Why are my outreach emails going to spam and how do I fix it?

Key findings

• Spam filters are increasingly sophisticated, using machine learning to identify patterns in email content and sending behavior that are associated with spam. This means identical or templated language often triggers flags.
• Sender reputation is paramount. Factors like bounce rates, spam complaint rates, and engagement metrics directly influence whether your emails land in the inbox or the junk folder. A new or historically problematic sending domain will face greater scrutiny.
• Authentication protocols like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are fundamental. Incorrectly configured or missing records can severely impact deliverability, leading to messages being flagged as suspicious or unauthorized. For more details on these, refer to our simple guide to DMARC, SPF, and DKIM.
• Recipient engagement plays a crucial role. If recipients consistently ignore, delete, or mark your emails as spam, it signals to inbox providers that your content is unwanted.
• New policies from major providers like Google and Yahoo have tightened spam filtering for bulk senders, emphasizing authenticated sending, low spam rates, and easy unsubscribe options. Read more about these new policies on MarTech.

Key considerations

• Diagnose the issue: Determine which inbox providers are flagging your emails as spam and analyze any bounce messages for specific reasons. This helps pinpoint the problem.
• Review content: Avoid common spam trigger words, excessive capitalization, and overly promotional language. Personalize your outreach to make it less generic.
• Warm up sending: If using a new domain or after a period of inactivity, gradually increase your sending volume to build a positive sending reputation.
• Monitor blocklists: Regularly check if your sending IP or domain is listed on any email blocklists (also known as blacklists), as this can severely impede deliverability.
• Implement authentication: Ensure your SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records are correctly set up and aligned. This validates your sending identity to recipients' mail servers.

Key opinions

• Content similarity: Many believe that emails using identical or very similar language for prospecting are easily flagged by machine learning (ML) filters, as this is a common characteristic of spam.
• Tool association: Some specific outreach tools are perceived by mail servers as being used for sending spam, leading to automatic filtering of emails originating from or through them.
• Recipient perception: If recipients do not explicitly desire the mail, even if it's not malicious, it can still be classified as spam by filters because users are marking it as such or ignoring it.
• Gmail's filtering: Gmail's algorithms are particularly sensitive to content that resembles previously reported spam, impacting even legitimate outreach efforts that share stylistic similarities.
• List quality: Sending to purchased or improperly researched lists (without explicit consent) is a primary reason for low deliverability and spam flagging.

Key considerations

• Personalization is key: Tailoring messages to individual recipients' interests and needs, rather than using generic templates, is vital to avoid spam filters and improve engagement.
• Monitor flag location: Identifying which mail providers (e.g., Gmail, Outlook) are flagging emails as spam can help focus troubleshooting efforts. Our guide on determining if marketing emails go to spam can assist.
• Pause and reset: Temporarily stopping outreach for a week or two, then resuming with a slower sending pace, can help reset sender reputation.
• Custom tracking domains: Utilizing custom tracking domains instead of default ones provided by outreach platforms can enhance deliverability by avoiding shared reputation issues.
• Avoid spam trigger words: Review email content for common spam phrases that can trigger spam filters, such as "free", "guarantee", or excessive punctuation.

Key opinions

• Filters are effective: Experts agree that if outreach emails are going to spam, especially those sent via certain bulk tools, it often means the spam filters are working as designed to protect recipients from unsolicited mail.
• Content categorization: Spam filters, particularly those at major providers like Gmail, categorize emails based on their content and previous recipient interactions. If new mail resembles content that was recently marked as spam, it will likely be filtered similarly.
• Sender reputation is dynamic: A domain's reputation is constantly being evaluated. New domains or those with poor sending history (e.g., high complaint rates, low engagement) are at higher risk of filtering. Recovering a domain's reputation takes time and consistent good sending practices. Learn more about this in our article on how long it takes to recover domain reputation.
• Authentication is non-negotiable: Proper configuration of SPF, DKIM, and DMARC is fundamental for establishing sender legitimacy and should be a top priority for any sender experiencing deliverability issues.
• User engagement signals: Positive user engagement (opens, clicks, replies) boosts sender reputation, while negative signals (spam complaints, deletions without opening) severely damage it. Mailbox providers prioritize user experience.

Key considerations

• Address the root cause: Instead of seeking technical loopholes, focus on why recipients are not engaging with or marking your emails as spam. This often points to issues with list acquisition or value proposition.
• Improve content relevance: Work on making your outreach genuinely desired by the recipient. This might involve more targeted segmentation, deeper personalization, or a stronger, clear value proposition.
• Understand filter logic: Recognize that filters evolve and categorize based on user behavior and content patterns. Avoid sending anything that broadly resembles known spam, even if your intent is legitimate. Our expert guide to improving email deliverability provides more detail.
• Focus on recipient consent: The ultimate solution is to ensure your recipients genuinely want to receive your mail. This can be challenging for cold outreach but is the most sustainable path to high deliverability.
• Proactive monitoring: Utilize tools like Google Postmaster Tools to monitor your domain and IP reputation, spam rates, and DMARC reports. This data is invaluable for identifying and resolving issues quickly.

Key findings

• Authentication is mandatory: Gmail and Yahoo's new policies, active since February 2024, require bulk senders to authenticate emails with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. Failure to do so significantly increases the likelihood of emails being rejected or sent to spam.
• Low spam complaint rates: Documentation specifies a low spam complaint rate (e.g., below 0.1% for Gmail) as a critical requirement for maintaining good sender reputation. Higher rates will lead to severe deliverability issues.
• Easy unsubscribe: One-click unsubscribe functionality is now a requirement for bulk senders. This ensures recipients can easily opt out, reducing the likelihood of them marking emails as spam. This change is discussed further in our blog on Gmail's new unsubscribe features.
• Sender reputation metrics: Mailbox providers use various metrics, including IP reputation, domain reputation, and content analysis, to determine inbox placement. These are often made visible through postmaster tools.
• Content guidelines: Avoidance of deceptive headers, misleading subject lines, and spammy content is universally advised across documentation from major email service providers.

Key considerations

• Prioritize authentication: Ensure your domain's SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records are correctly set up and maintained. This is the foundational step for improving deliverability. Our article on DMARC, SPF, and DKIM alignment failures can help.
• Monitor complaint rates: Actively track your spam complaint rates through postmaster tools (e.g., Google Postmaster Tools) and adjust sending practices if they exceed recommended thresholds.
• Provide clear unsubscribe options: Implement a clear and easy one-click unsubscribe mechanism in your email headers and body. This is a critical compliance and deliverability factor.
• Maintain list hygiene: Regularly clean your email lists to remove invalid or inactive addresses, minimizing bounce rates and spam trap hits. Avoid purchased or scraped lists.
• Send relevant content: Focus on delivering content that is expected and valued by your recipients. Engagement is a strong positive signal to email providers.