How to Avoid the Spam Folder (And Improve Deliverability)
You’ve spent time crafting the perfect email. It has a catchy subject line, compelling content, and a solid call-to-action. You hit “send” and wait for the responses to roll in—only to discover your beautifully designed email landed straight in the spam folder. Ouch.
Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Email deliverability is one of the most frustrating challenges for marketers, small business owners, and anyone using email to connect with an audience. But the good news? There are proven strategies to keep your emails out of spam and land them where they belong—in the inbox.
Let’s dive in.
1. Build a Healthy Email List and Deliverability
One of the biggest reasons emails get flagged as spam is because of poor list hygiene. That means:
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Avoid buying or renting email lists. These often contain outdated or unverified addresses, and sending to them can hurt your sender reputation.
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Use double opt-in. This ensures people really want to hear from you. They sign up, then confirm their subscription via email.
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Regularly clean your list. Remove inactive subscribers and invalid emails to keep your engagement rates high.
2. Authenticate Your Email Domain
Spam filters are constantly looking for signs that an email might be suspicious. One key way to look legit? Set up proper authentication protocols:
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SPF (Sender Policy Framework)
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DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail)
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DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance)
These help verify that your emails are coming from a trusted source—not a spammer pretending to be you.
3. Craft Thoughtful, Non-Spammy Content
Spam filters scan content for red flags. To stay in the clear:
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Avoid ALL CAPS and excessive exclamation points (!!!).
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Don’t use trigger words like “Buy now,” “Free,” “Guaranteed,” or “Act fast.”
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Stay away from deceptive subject lines. If your subject promises one thing and your content delivers another, that’s a problem.
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Include a plain-text version of your email along with the HTML version.
Pro tip: Keep your image-to-text ratio balanced. A good rule of thumb is at least 60% text to 40% images.
4. Make It Easy to Unsubscribe
It might seem counterintuitive, but giving people a clear, easy way to opt out of your emails helps your deliverability.
Why? If subscribers can’t easily unsubscribe, they may mark you as spam instead—and too many spam complaints will tank your sender reputation.
So include that unsubscribe link, and don’t hide it in tiny font or obscure language.
5. Monitor Your Sender Reputation
Just like credit scores, email domains have reputations. ISPs track how people interact with your emails: opens, clicks, bounces, spam complaints—all of it affects your deliverability.
Use tools like:
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Google Postmaster Tools
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SenderScore.org
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MXToolbox
These can give you insights into how mailbox providers see your emails—and help you make improvements.
6. Use a Reliable Email Service Provider (ESP)
A good ESP (like Mailchimp, ConvertKit, or ActiveCampaign) comes with built-in best practices for deliverability. They manage a lot of the backend technical details (like authentication), so you can focus on content and strategy.
Plus, reputable ESPs monitor their IP addresses for abuse. That means your emails are less likely to be flagged just because you’re sending from a sketchy server.
7. Test Before You Send
Before launching that big campaign, run it through a spam test tool like:
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Mail-Tester
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GlockApps
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Litmus
These will analyze your content, authentication, and overall setup to predict how likely your email is to end up in spam. Catch problems before they become problems.
Final Thoughts on How to Avoid the Spam Folder (And Improve Deliverability)
Avoiding the spam folder isn’t just about technical tweaks—it’s about being thoughtful and trustworthy in how you communicate. When your emails are relevant, respectful, and properly set up, they’re far more likely to reach your audience’s inbox.
