What adjustments can be made to decrease spam complaint metrics for engaged email recipients?
Summary
What email marketers say12Marketer opinions
Email marketer from Reddit mentions that making the unsubscribe process extremely easy and obvious (one-click unsubscribe) can significantly reduce spam complaints. People who want to unsubscribe but can't easily find the option are more likely to mark as spam.
Email marketer from Mailjet shares that personalizing email content based on subscriber data (e.g., past purchases, browsing history) increases relevance and engagement, making subscribers less likely to mark emails as spam, even if they are already engaged.
Email marketer from ActiveCampaign shares that using double opt-in ensures that subscribers explicitly confirm their subscription, reducing the risk of adding invalid or uninterested email addresses to your list, which can lead to higher spam complaint rates.
Marketer from Email Geeks mentions that recipients can end up in the CRM without opting in through purchases, account creation, or even abandoned carts.
Email marketer from Email Marketing Forum highlights the importance of processing unsubscribe requests immediately. Delayed or ignored opt-out requests lead to frustration and increase the likelihood of recipients marking emails as spam.
Marketer from Email Geeks suggests that the sign-up process could be the source of spam complaints if expectations aren’t being set or if short-term incentives are being offered.
Email marketer from Campaign Monitor shares that using preference centers allows subscribers to choose the types of content they receive, reducing the chances of them marking emails as spam because they are not interested in certain topics.
Marketer from Email Geeks suggests making the unsubscribe process easier and focusing on segmentation to ensure emails are sent to the right people. Investigating the addresses of those who mark emails as spam can reveal how they ended up in the CRM and whether they opted-in.
Email marketer from Litmus explains that testing different subject lines helps identify which ones resonate with your audience and avoid deceptive or misleading subject lines that can lead to spam complaints.
Marketer from Email Geeks explains that spam complaints typically come from recipients who either didn't sign up or don't find value in the content (frequency, relevance, or misleading subject lines).
Email marketer from Sendinblue advises that adjusting the frequency of your emails to match subscriber preferences (e.g., allowing them to choose how often they receive emails) can reduce spam complaints, as recipients are less likely to be annoyed by unwanted emails.
Email marketer from Neil Patel Blog explains that segmenting your email list allows you to send more relevant content to specific groups, reducing the likelihood of spam complaints from engaged recipients who might otherwise find the general content irrelevant.
What the experts say5Expert opinions
Expert from SpamResource explains that consistently meeting subscriber expectations is crucial. Sending what you promised during signup, and ensuring the content aligns with their interests, significantly reduces spam complaints from engaged recipients.
Expert from SpamResource explains that implementing a confirmed opt-in process (double opt-in) is critical to verify that subscribers genuinely want to receive emails. This reduces the chances of spam complaints by ensuring that those on your list are actively engaged and expecting your communications.
Expert from Word to the Wise emphasizes that, even with engaged recipients, a good sender reputation is vital. A poor sender reputation can cause even wanted mail to be filtered, highlighting the need to maintain good sending practices, authentication, and list hygiene to protect your reputation and ensure deliverability to those engaged recipients.
Expert from Word to the Wise recommends proactively managing and implementing a suppression list which ensures you do not send to recipients who have previously unsubscribed or marked your emails as spam. This prevents further complaints and maintains a healthy sender reputation and relationship with engaged recipients.
Expert from Email Geeks suggests tracking the opt-in/collection source to identify which sources are causing the most complaints to find areas for improvement.
What the documentation says4Technical articles
Documentation from Google explains the importance of setting up and monitoring feedback loops (FBLs) to identify campaigns that are generating a high volume of spam complaints, enabling you to investigate and address the underlying issues causing those complaints.
Documentation from SparkPost explains the necessity of regularly cleaning your email list by removing inactive subscribers and those who haven't engaged in a while, preventing emails from being sent to people who may have forgotten they subscribed and are therefore more likely to mark them as spam.
Documentation from RFC details the importance of implementing email authentication methods like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to verify that emails are sent from legitimate sources. Proper authentication improves deliverability and reduces the chances of emails being marked as spam.
Documentation from Microsoft explains how maintaining a positive sender reputation is crucial. High spam complaint rates negatively impact sender reputation, leading to emails being filtered as spam. Monitoring and addressing complaints directly impacts deliverability.