Are “add to contacts” and “not spam” equally effective for improving inbox placement?

Yes, both actions are highly beneficial. Adding to contacts acts as a strong, proactive whitelist, ensuring future emails bypass spam filters. Marking as “not spam” is reactive, directly correcting a misclassification by the ISP and improving filtering for your domain. Both are crucial for enhancing sender reputation and inbox placement .

Which action has a stronger impact on email deliverability?

While both are strong, “add to contacts” often carries slightly more weight as a proactive whitelist. It’s a direct instruction from the user to their mailbox provider that they trust the sender. Marking as “not spam” is also powerful for correcting errors but relies on the user finding the email in the spam folder first.

How can I encourage my subscribers to take these actions?

You should encourage both actions whenever possible. Include clear instructions in your welcome emails, onboarding flows, or even in the email footer. Make it easy for subscribers to take these steps, as positive user engagement is key.

How do spam complaints and inboxing rates relate to these user actions?

Consistently high spam complaint rates (even if accidental) can severely damage your sender reputation, leading to more emails landing in the spam folder. Conversely, a high inboxing rate, especially coupled with positive user engagement, tells ISPs that your emails are desired, improving future deliverability.

Do 'add to contacts' and 'not spam' actions carry equal weight for inbox placement? - Sender reputation - Email deliverability - Knowledge base

When an email lands in the spam or junk folder, it is a frustrating experience for both senders and recipients. Many email marketers and businesses wonder about the best way to encourage recipients to rescue their emails and improve future deliverability. Two common actions users can take are adding an email address to their contacts list and marking an email as “not spam” (or not junk). We often hear questions about whether these actions carry equal weight with internet service providers (ISPs) like

Google and

Yahoo when it comes to inbox placement.

Both actions are certainly beneficial, as they signal positive engagement and can help improve your sender reputation. However, their impact and perceived weight by mailbox providers might differ slightly. Let's delve into how each action is typically viewed and what it means for your email deliverability efforts.

The importance of positive engagement signals

Mailbox providers, such as

Outlook and

Gmail, use complex algorithms to determine where an email should land. These algorithms consider hundreds of factors, but user engagement is paramount. Positive engagement, like opening emails, clicking links, replying, or starring messages, tells ISPs that recipients value your content. Conversely, negative signals like spam complaints or unopened emails indicate disinterest or unwanted communication, leading to worse deliverability outcomes.

The goal for any sender is to consistently demonstrate to these providers that your emails are desired and relevant to your audience. This is where actions like adding to contacts and marking as not spam come into play. They are explicit signals from the user directly to their mailbox provider, influencing how future emails from your domain are handled. A strong reputation, built on consistent positive engagement, is essential for achieving and maintaining good inbox placement.

Even if your email lands in the promotions tab, positive engagement signals can still elevate its status. For more details on this, explore our article on inbox versus promotions tab placement.

“Add to contacts” action

When a recipient adds your email address to their contacts list, they are essentially whitelisting you. This action sends an explicit signal to their mailbox provider that they consider your emails important and legitimate. It tells the ISP, “This sender is trusted, and I want their emails in my primary inbox.” This is a very strong positive signal because it’s a proactive, deliberate action taken by the user.

Adding an email to contacts often bypasses many layers of spam filtering, making it highly effective for ensuring future delivery. It demonstrates a high level of intent and trust from the recipient, which ISPs value significantly in their efforts to deliver relevant mail. This action can be particularly impactful for improving Gmail email inbox placement and Microsoft Outlook email inbox placement.

“Not spam” action

The “not spam” action (or not junk) is also a critical positive signal. When a user marks an email that landed in their junk folder as not spam, they are directly correcting a classification error made by the ISP’s filter. This action provides valuable feedback to the ISP’s filtering system, teaching it that this particular sender’s emails are not, in fact, unsolicited. It directly counteracts a negative signal, which is a spam complaint or a previous filtering decision.

This action is highly valued because it’s a direct intervention in the ISP’s filtering process. It helps to rehabilitate a sender’s reputation by showing that the initial categorization was incorrect. While it’s powerful, it often requires the recipient to actively seek out the email in their spam folder, which can be a higher barrier than adding to contacts.

Comparing the two actions

While both “add to contacts” and “not spam” are crucial for email deliverability, they play slightly different roles. The add to contacts action is often seen as a stronger, more proactive trust signal, effectively granting a whitelist status to the sender for that specific recipient. It's a preventive measure ensuring future emails arrive in the inbox.

Action	Weight and impact	Effort for user	Primary benefit
Add to contacts	Very high, acts as explicit whitelist for sender, preempting spam filters for future emails from that address.	Low, straightforward, typically a one-time action.	Proactive inboxing of future emails.
Mark as “not spam”	High, directly corrects ISP's classification error, signaling legitimacy. Less effective if user cannot find it.	Moderate to high, requires navigating to spam folder.	Reactive correction of current spam classification and improved future deliverability.

The “not spam” action, while powerful, is reactive, correcting a past misclassification. It’s vital for recovering from a spam designation but depends on the user finding the email in the spam folder first. Ideally, you want to encourage both, but if forced to prioritize, add to contacts is often the more accessible and consistently impactful action for preventing future spam placement.

Maximizing positive signals

To maximize the likelihood of your emails landing in the inbox, actively encourage recipients to take these positive actions. While we often focus on technical configurations, user engagement remains a cornerstone of good email deliverability. Consider placing clear, concise instructions in your welcome emails or on your confirmation pages. For example, a simple message like To ensure you always receive our emails, please add [your email address] to your contacts list! can be highly effective. This helps improve overall domain reputation.

Actionable steps for better inboxing

Incorporate clear instructions in your onboarding flow. Explain how to add your email to their contact list and, if applicable, how to mark an email as “not spam” from their spam folder. A simple, well-placed call to action can make a big difference for your email program.

Views from the trenches

Best practices

Actively encourage subscribers to add your sending address to their contacts list, especially in welcome emails.

Provide clear, concise instructions on how to whitelist your email address for different providers.

Monitor your sender reputation using tools like Google Postmaster Tools to track spam rates and deliverability.

Segment your audience and tailor content to improve engagement, reducing the likelihood of spam complaints.

Regularly clean your email list to remove inactive or disengaged subscribers, minimizing negative signals.

Common pitfalls

Assuming users will instinctively know to add you to contacts or mark as 'not spam' without being asked.

Sending emails to unengaged segments, which can lead to higher spam complaint rates.

Not providing easy unsubscribe options, leading users to mark as spam instead.

Failing to monitor deliverability metrics, missing early signs of issues.

Ignoring the content of your emails, which can still trigger spam filters despite good reputation.

Expert tips

User engagement is key, prioritize actions that explicitly signal trust to ISPs.

Adding to contacts is a strong whitelist signal, impacting future deliverability directly.

Marking as 'not spam' helps correct misclassifications, improving learning for filters.

A mix of proactive whitelisting and reactive spam correction is the best approach.

Ensure your emails consistently provide value to encourage positive user actions.

Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks says adding an address to contacts is a highly effective way to whitelist a sender for the inbox.

April 20, 2018 - Email Geeks

Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks says that asking users to remove an email from spam might be difficult if they are not seeing the email in the first place.

April 20, 2018 - Email Geeks

Key takeaways for optimal deliverability

Both “add to contacts” and “not spam” actions are incredibly valuable for improving your email inbox placement and sender reputation. While “add to contacts” generally holds slightly more proactive weight by establishing a direct whitelist, “not spam” is essential for correcting existing classification issues. For a comprehensive strategy, encourage both actions as part of your engagement and onboarding processes.

Ultimately, consistent positive user engagement is the most powerful signal to mailbox providers. By making it easy for your recipients to indicate their preference for your emails, you significantly boost your chances of landing in the inbox, rather than the spam or junk folder. This is fundamental to avoiding deliverability issues.