What could cause a sudden, drastic increase in spam complaint rates?

Email marketer from EmailAuth.io explains that a sudden influx of low-quality email addresses added to your list can trigger a spike in spam complaints, as these recipients are less likely to be engaged and more prone to marking your emails as spam.

Email marketer from blog.hubspot.com responds with the recommendation that you should make unsubscribing easy. If you hide your unsubscribe button, or make it hard to find, people will resort to marking you as spam.

Email marketer from Email Geeks shares that changes in spam filtering algorithms that cause more emails to land in the inbox can lead to increased spam complaints.

Email marketer from Email Geeks shares a similar experience where stricter engagement filtering led to more emails in the inbox and, consequently, more manual spam complaints.

Email marketer from Email Geeks responds with the suggestion that someone might be doing a purge on their inbox, selecting all emails and marking them as spam, which can negatively impact reputation.

Email marketer from Validity explains that sending emails to irrelevant segments or sending the same message to your entire list without tailoring it to specific interests can lead to higher spam complaints as recipients may find the content unengaging or unwanted.

Email marketer from Reddit shares that a sudden decrease in IP reputation, often due to being added to a blocklist or experiencing a surge in bounce rates, can cause more of your emails to land in the spam folder, prompting more recipients to mark them as spam.

Email marketer from Litmus responds that if your email renders poorly across different email clients or devices, it can frustrate recipients, leading them to mark it as spam rather than trying to decipher the content.

Email marketer from Email Vendor Selection explains that not having a sunset policy (removing unengaged subscribers) can lead to increased spam complaints. Sending to people who haven't opened or clicked in a long time greatly increases the chance they'll mark you as spam.

Email marketer from Sender Score explains that your sender reputation directly impacts deliverability and complaint rates. If your reputation suddenly declines, more emails may go to spam and be marked as such.

Email marketer from Mailjet explains that making significant changes to your email content, such as using different language or including offers that are not relevant to your subscribers, can cause confusion and lead to an increase in spam complaints.

Email marketer from StackOverflow shares that a significant change in the frequency of your email sends, especially if recipients haven't been properly notified or have not given explicit consent, can be perceived as spammy and result in increased complaints.

Expert from Email Geeks explains that a low volume day combined with delayed spam complaints from previous days can cause a spike in spam complaint rates.

Expert from Spam Resource responds that hitting a set of previously unknown spam traps (honeypots) can dramatically affect your sender reputation, causing mailbox providers to start filtering your emails more aggressively which can lead to more recipients marking the email as spam.

Expert from Word to the Wise explains that neglecting list hygiene, specifically sending to old or unengaged addresses, significantly increases the risk of spam complaints, as these recipients are less likely to remember opting in and more likely to mark the email as spam.

Documentation from RFC Editor states that the absence of a clear and easily accessible 'List-Unsubscribe' header can lead frustrated recipients to mark emails as spam instead of unsubscribing, contributing to increased complaint rates.

Documentation from Google explains that a sudden failure in email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) can cause your emails to be perceived as suspicious, increasing the likelihood of them being flagged as spam and generating higher complaint rates.

Documentation from Microsoft explains that a sudden spike in sending volume, especially if not aligned with established sending patterns, can trigger spam filters and lead to increased spam complaints. This is particularly true for newer IPs or domains.

Documentation from Spamhaus shares that being listed on a major blocklist like Spamhaus can drastically increase spam complaints. This is because ISPs and email providers will often filter or block emails from listed sources, causing recipients to see more of your mail as spam.