How can I reduce spam rates and improve consent for welcome footer flows in email marketing?
Summary
What email marketers say15Marketer opinions
Email marketer from HubSpot Blog shares that to reduce spam complaints, regularly clean your email list by removing inactive subscribers. Use email validation tools to remove invalid or risky email addresses. Implement a preference center where users can update their subscription preferences and control the frequency and types of emails they receive.
Email marketer from Reddit explains that they improved consent by implementing a checkbox on all signup forms that explicitly states the user is subscribing to the email list. They also send a confirmation email immediately after signup to ensure the user intended to subscribe, reducing the number of spam complaints.
Email marketer from GMass Blog shares that your subject lines in welcome emails must be clear, concise, and relevant to the subscriber. Avoid using spam trigger words such as 'free,' 'guarantee,' or 'urgent'. A clear subject line is critical to gaining your subscribers trust and reducing spam rates.
Email marketer from Email Geeks suggests rate limiting the signup form and ensuring it doesn't accidentally leak into welcome sequences.
Email marketer from Email on Acid Blog explains that the content of welcome emails should be engaging and valuable to the subscriber. Ensure your subject lines are clear and enticing without being misleading. Personalize the email content based on the information you have about the subscriber, and provide a clear call to action that encourages further engagement with your brand.
Email marketer from MailerLite Blog explains that to reduce spam rates in welcome emails, ensure you have explicit consent. This means users actively agree to receive emails, ideally through a double opt-in process where they confirm their subscription via a confirmation email. Also, clearly state the purpose of the subscription and the type of content they will receive.
Email marketer from Campaign Monitor Blog shares that segmentation is crucial for targeted messaging in welcome series. Gathering data during signup (e.g., preferences, demographics) and using that information to tailor subsequent emails is important. Segmenting your audience in a welcome series and personalising emails can increase engagement and reduce spam complaints.
Email marketer from Neil Patel's Blog explains that sender reputation is key to avoiding spam filters. Use a consistent sending IP address, authenticate your emails with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, and monitor your sender score. A good sender reputation helps improve deliverability and reduces the likelihood of emails being marked as spam.
Email marketer from Email Geeks recommends adding Cloudflare Turnstile or running a Managed Challenge to visitors of the signup page to enhance security.
Email marketer from Email Geeks mentions the signup form doesn't prompt for consent to marketing nor does it have a TOS/Privacy Policy agreement.
Email marketer from Email Geeks reiterates that the signup form is not secure and is easily spammed, so it is recommended to secure it.
Email marketer from StackOverflow forum shared that to prevent list bombing, they implemented CAPTCHA on their signup forms to prevent bot signups. They also monitor their email lists for sudden spikes in new subscribers and investigate any suspicious activity to ensure they are not being targeted by spammers.
Email marketer from ActiveCampaign Blog shares that to maintain good email list hygiene, regularly remove bounced emails, unsubscribed users, and inactive subscribers. Use a sunset policy to identify and remove subscribers who haven't engaged with your emails in a long time. This helps improve your sender reputation and deliverability.
Email marketer from Litmus Blog explains that the timing of welcome emails is critical. Send the first welcome email immediately after the user subscribes to take advantage of their heightened interest. A delay in sending the welcome email can reduce engagement and increase the likelihood of the email being marked as spam.
Email marketer from Email Geeks explains that the signup form doesn't clearly state that filling the form will subscribe someone to email marketing, suggesting it needs to be clearer and ideally use double opt-in.
What the experts say2Expert opinions
Expert from Spamresource explains that using confirmed opt-in (double opt-in) is the best practice for obtaining consent. They recommend against single opt-in as it can lead to higher spam complaint rates and deliverability issues. Confirmed opt-in ensures that the user genuinely wants to receive emails from you.
Expert from Word to the Wise explains that proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) is crucial for deliverability, particularly for welcome emails. Implementing and regularly monitoring authentication records helps ISPs verify the legitimacy of your emails, reducing the likelihood of them being marked as spam.
What the documentation says4Technical articles
Documentation from Klaviyo explains that optimizing welcome series deliverability involves warming your sending infrastructure, monitoring engagement metrics (open rates, click rates), and segmenting your audience based on engagement. They also recommend using a dedicated sending domain to improve sender reputation and avoid being flagged as spam.
Documentation from IETF (RFC 5322) explains that adhering to email header standards is crucial for deliverability. Ensure your emails have valid and correctly formatted headers, including From, To, Subject, and Date. Incorrectly formatted headers can trigger spam filters and prevent your emails from reaching the inbox.
Documentation from Google Postmaster Tools explains that monitoring your spam rate in Postmaster Tools is crucial. A high spam rate can negatively impact deliverability. They recommend keeping the spam rate below 0.1% and never exceeding 0.3%. Identify and address any issues that may be causing high spam rates, such as poor list hygiene or misleading email content.
Documentation from SendGrid explains that improving consent involves using double opt-in, providing clear unsubscribe links in every email, and honoring unsubscribe requests promptly. Additionally, they recommend segmenting your audience and allowing users to choose the types of emails they want to receive to reduce the likelihood of spam complaints.