Stop sending emails to the recipients Junk Folder

Recently I got a call from a supplier asking if I could kindly pay the invoice they sent me. I told them I hadn’t seen the invoice come into my inbox. I then checked my Trash Folder and saw it there. This isn’t the first-time important emails have been sent to my Trash Folder.

Email trash folders are great for trapping unwanted emails (Like Spam and unwanted marketing material). However, like a large fishing nets sometimes “innocent” emails get caught. This behaviour can be obviously annoying and sometimes cause embarrassment .

Obviously, the recipient can stop this behaviour by changing their email block rules and whitelists. However, as a sender of emails did you know there are changes you can make that reduce the changes of your emails being sent to a receiver’s junk folder.

To increase the chances of your emails reaching the recipient's inbox rather than their junk or spam folders, you can follow these best practices:

Avoid Spam-Like Content: Refrain from using all caps, excessive exclamation marks, and spam-trigger words (like "free," "guarantee," etc.) in both the subject line and body of the email.

Personalize Your Emails: Personalize the email to the recipient. Using the recipient's name and relevant content can help avoid spam filters.

Consistent From Information: Use consistent 'From' name and email address. Changing this information frequently can trigger spam filters.

Avoid Attachments: Attachments can raise flags. If you need to send files, consider using cloud services and providing a link.

Authenticate Your Email: Use email authentication methods like SPF (Sender Policy Framework), DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail), and DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance). These protocols verify that the email is legitimately from you.

Monitor Your Sender Reputation: Tools like SenderScore (https://senderscore.org/) can give you an idea of how email providers view your IP address.

Test Your Emails: Before sending out a large campaign, test your emails by sending them to accounts on different email services (like Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook, etc.) to see if they land in the spam folder.

Avoid Misleading Subject Lines: Make sure your subject line accurately reflects the content of your email. Misleading subject lines can lead to spam complaints.

Of course, none of these changes guarantee your emails won’t be sent to the junk folder however they improve your chances of your customers seeing your emails.

If you need any advice or assistance in improving your email behaviours please reach out to me.