Summary
Political campaign emails often end up in spam due to a confluence of factors. These include poor list quality (purchased or outdated lists), aggressive and frequent solicitation practices, emotionally charged language and spam trigger words, and lack of explicit permission. These practices contribute to low engagement, high complaint rates, and a damaged sender reputation. Email providers like Gmail and Microsoft consider these factors, along with user feedback, when filtering emails. Sending from newly created or unauthenticated domains also increases the likelihood of being marked as spam. To improve deliverability, campaigns need to focus on building clean, permission-based lists using double opt-in, segmenting audiences for personalized content, implementing proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), practicing good list hygiene, and avoiding spam trigger words. Emphasizing relevance, clear communication, and pathological empathy towards the audience are also crucial.
Key findings
- Poor List Quality: Purchased or outdated email lists lead to low engagement and higher spam report rates.
- Aggressive Solicitation: Frequent emailing and aggressive fundraising tactics frustrate recipients and trigger spam filters.
- Content Issues: Emotionally charged language, spam trigger words, and irrelevant content contribute to spam flagging.
- Lack of Permission: Sending emails without explicit permission harms sender reputation and increases spam placement.
- Authentication Failures: Lack of SPF, DKIM, and DMARC authentication makes it difficult for email providers to verify sender identity.
- Negative User Feedback: High complaint rates and spam reports significantly impact deliverability.
- Engagement Deficit: Low engagement metrics, such as opens and clicks, signal a problem to email providers.
Key considerations
- Obtain Explicit Permission: Build email lists based on explicit consent, using double opt-in methods.
- Practice List Hygiene: Regularly clean email lists by removing unengaged subscribers.
- Personalize Content: Segment audiences and tailor email content to improve engagement.
- Implement Authentication: Set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to verify sender identity and improve deliverability.
- Avoid Spam Triggers: Refrain from using spam trigger words and emotionally charged language in email content.
- Monitor Reputation: Monitor sender reputation and address any issues promptly.
- Prioritize Engagement: Focus on creating engaging and valuable content that encourages opens and clicks.
What email marketers say
10 marketer opinions
Political campaign emails frequently land in spam folders due to several interconnected factors. These include the use of low-quality, often purchased, email lists; aggressive and frequent email campaigns, sometimes employing emotionally charged language that triggers spam filters; and a lack of focus on recipient engagement. A poor sender reputation, stemming from low engagement and high complaint rates, further exacerbates the issue. Email providers prioritize engagement and sender reputation when filtering emails. Therefore, campaigns need to focus on building clean, permission-based lists, employing double opt-in methods, segmenting their audience for personalized content, and ensuring proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC). Avoiding spam trigger words and focusing on clear, concise language, along with regular list hygiene and the removal of unengaged subscribers, are also vital for improving deliverability.
Key opinions
- List Quality: Political campaigns often use purchased or outdated email lists, leading to low engagement and increased spam reports.
- Sending Practices: Aggressive fundraising tactics and frequent emailing contribute to recipient frustration and spam flagging.
- Content Triggers: Emotionally charged language and spam trigger words in email content can activate spam filters.
- Sender Reputation: A campaign's sender reputation significantly impacts deliverability; low engagement and high complaint rates lead to spam placement.
- Engagement Matters: Email providers prioritize engagement metrics when determining email placement; low engagement signals potential spam.
Key considerations
- Permission-Based Lists: Build email lists through explicit opt-in methods to ensure recipients want to receive communications.
- List Hygiene: Regularly clean email lists by removing unengaged subscribers to maintain a healthy sender reputation.
- Personalization: Segment audiences and personalize content to improve engagement and reduce spam complaints.
- Email Authentication: Implement SPF, DKIM, and DMARC authentication to verify sender identity and improve deliverability.
- Content Optimization: Avoid spam trigger words and focus on clear, concise language to improve email deliverability.
Marketer view
Email marketer from Campaign Monitor answers that political campaigns should focus on permission-based marketing, where subscribers explicitly opt in to receive emails. They emphasize the importance of list hygiene and regularly removing unengaged subscribers to maintain a good sender reputation.
10 Apr 2023 - Campaign Monitor
Marketer view
Email marketer from Return Path (now Validity) shares that engaged subscribers who regularly open and click on emails signal to email providers that the sender is trustworthy. Conversely, low engagement rates can lead to deliverability issues and spam placement.
20 Sep 2022 - Return Path
What the experts say
2 expert opinions
Political campaign emails frequently end up in spam due to factors such as aggressive solicitation, lack of explicit permission from recipients, and the perception that the content is irrelevant or unwanted. Sending unsolicited emails, even for political purposes, significantly damages sender reputation and leads to emails being filtered as spam.
Key opinions
- Aggressive Solicitation: Aggressive solicitation tactics contribute to emails being flagged as spam.
- Lack of Permission: Sending emails without explicit permission is a primary driver for spam filtering.
- Content Irrelevance: Content perceived as irrelevant or unwanted by recipients increases the likelihood of emails being marked as spam.
- Reputation Damage: Sending unsolicited political emails harms sender reputation.
Key considerations
- Obtain Explicit Permission: Always obtain explicit permission before sending any political emails.
- Relevance: Ensure content is relevant and wanted by the recipients.
- Avoid Aggressive Tactics: Avoid aggressive solicitation practices to maintain a positive sender reputation.
Expert view
Expert from Spamresource.com explains that political emails are often flagged as spam due to a combination of factors, including aggressive solicitation practices, lack of permission, and content that is perceived as irrelevant or unwanted by recipients.
8 Feb 2024 - Spamresource.com
Expert view
Expert from Word to the Wise emphasizes the critical need for explicit permission when sending political emails. They share that sending unsolicited emails, even for political purposes, can damage sender reputation and result in emails being filtered as spam.
24 Jan 2023 - Word to the Wise
What the documentation says
5 technical articles
Political campaign emails are often filtered as spam due to a combination of factors considered by email providers' spam filters. These factors include sender reputation, content quality, user feedback (spam reports), high complaint rates, low engagement, and sending from newly created or unauthenticated domains. Real-time blocklists (RBLs) identify and block known spam sources, potentially blocking campaign emails if their IP or domain is listed. Implementing Sender Policy Framework (SPF) records and DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) helps verify the authenticity of emails, improving deliverability and reducing the risk of being marked as spam.
Key findings
- Sender Reputation: Poor sender reputation significantly increases the likelihood of emails being filtered as spam.
- User Feedback: High spam report rates from users negatively impact email deliverability.
- Engagement Metrics: Low engagement rates (e.g., opens, clicks) contribute to emails being marked as spam.
- Authentication: Lack of proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM) can lead to deliverability issues.
- Real-time Blocklists: Listing on real-time blocklists (RBLs) results in emails being blocked or sent to spam.
Key considerations
- Improve Sender Reputation: Focus on building and maintaining a positive sender reputation through consistent engagement and positive user interactions.
- Monitor User Feedback: Actively monitor and address user feedback and spam reports to identify and resolve deliverability issues.
- Increase Engagement: Implement strategies to improve email engagement, such as personalized content and targeted messaging.
- Implement Authentication: Ensure proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM) is in place to verify the authenticity of emails.
- Avoid RBLs: Take steps to avoid being listed on real-time blocklists by adhering to best practices for email sending and list management.
Technical article
Documentation from Microsoft shares that factors such as high complaint rates, low engagement, and sending from newly created or unauthenticated domains can lead to deliverability issues, causing emails to be marked as spam.
24 Aug 2024 - Microsoft
Technical article
Documentation from RFC details that implementing Sender Policy Framework (SPF) records helps verify that emails are sent from authorized servers. This can improve deliverability by preventing spoofing and reducing the likelihood of being marked as spam.
20 Sep 2022 - RFC
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