Issues with RECEIVING emails, has to do with
several factors. These factors change on a regular
basis, but you can work with them if you know what
the general guidelines are. First are the SERVER LEVEL FILTERS.
These are the filters ISP's (Internet Service
Providers), EMAIL PROVIDERS (like Hotmail and
Yahoo) and DOMAIN HOSTS where you have your own
domain based email (you.com for
example) have in place.
SERVER LEVEL FILTERS are responsible for 90% of
all the DELIVERY ISSUES you may ever experience.
What happens with these filters is, they
electronically READ YOUR EMAIL before your
RECEIVER ever sees it.
If your email contains enough of the SPAM TRIGGERS
to cause their filter to act on your message ....
it will either ....
DELETE YOUR EMAIL or it will dump it into the
BULK/SPAM FOLDER. Either action takes place
without the RECEIVER doing anything.
HOW TO AVOID TRIGGERING THE SPAM FILTERS.
Key Words and Phrases to AVOID in your letters, as
they are picked up and "counted" by the spam
filters would be:
Explode Your Downline, Click Here, Biz Opp, MLM,
Cash Money, Make a Fortune, any MLM Company Name,
ALL CAPS OR lot of BOLD FACING.
The use of trigger words like "free" (used alone,
or in combination with any number of words like
"trial," "money," "quote," "sample," "membership,"
"access," and so on), "sex," "XXX," "spam," "$$$,"
"checks," "money orders," "extra income," "as seen on TV,"
and so on. Even using seemingly harmless words like
"search engine listings," "cable converter", and
"reverses aging" will penalize your e-mail.
Avoid excessive use of punctuation "!!!" --- bad
Using larger than normal fonts also "counts"
against your letter making it to the receiver.
... and finally, a very special thing NOT to do...
If you think of using a trick to avoid detection
(like putting a * in certain words to disguise them
or adding 50 spaces in your subject to push a code
out of sight), it's only a matter of time until you
are ESPECIALLY determined to be a spammer. Because
"normal business people" don't use tricks -- they
just do business.
Here is an actual "out-take" from a SPAM BLOCKER
SERVICE that shows you how they RATED THE EMAIL
and gives you an idea of other phrases to avoid.
The Service Name has been removed from the
example for commercial integrity reasons:
=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=
Yes, hits=12.2 required=5.0 tests=
AMAZING_STUFF,FINANCIAL,HOME_EMPLOYMENT,
HTML_40_50, HTML_FONT_BIG,
HTML_FONT_COLOR_BLUE,
HTML_MESSAGE,
HTML_TITLE_UNTITLED,
MIME_HEADER_CTYPE_ONLY,
MIME_HTML_ONLY,
WHY_WAIT version=2.54 ************
---- Start xxxxxxxx results 12.20 points, 5
required; * 1.6 -- BODY: Information on how to
work at home (2) * 1.1 -- BODY: What are you
waiting for * 1.2 -- BODY: Amazing Stuff * 4.3
-- BODY: Financial Freedom * 1.1 -- BODY: Message
is 40% to 50% HTML * 0.1 -- BODY: HTML included
in message * 0.3 -- BODY: FONT Size +2 and up or 3
and up * 0.1 -- BODY: HTML font color is blue *
0.4 -- BODY: HTML title contains "Untitled" * 1.9
-- 'Content-Type' found without required MIME
headers * 0.1 -- Message only has text/html MIME
parts ---- End of xxxxxxxx results
=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=
You can see, they assign "points" for each item
that triggers their filters. FONT COLORS ...
being HTML ... certain words, are all given
points.
If the points exceed their threshold .. the letter
is deleted.
THE SOLUTION.
USE COMMON SENSE .. and send all the email you can.
You have no overall control over who has filters
and who doesn't have filters turned on. You DO
have control over continuing to send emails.
Realize, no one can "avoid" the "Black Lists" or
Filters if you're sending any amount of email at
all. They are a fact of life for right now.
Also, these filters change constantly. If they
didn't, true spammers would quickly create their
own "work around" and they would be useless in a
matter of days or weeks.
You have only one solution. Keep working and
doing what you are doing. YOUR EMAIL WILL GET
THROUGH to a larger portion than not.
Work on your SUBJECT LINES and your CONTENT.
Your email could get through 100% of the time and
not a single person would read it, if you don't
give them a REASON TO. That's the job of your
SUBJECT LINE.
TIP: Don't use the spam trigger words in your
subject line! Make it catchy, personable but
"real" so they will want to read it.
Make sure your CONTENT (the message itself) actually
says something worth reading! Don't make it all
hype and nothing more. Give them something to
think about and act on.
There are certain elements of an e-mail that qualify
it as being "bona fide" correspondence.
With that said...
Here are some tips for staying on the "good"
side of the various spam checkers, filters, etc.
that stand between your e-mail and your reader's
INBOX. Use as many of these "good triggers" as
possible, to prove that yours is a real, justifiable
mailing...
Use of the words "news", "newsletter", or "list"
in your subject line
Indication of publishing frequency in the
subject line -- weekly, daily, monthly
Inclusion of date of newsletter in the subject
Inclusion of the issue number in the subject line
Make sure your newsletter has some substance --
when was the last time you saw spam that had more
than a few lines of text?
Above and beyond that, use your own common sense.
You know what spam looks like -- do not make your
e-zine look like spam. And you know what a "VALID,
GOOD" e-zine looks like -- that should be your
role model! And especially...
... NO TRICKS. Just do your business and keep it real.
CONSIDER THE OPTIONS.
Spend postage and have your post card or letters
thrown away?
At 39ยข per first class stamp to send a US Postal
Letter ... that adds up fast.
Call all of them? That works if you have the time
and determination, but it's "one at a time" that
way and doesn't do at thing to leverage your time.
You can keep sending email and EDUCATE your people
as you connect with them and talk about
responsible email and talk about telling your
email provider when you can, you don't want THEM
removing YOUR email without you getting a chance
to even know what it was.
Email responsibly, work to trim down the spam
triggers and keep at it, and you will see success.
