directly to the recipient and based on their behavior (e.g., browsing history, past purchases) are less likely to be flagged. Use personalization tokens like:

  • First name in the subject line
  • Customized product recommendations

4. Maintain a Healthy Sender Reputation

A strong sender reputation increases the chances that your email will land in the inbox, even if you use borderline spammy words. Keep your sender reputation high by:

  • Sending emails to active, engaged recipients
  • Cleaning your email list regularly
  • Ensuring your bounce rate stays low

Best Practices to Improve Email Deliverability

Spam trigger words are just one piece of the puzzle regarding email deliverability. Here are some additional best practices to ensure your emails reach their intended audience.

1. Authenticate Your Emails

Use proper email authentication protocols such as SPF (Sender Policy Framework), DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail), and DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance). These protocols tell ESPs that you’re a legitimate sender, which increases your chances of bypassing spam filters.

2. Use a Clean Email List

Sending emails to outdated, invalid, or disengaged contacts increases the likelihood of being flagged by spam filters. Regularly clean your list by removing inactive subscribers and invalid email addresses to improve your deliverability rate.

3. Keep Your Design Simple

Avoid overly complex designs and use HTML wisely. Emails that are too image-heavy or contain excessive links can appear spammy. Maintain a balance of text and visuals, and ensure your emails are mobile-optimized for a seamless user experience.

4. Encourage Engagement

High engagement rates signal to ESPs that recipients want your emails. Encourage replies, clicks, and interactions in your emails by:

  • Asking questions or seeking feedback
  • Including polls or surveys
  • Offering exclusive content that prompts action

Tools to Improve Email Deliverability and Spot Spam Trigger Words

As spam filters become more advanced, it’s crucial to use the right tools to stay ahead. Here are some of the best tools available in 2024 to help improve email deliverability and avoid spam triggers.

Smartlead

Smartlead

Smartlead is a comprehensive cold email tool that helps with automation and enhances email deliverability. Smartlead helps marketers avoid spam traps and trigger words with built-in features that monitor email health and performance. Its multi-inbox rotation and personalized email features help distribute emails across multiple addresses, lowering the risk of hitting spam filters. It also has email warm-up tools to increase your sending reputation and gradually prevent deliverability issues. 

ZeroBounce

Zero Bounce

ZeroBounce specializes in email validation and list cleaning, ensuring that your email list is accurate and free of spam traps or invalid addresses.

NeverBounce

NeverBounce

Another email validation tool, NeverBounce, helps marketers keep their lists clean by identifying problematic emails, which improves overall deliverability.

Google Postmaster Tools

Google Postmaster Tools

Google’s tool helps monitor your sender reputation and provides insights into email delivery issues, such as why certain emails are landing in the spam folder.

SendGrid

Send Grid

SendGrid offers robust email marketing services with built-in deliverability tools to help you monitor, optimize, and improve your email campaigns.

Wrapping Up

Avoiding spam trigger words is crucial to running a successful email marketing campaign in 2024. By understanding which words to avoid and using the strategies outlined here, you can greatly improve email deliverability and ensure your messages reach your audience’s inbox.

By following best practices like list cleaning, email validation, and strong sender authentication, you’ll avoid spam filters and increase engagement with your subscribers.

Ready to boost your email deliverability? Check out our free 14-day trail of Smartlead to boost your email deliverability stats.

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Author’s Details

Wajahat Ali

Wajahat Ali is a technical content writer at Smartlead, specializing in the B2B and SaaS domains. His writing effectively demystifies complex concepts, presenting them in a clear and engaging way, making intricate topics accessible even to those unfamiliar with the subject. From copywriting, social media content to lead generation, Wajahat excels in creating valuable content that resonates with a global audience.

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General Questions

What is Smartlead's cold email outreach software?

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Smartlead's cold email outreach tool helps businesses scale their outreach efforts seamlessly. With unlimited mailboxes, fully automated email warmup functionality, a multi-channel infrastructure, and a user-friendly unibox, it empowers users to manage their entire revenue cycle in one place. Whether you're looking to streamline cold email campaigns with automated email warmups, personalization fields, automated mailbox rotation, easy integrations, and spintax, improve productivity, or enhance scalability with subsequences based on lead’s intentions, automated replies, and full white-label experience, our cold email tool implifies it in a single solution.

What is Smartlead, and how can it enhance my cold email campaigns?

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Smartlead is a robust cold emailing software designed to transform cold emails into reliable revenue streams. Trusted by over 31,000 businesses, Smartlead excels in email deliverability, lead generation, cold email automation, and sales outreach. A unified master inbox streamlines communication management, while built-in email verification reduces bounce rates.
Additionally, Smartlead offers essential tools such as CNAME, SPF Checker, DMARC Checker, Email Verifier, Blacklist Check Tool, and Email Bounce Rate Calculator for optimizing email performance. 

How does the "unlimited mailboxes" feature benefit me?

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Our "unlimited mailboxes" feature allows you to expand your email communications without restrictions imposed by a mailbox limit. This means you won't be constrained by artificial caps on the number of mailboxes you can connect and use. This feature makes Smartlead the best cold email software and empowers you to reach a wider audience, engage with more potential customers, and manage diverse email campaigns effectively.

How does Smartlead as a cold emailing tool can automate the cold email process?

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Smartlead’s robust cold email API and automation infrastructure streamline outbound communication by transforming the campaign creation and management processes. It seamlessly integrates data across software systems using APIs and webhooks, adjusts settings, and leverages AI for personalised content.

The cold emailing tool categorises lead intent, offers comprehensive email management with automated notifications, and integrates smoothly with CRMs like Zapier, Make, N8N, HubSpot, Salesforce, and Pipedrive. Smartlead supports scalable outreach by rapidly adding mailboxes and drip-feeding leads into active campaigns Sign Up Now!

What do you mean by "unibox to handle your entire revenue cycle"?

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The "unibox" is one of the unique features of Smartlead cold email outreach tool, and it's a game-changer when it comes to managing your revenue cycle. The master inbox or the unibox consolidates all your outreach channels, responses, sales follow-ups, and conversions into one centralized, user-friendly mailbox.

With the "unibox," you gain the ability to:
1. Focus on closing deals: You can now say goodbye to the hassle of logging into multiple mailboxes to search for replies. The "unibox" streamlines your sales communication, allowing you to focus on what matters most—closing deals.

2. Centralized lead management: All your leads are managed from one central location, simplifying lead tracking and response management. This ensures you take advantage of every opportunity and efficiently engage with your prospects.

3. Maintain context: The "unibox" provides a 360-degree view of all your customer messages, allowing you to maintain context and deliver more personalized and effective responses.

How does Smartlead ensure my emails don't land in the spam folder?

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Smartlead, the best cold email marketing tool, ensures your emails reach the intended recipients' primary inbox rather than the spam folder. 

Here's how it works:
1. Our "unlimited warmups" feature is designed to build and maintain a healthy sending reputation for your cold email outreach. Instead of sending a large volume of emails all at once, which can trigger spam filters, we gradually ramp up your sending volume. This gradual approach, combined with positive email interactions, helps boost your email deliverability rates.

2. We deploy high-deliverability IP servers specific to each campaign. 

3. The ‘Warmup’ feature replicates humanized email sending patterns, spintax, and smart replies.
 
4. By establishing a positive sender reputation and gradually increasing the number of sent emails, Smartlead minimizes the risk of your emails being flagged as spam. This way, you can be confident that your messages will consistently land in the primary inbox, increasing the likelihood of engagement and successful communication with your recipients.

Can Smartlead help improve my email deliverability rates?

Email automation FAQs- Smartlead

Yes, our cold emailing software is designed to significantly improve your email deliverability rates. It enhances email deliverability through AI-powered email warmups across providers, unique IP rotating for each campaign, and dynamic ESP matching.
Real-time AI learning refines strategies based on performance, optimizing deliverability without manual adjustments. Smartlead's advanced features and strategies are designed to improve email deliverability rates, making it a robust choice for enhancing cold email campaign success.

What features does Smartlead offer for cold email personalisation?

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Smartlead enhances cold email personalisation through advanced AI-driven capabilities and strategic integrations. Partnered with Clay, The cold remaining software facilitates efficient lead list building, enrichment from over 50 data providers, and real-time scraping for precise targeting. Hyper-personalised cold emails crafted in Clay seamlessly integrate with Smartlead campaigns.

Moreover, Smartlead employs humanised, natural email interactions and smart replies to boost engagement and response rates. Additionally, the SmartAI Bot creates persona-specific, high-converting sales copy. Also you can create persona-specific, high-converting sales copy using SmartAI Bot. You can train the AI bot to achieve 100% categorisation accuracy, optimising engagement and conversion rates.

Can I integrate Smartlead with other tools I'm using?

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Certainly, Smartlead cold email tool is designed for seamless integration with a wide range of tools and platforms. Smartlead offers integration with HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive, Clay, Listkit, and more. You can leverage webhooks and APIs to integrate the tools you use. Try Now!

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Is Smartlead suitable for both small businesses and large enterprises?

Smartlead accommodates both small businesses and large enterprises with flexible pricing and comprehensive features. The Basic Plan at $39/month suits small businesses and solopreneurs, offering 2000 active leads and 6000 monthly emails, alongside essential tools like unlimited email warm-up and detailed analytics.

Marketers and growing businesses benefit from the Pro Plan ($94/month), with 30000 active leads and 150000 monthly emails, plus a custom CRM and active support. Lead generation agencies and large enterprises can opt for the Custom Plan ($174/month), providing up to 12 million active lead credits and 60 million emails, with advanced CRM integration and customisation options.

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What type of businesses sees the most success with Smartlead?

No, there are no limitations on the number of channels you can utilize with Smartlead. Our cold email tool offers a multi-channel infrastructure designed to be limitless, allowing you to reach potential customers through multiple avenues without constraints.

This flexibility empowers you to diversify your cold email outreach efforts, connect with your audience through various communication channels, and increase your chances of conversion. Whether email, social media, SMS, or other communication methods, Smartlead's multi-channel capabilities ensure you can choose the channels that best align with your outreach strategy and business goals. This way, you can engage with your prospects effectively and maximize the impact of your email outreach.

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How can Smartlead integrate with my existing CRM and other tools?

Smartlead is the cold emailing tool that facilitates seamless integration with existing CRM systems and other tools through robust webhook and API infrastructure. This setup ensures real-time data synchronisation and automated processes without manual intervention. Integration platforms like Zapier, Make, and N8N enable effortless data exchange between Smartlead and various applications, supporting tasks such as lead information syncing and campaign status updates. Additionally, it offers native integrations with major CRM platforms like HubSpot, Salesforce, and Pipedrive, enhancing overall lead management capabilities and workflow efficiency. Try Now!

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Do you provide me with lead sources?

No. Smartlead distinguishes itself from other cold email outreach software by focusing on limitless scalability and seamless integration. While many similar tools restrict your outreach capabilities, Smartlead offers a different approach.

Here's what makes us uniquely the best cold email software:

1. Unlimited Mailboxes: In contrast to platforms that limit mailbox usage, Smartlead provides unlimited mailboxes. This means you can expand your outreach without any arbitrary constraints.

2. Unique IP Servers: Smartlead offers unique IP servers for every campaign it sends out. 

3. Sender Reputation Protection: Smartlead protects your sender reputation by auto-moving emails from spam folders to the primary inbox. This tool uses unique identifiers to cloak all warmup emails from being recognized by automation parsers. 

4. Automated Warmup: Smartlead’s warmup functionality enhances your sender reputation and improves email deliverability by maintaining humanised email sending patterns and ramping up the sending volume. 

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How secure is my data with Smartlead?

Ensuring the security of your data is Smartlead's utmost priority. We implement robust encryption methods and stringent security measures to guarantee the continuous protection of your information. Your data's safety is paramount to us, and we are always dedicated to upholding the highest standards of security.

How can I get started with Smartlead?

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Getting started with Smartlead is straightforward! Just head over to our sign-up page and follow our easy step-by-step guide. If you ever have any questions or need assistance, our round-the-clock support team is ready to help, standing by to provide you with any assistance you may require. Sign Up Now!

How can I reach the Smartlead team?

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We're here to assist you! You can easily get in touch with our dedicated support team on chat. We strive to provide a response within 24 hours to address any inquiries or concerns you may have. You can also reach out to us at support@smartlead.ai

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