Summary
The concept of 'spam words' as a primary factor in email deliverability is largely outdated. Modern spam filters, powered by artificial intelligence and machine learning, have evolved far beyond simple keyword scanning. Today, their sophisticated algorithms evaluate emails holistically, prioritizing sender reputation, recipient engagement, and robust authentication protocols. While overtly spammy content patterns can still contribute to negative scores, the direct impact of individual words has significantly diminished. The emphasis is now on overall content quality, relevance, and maintaining healthy sending practices rather than fixating on specific terms.
Key findings
- Diminished Word Impact: The direct impact of specific 'spam words' on email deliverability has significantly decreased compared to previous years. Relying on outdated 'spam word' lists is largely ineffective.
- Advanced Filter Logic: Modern spam filters, powered by AI and machine learning, employ sophisticated algorithms that analyze the overall context, patterns, and sender characteristics of an email, rather than simply scanning for isolated keywords.
- Holistic Evaluation: Deliverability is now primarily determined by a combination of factors, including sender reputation, recipient engagement metrics, and robust email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC).
- Content Patterns Matter: While individual words are less impactful, content that exhibits patterns commonly found in spam, such as excessive salesy language, poor formatting, or deceptive messaging, can still negatively affect deliverability. This includes truly egregious or scammy language.
Key considerations
- Prioritize Sender Reputation: Building and maintaining a strong sender reputation is the most critical factor for successful email deliverability today, outweighing concerns about individual words.
- Boost Engagement: Focus on sending valuable, relevant content that encourages positive recipient engagement, such as opens, clicks, and replies, while minimizing spam complaints.
- Ensure Authentication: Implement and maintain proper email authentication protocols like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to verify sender legitimacy and improve trust with mailbox providers.
- Craft Quality Content: Concentrate on creating clear, concise, and valuable content for your audience. This approach naturally reduces the likelihood of triggering filters, as it aligns with what modern filters prioritize.
- Avoid Spammy Patterns: While not about specific words, refrain from using excessive capitalization, multiple exclamation points, poor formatting, or overly promotional and deceptive language that mimics traditional spam characteristics.
What email marketers say
13 marketer opinions
Email deliverability today is influenced less by specific 'spam words' and more by advanced filtering mechanisms. Contemporary spam filters, driven by artificial intelligence and machine learning, analyze a comprehensive range of factors, including sender reputation, recipient interaction, and email authentication. While certain content patterns or truly deceptive language can still be flagged, the outdated practice of meticulously avoiding individual keywords has been superseded by a focus on overall email health and valuable content.
Key opinions
- Reduced Word Impact: The direct influence of isolated 'spam words' on email deliverability has significantly decreased; old word lists are largely irrelevant.
- AI-Driven Filters: Advanced spam filters leverage AI and machine learning to assess overall content, sender history, and engagement patterns, moving beyond simple keyword checks.
- Holistic Evaluation: Deliverability hinges predominantly on sender reputation, engagement metrics, and strong authentication protocols like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC.
- Pattern Recognition: While specific words are minor, content exhibiting common spam characteristics- such as excessive salesy language, poor formatting, or deceptive messaging - can still trigger filters, especially when combined with other red flags.
Key considerations
- Build Sender Trust: Cultivating a positive sender reputation is paramount; it provides a strong foundation for email deliverability.
- Foster Engagement: Encourage active recipient interaction through relevant, valuable content to signal legitimacy and positive intent to mailbox providers.
- Ensure Authentication: Implement and consistently use email authentication standards, including SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, to verify your identity and enhance trust.
- Prioritize Content Quality: Focus on crafting clear, concise, and valuable messages tailored to your audience, which naturally aligns with what modern filters prioritize.
- Avoid Spammy Aesthetics: Steer clear of content elements that visually resemble traditional spam, such as excessive punctuation, all caps, or highly sales-focused formatting, as these patterns can still raise flags.
Marketer view
Email marketer from Email Geeks explains that while the concept of 'spam words' might seem outdated, content still holds some relevance with certain filters like SpamAssassin, which can add points for specific content.
23 Nov 2022 - Email Geeks
Marketer view
Email marketer from Email Geeks explains that while content filters do add points for certain content, these are often offset by deductions for good sender score and authentication, making content points less impactful today.
12 Sep 2022 - Email Geeks
What the experts say
2 expert opinions
The notion that email deliverability is primarily affected by a static list of 'spam words' is largely obsolete. While content analysis remains a component of spam filtering, contemporary systems are far more sophisticated. Powered by machine learning and artificial intelligence, these filters conduct a holistic evaluation of emails, scrutinizing patterns, context, and a wide array of factors. Experts confirm that sender reputation has become a more crucial determinant of deliverability than simply avoiding certain words, though overtly suspicious phrases as part of broader spam patterns can still play a role.
Key opinions
- Outdated Spam Word Concept: The traditional advice concerning specific 'spam words' is largely outdated, as modern filters have evolved beyond simple keyword recognition.
- Sophisticated Filter Analysis: Current spam filters leverage machine learning and AI to analyze email content for broader suspicious patterns and characteristics, not just individual words.
- Holistic Email Evaluation: Filters evaluate emails as a whole, considering a wide range of elements beyond content alone, such as sender reputation and engagement.
- Sender Reputation's Importance: Sender reputation now carries greater weight in deliverability decisions than merely avoiding a predefined list of 'spam words,' as emphasized by industry experts.
Key considerations
- Focus on Holistic Content: Rather than obsessing over individual words, focus on creating overall high-quality, relevant, and engaging content that avoids patterns common in spam, such as deceptive language or excessive promotionalism.
- Prioritize Sender Reputation: Understand that your sender reputation is a far more significant factor in deliverability than the presence or absence of specific 'spam words.' Invest in maintaining a strong sending history.
- Embrace Modern Filtering: Recognize that modern spam filters are highly advanced, employing AI and machine learning to analyze context, user engagement, and sender behavior, not just keywords.
- Monitor Content Patterns: While single words are less impactful, be mindful of suspicious phrases or content structures that are characteristic of spam, as these patterns, when combined with other indicators, can still negatively affect deliverability.
Expert view
Expert from Spam Resource explains that modern spam filters analyze email content for characteristics common in spam, including suspicious phrases. While this is one factor, current filters are sophisticated, utilizing machine learning and AI to consider a wide range of elements beyond just content, suggesting that while content matters, it's not simply about a predefined list of 'spam words' but rather more complex patterns and combinations.
21 Aug 2023 - Spam Resource
Expert view
Expert from Word to the Wise states that while content remains important, the traditional advice about avoiding specific 'spam words' is largely outdated. Modern spam filters employ sophisticated machine learning to evaluate the email as a whole, rather than solely focusing on individual words or phrases. They emphasize that sender reputation now holds greater importance than merely sidestepping certain words.
16 May 2024 - Word to the Wise
What the documentation says
3 technical articles
Modern email deliverability is no longer significantly impacted by the presence or absence of specific 'spam words' alone. Leading platforms confirm that today's sophisticated spam filters, employing advanced algorithms, assess emails based on a comprehensive set of indicators. These include the sender's reputation, how recipients engage with the emails, and the implementation of proper authentication. While certain content, particularly overly promotional or deceptive patterns, can still negatively influence deliverability by reducing engagement or increasing complaints, the focus has shifted from keyword avoidance to overall content quality and healthy sending practices.
Key findings
- Diminished Keyword Focus: The effectiveness of avoiding specific 'spam words' has significantly decreased, as modern filters operate beyond simple keyword scanning.
- Holistic Content Assessment: Spam filters now evaluate the entire email content and context, employing complex algorithms to identify suspicious patterns rather than isolated terms.
- Prioritization of Reputation & Engagement: Sender reputation, alongside high recipient engagement, stands out as the most critical factors influencing deliverability, dwarfing the impact of individual words.
- Overall Content Quality Counts: While single words are less of a concern, content that is overly promotional, deceptive, or poorly formatted can still harm deliverability by fostering negative recipient responses like spam complaints or low engagement.
Key considerations
- Cultivate Sender Reputation: Actively work on building and preserving a robust sender reputation, as this is the primary determinant of whether your emails reach the inbox.
- Prioritize Recipient Engagement: Design emails that encourage opens, clicks, and replies, demonstrating value to recipients and positively signaling to mailbox providers.
- Implement Strong Authentication: Properly configure and utilize email authentication protocols (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) to verify your identity and build trust with email providers.
- Craft High-Quality, Relevant Content: Focus on creating genuinely valuable, clear, and audience-centric content that provides solutions or information, naturally reducing red flags.
- Identify and Avoid Spam Patterns: While specific words are less important, be vigilant about overall content patterns associated with spam, such as excessive promotionalism, deceptive language, or visually jarring formatting, which can still lead to deliverability issues.
Technical article
Documentation from Twilio SendGrid explains that while content is important, focusing on a long list of 'spam words' is less effective today. Modern spam filters are sophisticated and evaluate email content, sender reputation, authentication, and recipient engagement. They advise creating valuable, relevant content and avoiding patterns associated with spam, rather than fixating on individual words.
5 Feb 2024 - Twilio SendGrid Email Deliverability Guide
Technical article
Documentation from Mailchimp explains that while 'spammy content' (including certain words or phrases, excessive capitalization, strange formatting) can still trigger filters, their impact is significantly less than sender reputation and user engagement. Modern filters use complex algorithms that analyze the overall context, not just a list of words. Focus should be on building a good sender reputation and providing value.
31 May 2024 - Mailchimp Knowledge Base
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