To help with your newsletter landing in your subscribers’ email box and not be caught in the corporate filter print and put this list of spam trigger words next to your desk.
Email subject lines are one part of the email delivery system. Emails are delivered to inboxes based on the subject lines, content, and sender reputation. Sometimes engagement is even applied to this filter. (Is your reader opening the email)
Filters look at your email as a whole using one spam trigger word. Using words in your subject line and content like “affordable,” or even “thousands,” a few times is too much and will get filtered as spam.
Subject line spam trigger words are also applied to the newsletter content.
Every newsletter email marketer should have a list of spam trigger words next to their desk. A subject line trigger word thrown in every once in a while won’t hurt your delivery rate (if you’re already in good with the local server delivery system), you still need to be practical about finding great synonyms.
Using words like “free” are discouraged and WP Web Wizard recommends not using them, or in combination with other trigger words such as “trial,” “quote,” “sample,” “access,” etc., which can land your newsletter in the junk box or be filter out before it gets into the email box. Using the word “free” typically increases open rates when it does get delivered. It’s a gamble.
In case you weren’t aware of the way spam filters work is they assign ratings to your email newsletter. Using the word “free” in the subject line with an otherwise perfectly harmless email might be okay if you have a good delivery record with that particular mail server where your sending newsletters.
However, do it again the next day or combine that subject line with an ALL CAPS subject line and use a * to disguise another trigger word within your email, and it could be filtered out or sent to the spam box. Luckily, we provide a spam-checking tool.
WP Web Wizard provides “Mail Tester”. Look for it at the bottom of your newsletter editor and find the button “How spammy is this newsletter?” Click the link provided to view your score. You can send me a message or call me if you’re a client should you not understand the scoring.
UPDATED 2017 LIST OF SPAM FILTER TRIGGERS
| 100% | #1 | $$$ | 100% free | 100% Satisfied | 4U |
| 50% off | Accept credit cards | Acceptance | Access | Accordingly | Act Now |
| Action | Ad | Additional income | Addresses on CD | Affordable | All natural |
| All new | Amazed | Amazing | Amazing stuff | Apply now | Apply Online |
| As seen on | Auto email removal | Avoid | Avoid bankruptcy | Bargain | Be amazed |
| Be your own boss | Being a member | Beneficiary | Best price | Beverage | Big bucks |
| Bill 1618 | Billing | Billing address | Billion | Billion dollars | Bonus |
| Boss | Brand new pager | Bulk email | Buy | Buy direct | Buying judgments |
| Cable converter | Call | Call free | Call now | Calling creditors | Can’t live without |
| Cancel | Cancel at any time | Cannot be combined with any other offer | Cards accepted | Cash | Cash bonus |
| Cashcashcash | Casino | Celebrity | Cell phone cancer scam | Cents on the dollar | Certified |
| Chance | Cheap | Check | Check or money order | Claims | Claims not to be selling anything |
| Claims to be in accordance with some spam law | Claims to be legal | Clearance | Click | Click below | Click here |
| Click to remove | Collect | Collect child support | Compare | Compare rates | Compete for your business |
| Confidentially on all orders | Congratulations | Consolidate debt and credit | Consolidate your debt | Copy accurately | Copy DVDs |
| Costs | Credit | Credit bureaus | Credit card offers | Cures | Cures baldness |
| Deal | Dear [email/friend/somebody] | Debt | Diagnostics | Dig up dirt on friends | Direct email |
| Direct marketing | Discount | Do it today | Don’t delete | Don’t hesitate | Dormant |
| Double your | Double your cash | Double your income | Drastically reduced | Earn | Earn $ |
| Earn extra cash | Earn per week | Easy terms | Eliminate bad credit | Eliminate debt | Email harvest |
| Email marketing | Exclusive deal | Expect to earn | Expire | Explode your business | Extra |
| Extra cash | Extra income | F r e e | Fantastic | Fantastic deal | Fast cash |
| Fast Viagra delivery | Financial freedom | Financially independent | For free | For instant access | For just $ (some amount) |
| For just $xxx | For Only | For you | Form | Free | Free access |
| Free cell phone | Free consultation | Free DVD | Free gift | Free grant money | Free hosting |
| Free info | Free installation | Free Instant | Free investment | Free leads | Free membership |
| Free money | Free offer | Free preview | Free priority mail | Free quote | Free sample |
| Free trial | Free website | Freedom | Friend | Full refund | Get |
| Get it now | Get out of debt | Get paid | Get started now | Gift certificate | Give it away |
| Giving away | Great | Great offer | Guarantee | Guaranteed | Have you been turned down? |
| Hello | Here | Hidden | Hidden assets | Hidden charges | Home |
| Home based | Home employment | Home based business | Human growth hormone | If only it were that easy | Important information regarding |
| In accordance with laws | Income | Income from home | Increase sales | Increase traffic | Increase your sales |
| Incredible deal | Info you requested | Information you requested | Instant | Insurance | Insurance |
| Internet market | Internet marketing | Investment | Investment decision | It’s effective | Join millions |
| Join millions of Americans | Junk | Laser printer | Leave | Legal | Life |
| Life Insurance | Lifetime | Limited | limited time | Limited time offer | Limited time only |
| Loan | Long distance phone offer | Lose | Lose weight | Lose weight spam | Lower interest rates |
| Lower monthly payment | Lower your mortgage rate | Lowest insurance rates | Lowest Price | Luxury | Luxury car |
| Mail in order form | Maintained | Make $ | Make money | Marketing | Marketing solutions |
| Mass email | Medicine | Medium | Meet singles | Member | Member stuff |
| Message contains | Message contains disclaimer | Million | Million dollars | Miracle | MLM |
| Money | Money back | Money making | Month trial offer | More Internet Traffic | Mortgage |
| Mortgage rates | Multi-level marketing | Name brand | Never | New customers only | New domain extensions |
| Nigerian | No age restrictions | No catch | No claim forms | No cost | No credit check |
| No disappointment | No experience | No fees | No gimmick | No hidden | No hidden Costs |
| No interests | No inventory | No investment | No medical exams | No middleman | No obligation |
| No purchase necessary | No questions asked | No selling | No strings attached | No-obligation | Not intended |
| Not junk | Not spam | Now | Now only | Obligation | Offshore |
| Offer | Offer expires | Once in lifetime | One hundred percent free | One hundred percent guaranteed | One time |
| One time mailing | Online biz opportunity | Online degree | Online marketing | Online pharmacy | Only |
| Only $ | Open | Opportunity | Opt in | Order | Order now |
| Order shipped by | Order status | Order today | Outstanding values | Passwords | Pennies a day |
| Per day | Per week | Performance | Phone | Please read | Potential earnings |
| Pre-approved | Presently | Price | Print form signature | Print out and fax | Priority mail |
| Prize | Problem | Produced and sent out | Profits | Promise | Promise you |
| Purchase | Pure Profits | Quote | Rates | Real thing | Refinance |
| Refinance home | Refund | Removal | Removal instructions | Remove | Removes wrinkles |
| Request | Requires initial investment | Reserves the right | Reverses | Reverses aging | Risk free |
| Rolex | Round the world | S 1618 | Safeguard notice | Sale | Sample |
| Satisfaction | Satisfaction guaranteed | Save $ | Save big money | Save up to | Score |
| Score with babes | Search engine listings | Search engines | Section 301 | See for yourself | Sent in compliance |
| Serious | Serious cash | Serious only | Shopper | Shopping spree | Sign up free today |
| Social security number | Solution | Spam | Special promotion | Stainless steel | Stock alert |
| Stock disclaimer statement | Stock pick | Stop | Stop snoring | Strong buy | Stuff on sale |
| Subject to cash | Subject to credit | Subscribe | Success | Supplies | Supplies are limited |
| Take action | Take action now | Talks about hidden charges | Talks about prizes | Teen | Tells you it’s an ad |
| Terms | Terms and conditions | The best rates | The following form | They keep your money — no refund! | They’re just giving it away |
| This isn’t a scam | This isn’t junk | This isn’t spam | This won’t last | Thousands | Time limited |
| Traffic | Trial | Undisclosed recipient | University diplomas | Unlimited | Unsecured credit |
| Unsecured debt | Unsolicited | Unsubscribe | Urgent | US dollars | Vacation |
| Vacation offers | Valium | Viagra | Vicodin | Visit our website | Wants credit card |
| Warranty | We hate spam | We honor all | Web traffic | Weekend getaway | Weight |
| Weight loss | What are you waiting for? | What’s keeping you? | While supplies last | While you sleep | Who really wins? |
| Why pay more? | Wife | Will not believe your eyes | Win | Winner | Winning |
| Won | Work from home | Xanax | You are a winner! | You have been selected | Your income |
So, that’s it? No risk to end up in the spam folder?
It’s not that easy, spam words are not the only things hurting email deliverability. The best best practices to adopt would be to:
- Watch the subject line
- Avoid all caps, exclamation points and using red fonts
- Use a reliable Email Service Provider
- Use links carefully
- Keep your emails short
- NO attach files
HERE’S A LIST OF THE SPAM FILTER TRIGGERS 2016
| THE WORST
$$$ |
SOMETIMES BAD
4U |
DON’T TIPS:
Don’t write subject lines ALL IN CAPS.
Don’t make spelling mistakes.
Don’t plea with people to “Open Me!”
Don’t deceive readers with a false promise.
Don’t give away everything in your subject line.
Don’t use one word – like “Hi!” – as your subject line.
Nix the punctuation!!!
Don’t add Re: to your subject line to deceive readers.
