How does content filtering affect political emails, and what data is shared with Google in sender pilot programs?
Summary
What email marketers say13Marketer opinions
Marketer from Email Geeks responds to a query about the data shared with Google in the pilot program, suggesting that the RNC's concerns are likely unfounded and are being used to justify a lawsuit and appeal to their base.
Email marketer from Litmus explains that email content significantly impacts deliverability. Factors such as the use of spam trigger words, image-to-text ratio, and overall email design can influence whether an email lands in the inbox or the spam folder.
Marketer from Email Geeks shares an article from The Atlantic and suggests drawing inferences about content filtering, noting that Google's filter flagged the term "radical left" almost every time.
Email marketer from GMass shares that sender reputation is a key factor in email deliverability. A positive sender reputation can increase the likelihood of emails reaching the inbox, while a negative reputation can lead to emails being filtered as spam. Sender reputation is affected by factors such as spam complaints, bounce rates, and email engagement.
Email marketer from Sendinblue shares that content filters analyze email content for spam signals. Using overly promotional language, excessive capitalization, or suspicious links can trigger these filters, impacting deliverability of political emails.
Email marketer from Nieman Lab explains that a study found Gmail marked a disproportionate amount of Republican campaign emails as spam during the 2022 election. The article suggests that phrases like 'radical left' were frequently flagged.
Email marketer from Ahrefs shares that political bias in search is a complex issue, as search results can be influenced by user behavior, algorithm design, and the content available on the web. However, this addresses search not email.
Email marketer from EmailToolTester suggests that content-based spam filters assess the content of an email for characteristics commonly found in spam messages. Using spam trigger words, poor formatting, and misleading subject lines can all lead to emails being flagged as spam.
Email marketer from Mailjet states that maintaining a good sender reputation is crucial for email deliverability. Sending relevant content, segmenting your audience, and consistently cleaning your email list can help improve your reputation and avoid spam filters.
Email marketer from Mailchimp explains the benefits of audience segmentation for any email marketing campaigns. Improve your campaign results by sending targeted emails to smaller groups of contacts. You can target contacts based on demographic data, location, purchase history, and more.
Marketer from Email Geeks explains that Google attaches reputation to anything of significance and suggests that the flagging of "radical left" is indicative of who is marking content as spam.
Email marketer from Reddit shared in a forum that many users manually flag political emails as spam due to the high volume and often unwanted nature of these emails. This user-driven spam reporting can negatively impact the sender's reputation and deliverability.
Email marketer from StackExchange suggests that best practices for political email campaigns include obtaining explicit consent from recipients, providing clear unsubscribe options, and segmenting email lists to target specific demographics. Following these practices can help improve deliverability and reduce spam complaints.
What the experts say3Expert opinions
Expert from Word to the Wise explains that political mailers face unique deliverability challenges because recipients are often less engaged with the content, increasing the likelihood of spam complaints. Additionally, political emails are often subject to higher scrutiny from mailbox providers.
Expert from Spamresource.com shares that a sender's reputation plays a critical role in email deliverability. Factors like bounce rates, spam complaints, and overall engagement influence a sender's reputation. Positive sender reputation increases the chances of emails landing in the inbox, while negative reputation increases the odds of messages ending up in the spam folder.
Expert from Spamresource.com explains that content filtering systems look for specific phrases and keywords commonly found in spam emails. The filters also check the email formatting, including the ratio of images to text and the presence of suspicious links. Such mechanisms are relevant when dealing with political emails.
What the documentation says4Technical articles
Documentation from Google Workspace Admin Help details that senders must authenticate their email using SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. They should also avoid sending unwanted mail and make it easy for recipients to unsubscribe. Meeting these requirements can help ensure emails, including political emails, are delivered to the inbox.
Documentation from DMARC.org explains that Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance (DMARC) is an email authentication protocol that builds on SPF and DKIM to provide a way for email senders to indicate that their messages are protected by these authentication methods, and what to do if authentication fails. DMARC helps prevent email spoofing and phishing attacks.
Documentation from RFC Editor outlines DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) which provides a method for validating that an email message was sent from the domain it claims to be from and that the message content has not been altered during transit. Using DKIM can help improve email deliverability by increasing trust.
Documentation from RFC Editor explains that Sender Policy Framework (SPF) record allows domain owners to specify which mail servers are authorized to send email on behalf of their domain, this is a method of preventing spammers from forging the From address in email. Implementing SPF records correctly can improve email deliverability.