BY Jessica Helinski
There are a lot of sales email tips out there, but despite the advice, sellers may still find their emails aren’t received. Why? Buyers feel they’re being spammed.
Even when not sending cold emails, sellers may find their messages unread. Not only do buyers report certain emails as spam, but messages also get caught in spam filters.
Mackenzie Pelletier reports that 63% of people use a filter to keep spam from their inboxes. She also shares that more users are marking emails as spam in 2024 than in the previous two years.
Sales email tips to avoid being marked as spam
There are a lot of ways that sellers can ensure their emails get read. First, it’s important to ensure recipients recognize that your email is legitimate. One way to do that effectively is to be thoughtful with subject lines.
Subject lines must be professional
SalesFuel noted that 33% of email recipients open an email based on the subject line alone. And 69% mark an email as spam based just on its subject line, according to Storylane.
It’s up to sellers to immediately grab buyers’ attention with an intriguing subject line. Asking a question is an effective way to spark interest, encouraging them to click and read. Be sure to write a clear, open-ended question that gives the reader a reason to open the email. Avoid yes/no questions and address the question early in the email to resolve any uncertainty quickly.
Another solution is to mention a connection in the subject line. This can be especially helpful when you’re sending cold emails. In the subject line, mention a shared connection, recent event or common interest. Then, use this connection to naturally start a conversation in the body of the email.
Also, be conscious of how you write the subject line; it should look professional and mature.
“For example, capitalizing all the words of a subject line or including multiple punctuation marks (like !!!!) are triggering,” explains Karen Rubin.
“Also, not using the recipient’s name or having broken code can affect where your email lands.”
Escape the spam filters
Another one of the most important sales email tips is to create an email that avoids automatically getting marked as spam. Many emails never even make it to inboxes but instead are routed directly to junk folders.
“Sometimes, your prospects are the ones sending your emails to the spam folder,” Jewell July explains. “Other times, those emails get marked as spam before your customer or client ever sees them.”
“The good news? Once you understand why your emails are getting sent to spam, you can fix the problem…”
Too many addresses
She goes on to report that one of the biggest culprits behind spam labeling is having too many recipients. Sending mass emails all at once can trigger spam filters, especially to new contacts or the same domain. To avoid this, use automated drip campaigns that send emails in small batches, for example, every 15 minutes.
Too many images
Another reason your emails are marked as spam? Too many images.
“Images aren’t easily read by inbox providers,” July writes. “For that reason, image-heavy emails are much more likely to get caught by a spam filter.”
While it’s important to include images, especially ones that include branding, be mindful. Use ALT text for images and maintain a balanced text-to-image ratio—ideally starting with 50/50 or 60/40.
This ensures that filters have readable content, and the message isn’t all images. Also, test out your image-heavy emails first to ensure they aren’t getting sent straight to spam.
Consider implementing these sales email tips to avoid being marked as spam, either by mail filters or the recipient. As you optimize deliverability, you’ll find that your emails are not only delivered, but also open and read.
Take a look at these other spam-busting tips to connect with buyers. And for ways to boost email open rates, take a look at these best practices.
Photo by Maksim Goncharenok on Pexels
