5 Reasons Your Emails Land in Spam (And How to Fix Them)
· 5 min
1. High bounce rate
When more than 2% of your emails bounce, ISPs flag your sending domain as untrustworthy. The fix is simple: validate your list before every send. Remove hard bounces immediately and never re-send to addresses that returned a 5xx error.
2. Missing or incorrect authentication
SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records tell receiving servers that you are authorized to send emails from your domain. Without them, your messages look like forgeries. Check your DNS settings and make sure all three records are published and aligned with your sending platform.
3. Spammy content triggers
Words like "FREE!!!", "Act now", excessive exclamation marks, and ALL CAPS trigger spam filters. Write clear, professional copy. Maintain a good text-to-image ratio (at least 60% text) and always include an unsubscribe link.
4. Sending to disengaged subscribers
If someone hasn't opened your emails in 6 months, ISPs notice. Their inactivity signals you as irrelevant. Implement a sunset policy: after 90 days of inactivity, move subscribers to a re-engagement campaign. After 180 days with no engagement, remove them.
5. Sudden volume spikes
Going from 100 emails/day to 50,000 overnight triggers every spam filter. When warming up a new domain or IP, start small (500/day) and increase gradually over 2-4 weeks. Consistent sending patterns build trust with ISPs.