How do you get spam complaints?
Summary
What email marketers say9Marketer opinions
Email marketer from Sendinblue shares that to reduce spam complaints, businesses should focus on permission-based marketing, segmenting email lists, personalizing content, and cleaning inactive subscribers.
Email marketer from Constant Contact explains that high spam rates often stem from sending to unengaged subscribers, using misleading subject lines, or not obtaining explicit consent. They recommend focusing on list hygiene and delivering relevant content.
Email marketer from Reddit explains that to avoid spam traps, you should only send to permission-based lists, validate email addresses, and avoid purchasing email lists.
Email marketer from MailerLite explains that using double opt-in is critical to confirm subscribers' genuine interest and reduce the risk of spam complaints. They advise sending a confirmation email before adding new contacts to your active list.
Email marketer from Mailjet explains that common reasons for spam complaints include sending to outdated lists, using deceptive subject lines, not providing an unsubscribe option, and having poor email authentication.
Email marketer from ActiveCampaign states that obtaining explicit permission from subscribers is fundamental for ethical email marketing and reduces spam complaints. They advocate for using clear and concise opt-in forms.
Email marketer from HubSpot answers that managing spam complaints effectively involves setting expectations, using double opt-in, providing value, and regularly cleaning email lists. They also advise using feedback loops.
Email marketer from Litmus shares that spam complaints can negatively impact your sender reputation, leading to deliverability issues and potentially blacklisting.
Email marketer from Email on Acid explains that following email marketing best practices, such as using a reputable email service provider (ESP), cleaning your email list regularly, and authenticating your domain, can help avoid spam filters and minimize spam complaints.
What the experts say3Expert opinions
Expert from Word to the Wise (Laura Atkins) explains that sending emails to old addresses can lead to spam complaints and deliverability issues, as these addresses might have been converted into spam traps. They advocate for consistent list hygiene practices.
Expert from Email Geeks responds saying that if you want spam complaints then this is how you get spam complaints.
Expert from Spam Resource explains that if a subscriber complains about receiving your email, you should immediately unsubscribe them, investigate the source of the complaint to see if it's a broader issue, and use the information to improve your email practices.
What the documentation says5Technical articles
Documentation from DMARC.org details that implementing DMARC helps protect your domain from email spoofing and phishing attacks, which can reduce the likelihood of spam complaints due to illegitimate emails being sent on your behalf.
Documentation from Google explains that to prevent emails from going to spam, you should authenticate your email with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, avoid sending unsolicited emails, and ensure a clear unsubscribe process. They also emphasize monitoring sender reputation through Google Postmaster Tools.
Documentation from Microsoft shares that bulk email senders should adhere to best practices like using confirmed opt-in, providing easy unsubscribe options, and maintaining a clean sending IP reputation to avoid being marked as spam.
Documentation from SparkPost shares that maintaining a good sender reputation involves consistently sending valuable content, handling bounces and complaints promptly, and following authentication protocols (SPF, DKIM, DMARC).
Documentation from RFC answers that feedback loops are a mechanism where ISPs forward spam complaints from their users back to the sender, allowing the sender to remove those users from their lists and improve their sending practices.