Spam tends to have certain common characteristics, and your newsletter may inadvertently mimic some of those traits. Follow these tips, and you’ll go a long way toward making sure your emails don’t get bounced:
Don’t send an HTML-formatted newsletter
This commonly sets off spam filters.
Watch your language
Don’t use the kind of words that got your mouth washed out with soap as a kid. This applies to both the subject line and the body of the message.
Don’t overuse capitalization
THIS MIGHT LOOK LIKE SPAM to a spam filter. Follow proper grammatical rules for capitalization. This applies to both the subject line and the body of the message.
Don’t overuse punctuation
Use too many exclamation points and question marks, especially in a row, like this !!?!!, and the newsletter may be flagged as spam.
Avoid spam-like phrases
Phrases commonly used by spammers, such as “free investment,” “cable converter,” or even”stop snoring” could put your newsletter in the spam bin. A full list of these phrases can be found here.
Pick your mass email software carefully
Some anti-spam software looks for fingerprints left behind by mass-emailing programs commonly used by spammers. Use that software, and your newsletter could be targeted as spam. The web site run by Dr. Ralph F. Wilson, an e-commerce consultant, notes that some mass-emailer programs that might be penalized include jpfree, VC_IPA, StormPost, JiXing, MMailer, EVAMAIL, and IMktg.
Link to domain names instead of IP numbers
If you have links in your newsletter, always use the domain name, such as www.techduke.com, rather than the IP address, such as 72.9.157.104
Check if you’re on blacklists
Many spam filters use blacklists to help determine what’s spam. If you end up on a blacklist, your newsletter won’t get through to people using some anti-spam programs, and many ISPs use the blacklists to black spam as well.
Some of the most common blacklists:
Spews.org
SpamHaus.org
Abuse.net
Razor
Rhyloite.com
Pyzor
If you find your newsletter or your IP address on any of the lists, contact the site, and ask how to be taken off the list. Keep in mind, though, that actually getting off one of these lists can be very difficult. For advice, go to SpamCop.
