Already in 2003 I worked with my first big consulting customer, Hasbro. (Yes, The Hasbro. And yes, it was as much fun as you would imagine.) Sitting on my desk to the time dog ear, tea-colored, salsa-splotted-a multi-page document that I treated like Holy Scriptures: the spam trigger word list.

This was not just a list of naughty words. It came with spam Scores – weights that have been assigned to every phrase based on how likely it was that their e -mail is marked by filters. Before a copy of the customer went to check, I combed every line of the message against this list and ensured that we did not carry out any intake alarms.

It was a pain in the neck, but it was necessary. At that time the majority of the spam filters were content-based. One too many “free” or “nows buy” and boom – directly to the junk folder.

I did a similar work for Reed Scientific and it was even more difficult. Many of the words you had To use – clinical, technical terms – were also appeared in the Spammy list. They were not misleading, but Spam filters could not see the difference between the topic of “legitimate Medical Journal” and a Nigerian prince fraud. Which meant that I spent a lot of time to find strategic problems for an completely innocent language.

In this post I will be received more detail about Spam -Trigger -and how to avoid them.

Table of contents

What are Spam trigger words?

Spam trigger words are used historically to identify junk -e -e -emails if filters mainly refer to the language to catch spam. Think: “Buy now!” and “free !!!” Nowadays, filters are more intelligent and look at other things first, such as authentication, sender call and commitment. But these red flags words in the old school can still give the scale against them if other elements are shaky.

How to avoid the spam folder

Nowadays, E -Mail -Spam filters (fortunately) are smarter than just problem words. They also look at the authentication, the call of senders and the commitment. You have to do the following in all three areas to keep your messages into the inbox instead of in the Spam folder.

1. Confirm that you have authentication.

Authentication is not as difficult as it sounds, and it is the best place to start when your goal is to reach the inbox.

In the early days of the e -mail, the authentication was optional. Today it is mandatory. Not just to avoid the spam folder, but even too take into account For inbox.

Authentication is how you prove to the Mailbox provider that you are of you, of which you say you are – and that nobody presents to be. It is not about content or cadence; It is infrastructure. DNS recordings. Guidelines. Cryptographic signatures. Sounds difficult – but it’s not.

There are four main protocols that you need to know: SPFPresent DkimPresent DmarcAnd Bimi. Everyone plays a different role to help them build up trust with mailbox providers. The first three are requested by all four important e -mail mailing providers. Bimi is not (yet). Here is an overview:

And here is a little more details about everyone:

SPF: Your E -Mail Tulle

Sender guideline frame (SPF) Subscribe to the Mailbox provider which servers send on behalf of your domain e -mails. It is their way to say: “Only these senders are allowed on the door.” If an e -mail from your domain is displayed and this is not Red flags rise on the SPF list.

What to do: Make sure that your SPF data record is up to date and contains all Your legitimate sender – your ESP, your CRM, your support system, everyone who sends in your name. Here are more details.

DKIM: The manipulating seal

Domainkeys identified Mail (DKIM) If each e -mail adds a digital signature so that the receiving server can check whether the message has not been changed during transport and that it comes from them. Consider it as your wax seal on the envelope.

What to do: Publish a public DKIM key in your DNS and make sure that your ESP has signed ESP emails with the right private key. Here are more details.

DMARC: Your inbox directive

Domain -based news authentication, reporting and conformity (DMARC) is the protocol that holds everything together. It informs the mailbox provider what to do if an e -mail does not monitor this message, reject quarantine or rejection.

What to do: Start with P = None so that you can monitor. However, the long -term goal is p = quarantine or p = rejection, since most important inbox providers (such as Google and Yahoo) Request enforcement For full trust and things like Bimi.

Bonus: DMARC reports give you the visibility of who sends e -mails from your domain. Sometimes they find non -authorized senders; Sometimes you will discover your own development team that has forgotten to authenticate something. Here are more details.

BIMI: Show your logo when you deserve it

Brand indicators for news identification (BIMI) Authentication meets branding. If you passed DMARC with enforcement and have set up the correct DNS data records, BIMI shows her logo in addition to her e -mails in supported inboxes.

What to do: Publish an SVG logo, set a BIMI data record. If you send mail or yahoo users, you also need a verified market certificate (VMC). Yes, this is a paid certificate from third-party willingness to enter enterprise emails. Here are more details.

Authentication: final words

All four protocols require a DNS configuration. If this is not your trail, join your IT or development team. But don’t skip this step. Without proper authentication, start every send with a deficit. Even its most beautiful and best segmented campaign is suspected if the infrastructure does not check out.

And remember: The authentication is not a gold starIt is the baseline. You will not be rewarded to do it right, but you will be punished if you don’t.

2. Submit a good reputation of senders.

As soon as your authentication is distributed in the squaring, the next big inbox Gatekeeper is Sender. When authentication says You are the one you say you areReputation mailboxs providers, whether You are someone who is worth becoming familiar.

Imagine it like a creditworthiness, but for your domain or IP address. Have you sent responsibly? People open and click? Or do you make jump, deregistration and spam complaints?

Mailbox providers follow all of this. And you use it to decide whether your e -mails go to the inbox, the spam folder or not at all.

Check your score before destroying your score.

There are some ways to check your sender’s reputation. And none of them require guessing or mood.

Sender evaluation according to validity: A free tool with which you offer a score between 0 and 100 based on your transmission -ip and/or domain. Consider it as a general reputation report. Everything over 80 is solid; Under 70 and you may want to research.

Google postmaster tools: If you send a real volume to Gmail user, this is a must. You will be displayed data on spam complaints, IP/domain reputation, authentication status and even delivery errors. But fair warning: You have to set up DKIM and SPF and send a consistent volume to access sensible data.
Microsoft snds (Smart Network Data Services): It’s not pretty, but it is useful – especially if your e -mail does not make it in Outlook or Hotmail mailbox. You will receive data on complaints, spam trap hits and how Microsoft sees the reputation of your IP. You must register your IP (s) to get access.

Cisco Taslos Intelligence: Offers reputations -Lookups for IP addresses and domains. This includes the spam score, the blacklist status and the e -mail volume history. Ideal for a quick health check whether something doesn’t feel far away.

Reputation murderer: a non -exexhustative but highly relevant list

Even a well -intentioned sender can damage its representatives. Here is what you should pay attention to:

High hard jump Prices (send to invalid e -mail addresses).
High Spam complaint Prices (Google Mail considered just over 0.1% as a red flag).
Sudden spikes In volume without warming up first.
Send to purchased or scratched lists Where there is no explicit opt-in permit (do not).
Ignore lack of commitment; Send to people who have not been opened for months (or ever).

The fix: warmth, consistency and good hygiene

There is no overnight fixation for a damaged sender call, but you can turn things around with consistency and list hygiene.

Loud (especially after downtime or change of IPS).
Reduce frequency, remove or suppress subscribers.
Simply report (yes, really).
Monitor symptoms like your task. (Because it is somehow.)

Conclusion: The sender’s reputation is invisible until he violates them. As soon as your e -mails miss the inbox, this is the first place where you can look. Use the tools, check the metrics and treat your domain call like the asset. Because MailBox providers will certainly do.

3. Keep your readers committed.

Commitment is no longer just a nice have. For mailbox providers it may be a core signal The The core signal that your e -mail is looking for, welcomed and worth delivering to the inbox.

Imagine it from his perspective: If a receiver never opens your e -mail or worse is worse without reading or marking them as a spam, why should you continue to deliver your messages to the inbox? They are in the business with happy subscribers (their recipients), not from senders with a quota (their organization).

So yes, commitment is important. A lot.

What counts as a “commitment”?

Short answer? Everything that signals interest.

Things like:

Opens (Yes, even if Apple’s MPP complicated things … more about it in a sec.)
Clicks (Links, buttons, CTAs – these are gold)
Answer (Especially for B2B sender or service -e emails)
Forward actions or “add to the address book” (a strong positive signal)
Mark messages as “not spam” (If your subscribers restore them from the junk folder)

Mailbox providers use this commitment data to make decisions about it Future Delivery. So if your audience is set, your future campaigns will rather skip the inbox … even if you are technically flawless.

But wait … what about Apple Mpp?

Ah yes, Apple’s Post Privacy Protection (MPP). Introduced in 2021, it loads the tracking pixels opened by Signal, which can artificially increase the opening rates for recipients who receive their messages in Apple post inputs (such as the native mail app on iPhones). For most E -Mail marketers, this means that the open prices have become a bit … blurred.

Here is the thing. Due to the use of persecution of pixels, there was always an error rate for the opening rates. If a recipient reads an e -mail once or even 10 times and pictures are blocked, no opening is recorded. However, if someone puts an e -mail with activating images and it is displayed in the preview of their inbox, opening is registered, even if they have not looked at it.

So they were always out of focus and now they are even more blurred. But Fuzzy does not mean useless. Opening can still be a direction. A sudden decrease in opening rates can mean that you do not reach the inbox (news that are delivered to the Spam folder or are not delivered at all, no MPP -OPEN are registered).

Just do not assume that openings are an absolute measure of who your e -mails are and do not deal with your e -mails -they are and were not.

How to pursue and improve the commitment

Watch trendsNot just isolated metrics. Did the openings go back over several sends? Do you click on your CTAs? This is worth examining.
Segment after activity. Send new administration campaigns to expired subscribers. Reduce the frequency of your inactive recipients. Send more frequent e -mails to your most active.
Clean your list regularly. If someone has not opened or clicked in 3-6 months (or which time frame makes sense for your cadence), reduce your shipment frequency. Maybe only send during her high season (for Hasbro, which was pre -chic, before Easter and the presumer). You can even suppress them or suppress sunset if you continue to get involved, since sending to long -term, non -committed recipients pulls down your reputation.
Make your e -mails more appealing. I know. Apparently. But if your subject lines are vague, their CTAs are buried or their content as a document of the service documents reads, they do not give people much to do with which they can deal or click on it.

Pro tip: If you send only Werbone content, such as discounts, sales and offers, earn less likely to earn a persistent commitment. Mix value -oriented content such as tips, knowledge, inspiration and resources. Something worth being read, even if someone is not ready to buy.

Spam -Trigger word, quick tips for tracking and improving the e -mail engagement

Conclusion: Commitment is the clearest way to prove that your e -mails are sought. A lack of commitment is the fastest way to be punished if they are not. If you ignore this, the inbox is ignored at some point You.

Spam examples

Before CAN spam was passed in 2003, I worked for a large company that, like many, still found out how to do a commercial email program that did not make people angry.

One day the customer service asked for a meeting. I led the e -mail program and they have exposed an increasing flood of calls from people who were upset about the e -mails we were sending. Not confused. Not curious. Angry.

Apparently someone (before I arrived there, thank you very much) had the team with a document entitled ” “10 reasons why the e -mails we send them are not spam.” I don’t remember all 10, but here are the biggest hits:

“We are a legitimate company.”
“You have a business relationship with us.”
“We only send e -mails that are of interest to you.”
“This is an advantage for you.”

Customer service was asked to read All 10 points To everyone who complains. Only after they had gone through the list in its entirety, were they allowed to unsubscribe from our e -mails.

So I asked: How does it work for you?

They said they rarely made it past FIVE. Most people were more excited in the course of the list, and many stopped before They came to the part in which they were finally allowed to unsubscribe. So effective to keep people on the list: yes. Effective when creating subscribers who welcomed our news: No.

Spam is in the eye of the viewer.

This story may sound, but the dynamics behind it is still 100% relevant. Spam is often about perception, no politics. The legal definition of SPAM (from the US CAN SPAM Act) is an email without meeting certain requirements: a functioning cancellation link, a physical mailing address, honest subject lines, without deception, etc. It does not even require opt-in (although your available team and your inbox would really prefer that you would receive it).

However, defining spam is much easier for your recipients:

“I didn’t want that.” “I do not like that.” “Why are you sending it to me again?”

Even if someone act Decide, and even if you are technically compliant if you feel that your e -mail is irrelevant, repeated, intrusive or just annoying … can mark them as spam anyway. And if this is the case, this damages the call of the sender, the placement of the inbox and its ability to achieve people who Do Do you want your messages.

So yes, you should be compliant. But that’s just the floor. What is really important is whether your e -mail and spam feel like spam To Your subscribers.

Because in 2025 permission does not guarantee attention – and the conformity does not guarantee no inbox. Welcome to reality.

Well, now, without further (or storytelling), you will find some examples of what I consider as a spam from my own inbox.

The phishing scheme

This is a head scratch and a classic example of why “Spam” is often in the eye of the viewer.

Let’s start with the obvious: my name is not Jennifer. It’s Jeanne. My middle and last names do not start with “MS” either. I don’t have an account with Eastwest Bank. And I don’t live in the Philippines. In fact, I’ve never visited the Philippines.

Why did I get an apparently systemic-generated email in which a 10,018 PHP monetary machine acceptance with masked card number and time stamp was confirmed? Good question. This is most likely a phishing attempt. A fake transaction -e email that tries to panic and call me, click or answer me.

It checks the classic phishing boxes: a plausible format, real branding and a vague call to action to “contact customer service”. And yes, there is a disclaimer that tells me not To respond to the e -mail, it is usually code for “expect that nobody notices that this is fake.”

Spam? Absolutely. Regardless of whether this is technically violating CAN spam or even sent to a purchased list, it doesn’t matter. It is irrelevant, misguided and sketchy. And if it works like spam and quacks like spam … you know the rest.

The newsletter “Everything about us”

I get far too many of it. The following B2B newsletter landed in my inbox and showed the organization, which mentioned its own name thirteen times In a single message. I covered every instance with a red box to protect the identity of the organization.

The entire e -mail was the organization, about the language himself. They are awards, his milestones, his latest press release … without a clear reason why I, the reader, take care of it. The only potential added value, a connection to a white book, was buried at the bottom.

It is a textbook “Everything about us” newsletter: no catch, no reader piece and no attempt to make the content relevant to the recipient. It is also a missed opportunity to get involved, and a good memory that your e -mails should feel As if they were for their audience, not just about their organization or for their CEO.

Are you a legitimate company? I think so. Is your newsletter effective? Did I decide? Perhaps. I know who they are and I spoke to people there. Can it be repaired? Yes – here are My recommendations. Is it spam? Technically no, but realistic? Probably yes.

The frequency problem

Even valuable content can feel like spam when it appears too often. The frequency in itself is not naturally bad. Daily e -mails can work if your audience wants it. But if the cadence of the recipients is not synchronized with the expectations of the recipients, even well -worked messages can feel in the brand such as inbox reports.

Take the example below. Although the friendly of addresses are different, everyone comes from Groupon (see link in the pre -head text). And everyone has the same subject line.

Example of brands in the e -mail mailing entrance

How to keep your e -mails away from the spam folder

In a single month I received 133 E -emails from Groupon, a brand that I bought exactly once last year. That is 4.3 e -mails a day. And most of them (58%) had that Exactly the same subject line (the above). It was not malignant. It was not misleading. But it was excessive. And after a while I stopped noticing the news as a whole.

This type of repetition, especially in the subject line, can train the recipients to switch off. If every subject line looks the same, assume that the content is the same (even if this is not the case) and start without opening or deleting. And as soon as this pattern starts, the commitment decreases … and your availability can follow.

Here is the thing: volume is not a strategy. The frequency must be intentionally and be aligned with the actual subscriber behavior. Otherwise, even “good” e -mails that are in conformity, relevant and advertising (or not) cannot distinguish from spam in the eyes of your recipient. And if that happens, you can not just ignore it. You could actively report It.

Take a look at that Blog post this Experience drove me to write learn more.

Spam list: Words that must be avoided if possible

As I said, some words and phrases are easier to avoid than others. At least you want to make sure that you only use some of them if you absolutely need it and as little as possible.

Trade

Like on
Buy
Buy directly
Buy judgments
Release
command
Order status
Orders shipped from the buyer

Personal

Ditch dirt on friends
Meeting singles
Points with Babes
XXX
Near you

employment

Additional income
Be your own boss
Compete for your company
Double yours
Earn $
Earn additional money
Earn per week
Expect to earn
Additional income
Home -based
Home employment
Home business
Income from home
Make $
earn money
Earn money
Online BIZ opportunity
Online degree
Opportunity
Potential income
University diplomas
As you sleep
Work at home
Work from home

Financially – general

$$
Affordable
bargain
Favored
Best price
Big dollars
Checkout
Cash bonus
Cashcash
Cent on the dollar
Cheap
Check
Claims
Collect
Compare the prices
Cost
credit
Loan offices
Discount
Earn
Simple terms
Free
Quick money
For only $ xxx
Hidden assets
Hidden fees
income
Incredible business
Insurance
investment
Loan
Lowest price
Millions of dollars
Money
Money back
mortgage
Mortgage interest
No costs
No fees
One hundred percent free
Only $
Pennies per day
Price
Profit
Pure profit
Quote
Refinancing
Save $
Save a lot of money
Save up to
Serious money
Subject to loans
You keep your money – no reimbursement!
Unsecured loan
Unsecured debts
US dollar
Why pay more?

Financial business

Accept credit cards
Cards accepted
Review or payment instructions
Credit card offers
Explode your business
Full reimbursement
Investment decision
No terms
No hidden costs
No investment
Requires initial investments
In conformity
Warehouse alarm
Explanation of the share
Stock selection

Financially – personally

Avoid bankruptcy
Call the creditor
Collect child benefit
Consolid debt and loans
Consolidate your debts
Eliminate bad loans
Eliminate debt
Financially independent
Get out of the debt
Be paid
Lower interest rate
Lower monthly payment
Lower your mortgage
Lowest insurance tariffs
Approved in advance
Refinancing home
Social security number
Your income

Generally

assumption
Accordingly
Avoid
chance
Resting
Freedom
Here
Hidden
Home
Leave
life
Lose
Groomed
medium
Wonder
Never
Password
problem
Remove
return
sample
satisfaction
Solution
Stop
Success
teenager
wife

Greetings

Dear (e -mail/friend)
Friend
Hello

marketing

Advertisement
Automatic e -mail removal
Bulk -e -e -mail
Click
Click below
Click here
Click here to remove
Direct e -mail
Direct marketing
E -Mail -Harried
E -mail marketing
Form
Increase sales
Increase traffic
Increase your sales
Increase visibility
Internet market
Internet marketing
marketing
Marketing solutions
Mass -E email
Member
Month test offer
More internet traffic
Multi-level marketing
Non -spam
Once mailing
Online marketing
Open
Tap-in
Performance
Removal instructions
sale
Sales
Search engine listing
Search engines
Subscribe to
The following form
This is not a garbage
This is not spam
Unnecessary recipient
Unsubscribe
Visit our website
We hate spam
Web traffic
I will not believe your eyes

Medical

Heals baldness
diagnosis
Fast Viagra delivery
Human growth hormone
Life insurance
Lose weight
Lose weight spam
medicine
No medical examinations
Online pharmacy
Fold removed
Aging around
Listen to snoring
Valium
Viagra
Vicodine
Weight loss
Xanax

Pay

#1
100% free
100% satisfied
4U
50% discount
billion
Billions
Make millions
Mill millions of Americans
million
One hundred percent guaranteed
Thousands

Offers

Be a member
Billing address
Call
Cannot be combined with a different offer
Confidential on all orders
Act
Financial freedom
Gift voucher
Give away
guarantee
Have you been rejected?
If it were just so easy
Important information about
According to the laws
Long-distance telephone range
Post on order form
Contains message
Name brand
Nigerian
No age restrictions
No hook
No claim forms
No disappointment
No experience
No gimmick
No inventory
No middle man
No obligation
No purchase necessary
No questions asked
No sale
No conditions
Noble
Unintentionally
engagement
Offshore
Offer
Per day
Per week
Priority mail
Price
Prices
Produced and sent
Reserves the right
Shopping spree
Stuff for sale
Terms and conditions
The best prices
You just give it away
Attempt
Unlimited
Undesirable
Vacation
Vacation offers
guarantee
We all honor
Weekend excursion
What are you still waiting for?
Who really wins?
Win
winner
Win
won
You are a winner!
They were selected
You are a winner!

Calls

Cancel at any time
Compare
Copy
Receive
Give it away
Signature form
Print and fax
Convince yourself
Register for free today

Free

Free
Free access
Free cell phone
Free advice
Free DVD
Free gift
Free grant
Free hosting
Free installation
Free moment
Free investment
Free leads
Free membership
Free money
Free offer
Free preview
Free priority mail
Free quote
Free sample
Free trial version
Free website

Descriptions/adjectives

Everything, of course
Everything new
Great
Certified
congratulations
Drastically reduced
Fantastic deal
For free
Guaranteed
It is effective
Outstanding values
Promise you
Real
Risk -free
Satisfaction guaranteed

Feeling of urgency

Access
Act now!
Apply now
Apply online
Call free
Call now
Can’t live without life
Do it today
Disagree
Do not hesitate
For immediate access
Only for
For you
Get it now
Start now
Great offer
Info that you have requested
Information you have requested
Immediately
Limited time
Only new customers
Now
Now only
Offer runs off
Once in life
Once
Only
Order now
Order today
Please read
Special funding
The deliveries are limited
Take measures now
Limited time
Urgent
While the deliveries last

Noun

Addresses on CD
beverage
bonus
Brand new pager
Cable converter
casino
celebrity
Copy DVDs
Laser printer
Legal
Luxury car
New domain extensions
phone
Rolex
stainless steel

Your brand call: The big picture

Avoiding the Spam folder felt like a mathematical problem. They had their trustworthy list of Spam trigger words, a small rating system and a decent chance of ending up in the inbox if they have followed the rules. (Easier times, honest.)

But today it is not just content when you deliver and open your e -mails. It’s about Call. And not just yours Sender Call, but yours brand Call.

For many people, your e -mail and website may be the only interaction that you will ever have with your organization. This online experience – along with your social content, SMS messages and even your paid advertising – shapes your perception of your brand. If your communication is undesirable, repeated, irrelevant or annoying, you not only risk a spam complaint. They risk their credibility.

For this reason, engagement and availability are so closely linked. When people deal with their e -mails, this signals trust. If you ignore, delete or mark them as a spam, it undermines this trust with both the recipient as well as Mailbox providers who observe these behavior as a whole.

Independently of Relationship and relevance. Do you appear in a way that is useful, welcome and oriented with your expectations? If not, no clever copy or send in conformity will save your placement.

The good news? The structure of this relationship benefits everything, not just the availability. It improves the click rate, conversions, loyalty and long -term effects. And yes, it keeps your brand where it belongs: in the inbox, not in the junk folder.

Note from the publisher: This article was originally published in March 2013 and has been updated for completeness since then.