Bulk email guidelines: how to avoid spam filters

Spam is an unsolicited email. Even bulk emails that were formed based on the customers subscriptions can be classified as spam in the mail system. From 10% to 20% of the emails usually fall into this category. You can decrease this ratio by understanding the work of spam filters.

Each mail provider has own rules and criteria for spam classification that are being constantly improved. It is important to keep the reputation of your account in Mandrill as the higher is the reputation, it is less likely that your emails will be sent to spam. There are few general rules to be followed to minimize email blocking by spam filters.

• It is essential to add an unsubscription link to the email. The link should be well-marked and clear for the recipient. If the recipients have no opportunity to unsubscribe, they can report a spam complaint (mark the email as spam). This can cause the emails to receive spam complaints for all users within one mail provider.

• It is not recommended to use email lists that were acquired from third parties. As email owners did not give their consent for receiving emails; hence, spam complaints may be frequently reported.

• The content of the email should meet the expectation of the recipients. If the email looks as spam and does not spark any interest or covers no mutual relation, the recipient can mark this email as spam. The subject of the email should reflect the essence of the message.

• It is not recommended to send emails too frequently, because The spam filter of the email server might consider such emails as spam.

• It is not recommended to change email address frequently once the IP address is the same.

• Use only the current email address. Emails usually have a short life cycle as the users often delete them (for example, owing to job change) and create new ones. An email address that was added to the bulk email six months ago can be considered outdated.