Are spam trigger words, PDF attachments, and links bad for email warm-up and deliverability?
Summary
What email marketers say10Marketer opinions
Email marketer from ActiveCampaign mentions that sender reputation is a critical factor for email deliverability. Sending emails from a new domain or IP address requires a warm-up period to establish a positive reputation with ISPs. Sending high volumes of emails too quickly, especially to unengaged recipients, can negatively impact your reputation and lead to deliverability issues. They make no specific mention of pdfs or trigger words.
Email marketer from Reddit shares a warm-up strategy, starting with low volume to engaged users, then slowly increasing volume. Suggests avoiding attachments and focusing on valuable content initially. They stated a new domain should spend 4-8 weeks warming up. They did not mention spam words.
Email marketer from Reddit advises using links instead of attachments where possible. Attachments increase email size and can trigger spam filters, especially with new domains. They recommend linking to a secure download page on your website.
Email marketer from Sendinblue explains that certain words and phrases are commonly associated with spam and can trigger spam filters. While there's no definitive list, avoiding overly aggressive or salesy language, as well as misleading subject lines, is advisable. Focus on providing value and building trust with your subscribers.
Email marketer from EmailGeeks forum user suggests limiting links in initial warm-up emails, especially to external sites. Focus on building trust and engagement with plain text or simple HTML emails before including links.
Email marketer from Neil Patel shares that to improve email deliverability, focus on building a clean email list, using double opt-in, authenticating your emails, and monitoring your sender reputation. He also highlights the importance of sending relevant and engaging content to avoid spam complaints. There's no specific mention of spam words, but they imply that content is important.
Email marketer from Gmass explains that using personalized tracking links in emails can improve deliverability by demonstrating engagement. However, using generic or overused tracking links can sometimes trigger spam filters. So to ensure a personalized experience each customer is given their own tracking link.
Email marketer from Campaign Monitor explains that spam traps are email addresses used by ISPs and blacklist providers to identify spammers. Sending emails to spam trap addresses can severely damage your sender reputation and lead to deliverability issues. Focusing on obtaining permission and maintaining a clean email list are crucial.
Email marketer from Email Geeks explains that keyword filtering went away a long time ago.
Email marketer from Litmus shares the importance of testing emails before sending them to your entire list. This includes testing for spam filter triggers, rendering issues, and broken links. Testing helps to identify and fix potential problems that could negatively impact deliverability.
What the experts say7Expert opinions
Expert from Email Geeks says that a styled link to a PDF on Google Drive would make them nervous, and recommends linking to your website instead.
Expert from Word to the Wise explains that focusing on delivering wanted mail is key. They also highlight that what might be considered as "free" for the recipient comes at a cost for the sender. They suggest moving on from thinking just about the word "free" and to focus on sending wanted mail.
Expert from Spam Resource explains that the idea of spam trigger words is largely outdated. Modern spam filters focus on sender reputation, engagement, and authentication rather than specific words. While some words might have a slight impact, focusing on building a healthy sending reputation is far more important.
Expert from Word to the Wise shares that using specific 'trigger' words and phrases can negatively impact deliverability. Filters are complex and constantly changing, and content is only one factor in deliverability.
Expert from Email Geeks shares that, with very few exceptions, spam words are an outdated concern.
Expert from Email Geeks strongly advises against attaching PDFs, especially for new senders, due to malware risks and corporate mail filter sensitivities, suggesting such emails might be silently discarded.
Expert from Email Geeks explains if links to your site are associated with wanted email then having them in your mail is neutral to slightly positive. If they’re associated with unwanted email then you likely have broader problems.
What the documentation says4Technical articles
Documentation from SparkPost advises focusing on sender authentication, list hygiene, and content quality to improve deliverability. They note that using URL shorteners can sometimes trigger spam filters and that monitoring bounce rates and spam complaints is essential.
Documentation from Mailchimp states while PDF attachments themselves aren't inherently bad, they can increase the size of your emails and potentially trigger spam filters if they're unusually large or if your sending reputation is poor. Linking to content hosted on your website is generally recommended.
Documentation from Microsoft outlines best practices for sending bulk email, emphasizing the importance of list hygiene, authentication, and content quality. They advise against using deceptive subject lines or including potentially harmful attachments. While they don't explicitly forbid PDFs, they stress the need for responsible email practices.
Documentation from Google explains that spam filters consider many factors, including sender reputation, authentication, content, and user complaints. Avoiding common spam triggers, ensuring proper authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), and providing clear unsubscribe options are crucial for improving deliverability. Google does not provide any specific list of trigger words.