How is spam defined by recipients vs. senders?

Email marketer from Reddit user u/MarketingGuru responds that value is in the eye of the beholder. If the recipient doesn't find the email content useful or relevant, they'll likely perceive it as spam, even if the sender thinks it's valuable.

Marketer from Email Geeks shares that inbox providers are shifting towards spam detection based on subscriber response, as it relies on human perception to identify spam effectively.

Email marketer from Neil Patel explains that spam, from a user’s point of view, is any unwanted email. If subscribers mark emails as spam, inbox providers like Gmail take note. Even if the sender doesn't consider it spam, recipient actions matter.

Email marketer from Constant Contact responds that if the email isn't relevant to the recipient's interests or arrives at an inconvenient time, it's more likely to be seen as spam, even if they initially opted in.

Email marketer from Sendinblue shares that if recipients don't recall opting in, perceive the email as irrelevant, or receive too many emails, they're more likely to mark it as spam. Sender intent is irrelevant; the recipient's experience determines if it's spam.

Email marketer from ZeroBounce explains that a high spam complaint rate is a clear indication that recipients are viewing emails as spam, regardless of the sender's intent. It negatively impacts sender reputation.

Email marketer from Reddit user u/EmailExpert shares that it comes down to consent. If the recipient didn't explicitly agree to receive the email, it's likely spam in their eyes, regardless of the sender's intentions.

Email marketer from Mailjet explains that recipients are more likely to flag emails as spam if they don't recognize the sender or perceive the content as irrelevant. High spam complaint rates negatively impact sender reputation and deliverability.

Email marketer from Email Marketing Forum user EmailPro shares that permission is key. If recipients have explicitly opted in, they're less likely to see emails as spam. Always prioritize building a permission-based list.

Email marketer from Email Marketing Forum user JaneDoe explains that senders often assume their email isn't spam because they're offering something valuable, but if the recipient didn't ask for it, it's still unwanted and considered spam.

Expert from Email Geeks explains that spam is defined by the recipient, not the sender, unless the sender is knowingly sending spam.

Expert from Email Geeks states that if many people are receiving the same unsolicited message, it is spam, regardless of the sender's intent.

Expert from Spam Resource explains spam as Unsolicited Email (UCE) or Unsolicited Bulk Email (UBE). The defining characteristic is that the recipient did not request the email.

Expert from Email Geeks shares an example of a cold outreach email received at an address acquired through a list purchase, highlighting its claims of personalized outreach and compliance with privacy laws. The expert then notes the email is violating CAN-SPAM.

Expert from Word to the Wise answers that recipients marking email as 'spam' is the clearest signal to mailbox providers (like Gmail, Yahoo, etc.) that the email is unwanted, regardless of the sender’s intent. High complaint rates directly and negatively impact sender reputation and future deliverability.

Documentation from Microsoft explains that if a user marks email as junk it goes to their junk folder and the sender is added to the blocked senders list. Senders can be manually unblocked and safe senders can be added to the safe sender list.

Documentation from Talos Intelligence explains that spam encompasses unsolicited email, commonly sent in bulk, often for malicious purposes like phishing or malware distribution. Recipient consent is typically absent.

Documentation from Spamhaus defines spam as Unsolicited Bulk Email (UBE). This means email that is sent to a large number of recipients who have not requested it. The recipients' lack of permission is a core factor.