Summary
While email content related to cannabis or alcohol is not automatically blacklisted, its impact on deliverability is complex and depends heavily on factors beyond just the keywords themselves. Sender reputation, recipient engagement, ESP policies, and compliance with regulations play critical roles. Some ESPs and mailbox providers are more sensitive to these topics due to their association with spam or regulated industries. Building trust through permission-based marketing, high-quality content, and adherence to best practices is essential for avoiding spam filters and ensuring emails reach the intended recipients.
Key findings
- Sender Reputation is Paramount: A strong sender reputation is the most critical factor. Building and maintaining a positive reputation is key to ensuring your emails are delivered.
- Engagement Drives Deliverability: Recipient engagement is crucial. High open rates and click-through rates signal to mailbox providers that your emails are wanted.
- ESP Policies Vary: ESPs have different policies regarding sensitive content. Be aware of and adhere to your ESP's specific guidelines.
- Compliance is Essential: Adhere to all applicable laws and regulations regarding the promotion of alcohol, cannabis, and other regulated products.
- Context Matters: The context of your email and its relevance to the recipient are crucial. Avoid misleading or aggressive marketing tactics.
- Some Providers Are More Sensitive: Hotmail, Outlook, and other mailbox providers may apply stricter filtering to content related to regulated industries.
Key considerations
- Obtain Explicit Consent: Ensure you have explicit permission from subscribers to send them emails.
- Provide High-Quality Content: Create engaging and valuable content that your subscribers want to receive.
- Monitor Your Reputation: Regularly monitor your sender reputation and take steps to address any issues.
- Comply with Regulations: Stay up-to-date with regulations and guidelines related to email marketing and the promotion of regulated products.
- Test Your Emails: Use predeployment testing tools to see how your emails will be received by different mailbox providers.
- Avoid Sensational Language: Refrain from using sensational or misleading language that could trigger spam filters.
What email marketers say
13 marketer opinions
While email content about alcohol or cannabis may not be automatically blocked by spam filters, it can increase the risk of emails being flagged as spam. Several factors influence this, including sender reputation, recipient engagement, the promotional nature of the content, and adherence to ESP policies. Some ESPs are more sensitive to these topics, and mailbox providers like Hotmail and Outlook may apply stricter filtering. Building a good sending reputation, obtaining explicit consent from subscribers, and following best practices are essential to ensure deliverability.
Key opinions
- Sender Reputation: A good sender reputation is crucial. Focus on sending high-quality content that recipients want to receive.
- Recipient Engagement: Engagement rates significantly influence deliverability. Ensure recipients actively open and interact with your emails.
- ESP Policies: ESPs may have specific policies regarding sensitive content like alcohol or cannabis. Adhere to these policies to avoid being banned.
- Context Matters: The context of the email and its relevance to the recipient are important. Avoid being overly promotional or misleading.
- Mailbox Provider Filtering: Some mailbox providers, such as Hotmail and Outlook, may apply stricter filtering to content related to regulated industries.
Key considerations
- Permission-Based Lists: Ensure you have explicit consent from subscribers to receive your emails.
- Content Quality: Focus on creating high-quality, engaging content that provides value to recipients.
- Compliance: Adhere to all applicable laws and regulations regarding the promotion of alcohol or cannabis.
- Infrastructure Security: Maintain a secure email infrastructure to prevent your emails from being flagged as malicious.
- Predeployment Testing: Use predeployment inbox placement testing to see how different mailbox providers will receive your emails.
Marketer view
Email marketer from SparkPost shares that focusing on sender reputation and permission-based marketing is more important than specific keywords. If you are sending to a permission-based list the topic will have very little impact on deliverability.
6 Jan 2025 - SparkPost
Marketer view
Email marketer from Validity shares the key to deliverability is trust with recipient ISPs and subscribers. Trust is built through consistent, high-quality email programs and permission-based sending.
1 Mar 2025 - Validity
What the experts say
2 expert opinions
Both experts emphasize that sender reputation and subscriber engagement are more critical than simply avoiding keywords related to cannabis or alcohol. Building a good sending reputation and focusing on relevance and permission are key to avoiding spam filters. While specific keywords may not trigger filters directly, caution is advised when promoting these types of products, as some ISPs treat these categories with scrutiny.
Key opinions
- Sender Reputation Matters: A strong sender reputation is crucial for deliverability, outweighing the impact of specific keywords.
- Relevance and Permission are Key: Focus on sending relevant content to subscribers who have given their permission to receive emails.
- ISPs Scrutinize Certain Categories: Some ISPs may treat content related to cannabis and alcohol with caution, so extra care is needed.
Key considerations
- Build a Good Sending Reputation: Establish and maintain a positive sending reputation through consistent, high-quality email practices.
- Prioritize Subscriber Engagement: Engage subscribers with relevant and valuable content to improve engagement metrics.
- Exercise Caution: Be mindful of potential scrutiny from ISPs when promoting cannabis or alcohol products.
Expert view
Expert from Spam Resource explains that factors such as sender reputation, authentication, and list hygiene are more important than just keywords. The site does not explicitly mention that cannabis or alcohol are on any specific block list but advises caution if promoting those types of products as some ISPs do treat those categories with scrutiny.
20 Jun 2021 - Spam Resource
Expert view
Expert from Word to the Wise explains that focusing on building a good sending reputation and engaging subscribers is key. They suggest that while certain topics might be riskier, focusing on relevance and permission is more important than avoiding specific keywords related to cannabis or alcohol.
21 May 2022 - Word to the Wise
What the documentation says
4 technical articles
The documentation suggests that while content directly related to cannabis or alcohol isn't automatically blacklisted, adherence to email standards, user consent, and compliance with regulations are critical for avoiding spam filters. Misleading language, aggressive marketing, and targeting regions where such content is illegal can increase the risk of being flagged as spam. Maintaining a good sender reputation and avoiding topics commonly associated with spam campaigns are also crucial.
Key findings
- Compliance is Key: Ensure that your email content complies with all applicable laws and regulations, especially regarding regulated products like alcohol and cannabis.
- Avoid Misleading Tactics: Refrain from using sensational, misleading, or aggressive marketing tactics in your email content.
- User Consent Matters: Focus on obtaining explicit user consent and ensuring that your email content is relevant to the recipient's interests.
- Sender Reputation: Maintaining a good sender reputation and a clean sending infrastructure are crucial for avoiding spam filters.
Key considerations
- Targeted Regions: Be mindful of the legal status of alcohol and cannabis in the regions you are targeting with your email campaigns.
- Content Standards: Adhere to established email content standards, including avoiding spam trigger words and using proper formatting.
- Association with Spam: Avoid content commonly associated with spam campaigns to prevent your emails from being flagged as unsolicited.
Technical article
Documentation from Spamhaus explains that avoiding certain topics that are commonly associated with spam campaigns, such as unregulated goods, is critical. While alcohol or cannabis itself isn't directly blacklisted, its promotion requires careful management of sender reputation and compliance with local regulations.
17 Jan 2023 - Spamhaus
Technical article
Documentation from RFC 5322 explains that email content should adhere to certain standards to avoid being flagged as spam. Although it does not specifically prohibit any keywords, using sensational or misleading language, or content related to regulated items, increases the chances of being marked as unsolicited bulk email.
28 Jan 2024 - RFC 5322
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