What does a SpamAssassin 'try it' message from mail-tester.com mean?

Key findings

• Rule Trigger: The 'try it' message directly correlates to SpamAssassin's URI_TRY_3LD rule, which looks for specific terms in URLs. Even if the literal phrase 'try it' isn't in your content or links, the underlying regular expression may still match. This highlights how complex SpamAssassin rules are.
• URL Pattern Matching: SpamAssassin uses intricate regular expressions to identify suspicious URLs, including those with action-oriented words in subdomains or certain domain structures.
• Diagnostic vs. Reality: Mail-Tester.com uses SpamAssassin as one component for its scoring. While useful for identifying specific content issues, a high SpamAssassin score does not automatically mean your emails will land in spam, as modern filtering is far more sophisticated. More often, emails end up in spam due to broader deliverability issues.

Key considerations

• Contextual Relevance: Consider the context of the problematic URL. If it's a legitimate link to a service or product, the score might be an anomaly rather than a severe issue. Refer to Email on Acid's insights on SpamAssassin scores for more detail.
• Modern Filtering Systems: Major inbox providers like Gmail and Outlook rely less on static keyword or URI rules from SpamAssassin and more on sophisticated machine learning models that analyze sender reputation, engagement metrics, and overall email behavior.
• Prioritize Overall Deliverability: While fixing a SpamAssassin flag might seem helpful, your focus should be on broader deliverability factors like consistent sending volume, low complaint rates, and proper authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) for true inbox success.

Key opinions

• Limited Modern Relevance: Many marketers believe SpamAssassin (or blocklists that rely on it) is not highly relevant for modern deliverability. Its rules are often seen as outdated compared to the complex algorithms used by major mailbox providers. This aligns with discussions on why SpamAssassin is not relevant for modern email deliverability.
• Focus on Core Issues: Marketers frequently emphasize that content flags like 'try it' are secondary to foundational issues such as proper authentication (DMARC, SPF, DKIM) and maintaining a good sender reputation.
• Tool Integration: Despite its declining relevance, SpamAssassin is still integrated into various email testing and seed list tools (like Mail-Tester.com) because its simple rules provide easily understandable feedback, even if not fully reflective of current filtering logic. Testing tools can help determine if emails are going to spam.

Key considerations

• Interpret with Caution: While a 'try it' flag might suggest a specific URL pattern needs adjustment, marketers should not overreact to such minor scores. The overall Mail-Tester score is more indicative than a single SpamAssassin rule. According to Elastic Email, SpamAssassin aims to determine whether an email is spam, but it is one piece of a larger puzzle. You can read more about what SpamAssassin is trying to tell you.
• Prioritize Sender Reputation: Instead of obsessing over specific content words or phrases, focus on building and maintaining a strong sender reputation, which involves managing engagement, list hygiene, and avoiding spam traps.
• Regex Complexity: Understanding the underlying regular expressions (regex) that trigger these rules can be complex. Marketers typically focus on simpler, actionable changes rather than deep technical dives into regex patterns.

Key opinions

• Outdated Relevance: Experts commonly assert that paying too much attention to SpamAssassin is misplaced effort, as its rules and scoring mechanisms are largely irrelevant to how major mailbox providers filter email today.
• Focus on Reputation: The critical factors for inbox placement revolve around your sender reputation, which includes IP and domain reputation, as well as engagement metrics. These are far more influential than a SpamAssassin score, especially considering that Gmail's dangerous message alerts are more about reputation than content.
• Misleading Simplicity: While SpamAssassin provides seemingly simple answers (e.g., avoid certain words), this simplicity can be misleading, diverting attention from the complex and dynamic nature of modern spam filtering and blocklist management.

Key considerations

• Holistic View: Rather than trying to parse complex regular expressions for specific flags, experts advise a holistic approach to email deliverability, focusing on email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), recipient engagement, and list quality. For instance, understanding why BCL scores are high is far more critical.
• Rule Specificity: The 'try it' rule (URI_TRY_3LD) points to a suspicious URL structure rather than explicit words. It reflects a pattern often seen in malicious or spammy links.
• Shift in Filtering: Modern spam filters, including those from major mailbox providers, have moved beyond simple keyword or URI matching to a more dynamic, user-centric approach. They weigh factors like how recipients interact with your email far more heavily. For a deeper understanding, WordtotheWise discusses how spam filters have changed.

Key findings

• Rule Identification: The rule responsible for the 'try it' flag is typically URI_TRY_3LD, which specifically targets suspicious third-level domain (3LD) URIs.
• Regex Complexity: The rule is defined by a sophisticated regular expression that looks for patterns rather than literal phrases, including terms like 'try', 'start', 'get', 'save', 'check', 'act', 'compare', 'join', 'learn', 'request', or 'visit' within URL structures, particularly for .com and .net domains.
• Scoring: This rule typically adds a score of 2.0 to the email, contributing to the overall SpamAssassin score. Multiple rules can contribute to the final score, and a higher score indicates a higher likelihood of being spam.

Key considerations

• False Positives: The rule includes numerous exclusions (e.g., !__CHARITY, !__URI_DOTEDU) to prevent legitimate emails from being flagged, indicating an attempt to balance detection with accuracy. Some errors may be hexadecimal sequence errors from SpamAssassin.
• Dynamic Rule Sets: SpamAssassin's rules are regularly updated to combat evolving spam tactics, though the core logic for certain URI patterns can remain consistent. For a comprehensive overview, refer to the official Apache SpamAssassin Wiki on Rules.
• Community Contributions: Many SpamAssassin rules, including those for URI analysis, are developed and refined through community contributions, reflecting common spamming techniques observed globally.