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Will censoring spicy language in emails prevent spam triggers?

7 Marketer opinions2 Expert opinions3 Technical articles1 Resource

Summary

The consensus from experts, email marketers, and documentation from major email providers indicates that censoring 'spicy' language in emails is not a primary or effective strategy for avoiding spam filters. While avoiding overtly spammy language is prudent, the key factors for email deliverability are sender reputation, content quality, user engagement, email structure, and IP address. Drastic changes in design may negatively impact reputation, and while nannyware might be triggered, spam filters are unlikely to be significantly affected by simply censoring words.

Key findings

  • Reputation is Paramount: Sender reputation is the most critical factor influencing email deliverability.
  • Content Engagement: Engaging content and user interaction (opens, clicks) significantly improve deliverability.
  • Limited Censoring Effect: Censoring individual words has a minimal impact on spam filtering compared to broader factors.
  • Holistic Analysis: Spam filters analyze multiple factors, including IP address, domain reputation, and email structure.
  • Potential Nannyware: Spicy language is more likely to trigger nannyware than spam filters.

Key considerations

  • Reputation Management: Prioritize building and maintaining a positive sender reputation through consistent sending practices and authentication protocols (SPF, DKIM, DMARC).
  • Quality Content Creation: Focus on crafting high-quality, relevant content that resonates with your target audience.
  • Engagement Strategies: Implement strategies to encourage user engagement, such as personalized content, clear calls to action, and interactive elements.
  • Email Structure Optimization: Ensure your email structure adheres to best practices and avoids common spam triggers.
  • Avoid Drastic Changes: Be cautious of making sudden and drastic changes to your email design or content, as this can negatively impact your reputation.

What email marketers say
7Marketer opinions

The general consensus is that while avoiding overtly spammy language is important, simply censoring 'spicy' language is not a primary factor in preventing emails from being flagged as spam. Sender reputation, engaging content, and overall audience engagement are far more impactful. Drastic changes in design or content can negatively affect deliverability.

Key opinions

  • Sender Reputation: A strong sender reputation is crucial for email deliverability, outweighing the impact of individual words.
  • Engaging Content: Content that recipients find valuable and engaging is more likely to bypass spam filters.
  • Audience Engagement: High engagement rates, such as opens and clicks, positively influence deliverability.
  • Design Changes: Sudden and drastic changes in email design can negatively impact deliverability.
  • Censoring Impact: Censoring words alone is not a reliable strategy; it's more important to avoid overtly spammy language and build a positive sender reputation.

Key considerations

  • Reputation First: Prioritize building and maintaining a positive sender reputation through consistent sending practices and authentication protocols.
  • Content Quality: Focus on creating high-quality, relevant content that resonates with your audience.
  • Monitor Engagement: Actively monitor engagement metrics and adjust your sending strategy based on recipient behavior.
  • Avoid Drastic Changes: Be cautious with sudden shifts in email design and content, as these can trigger spam filters.
  • Context Matters: Consider the context of your language and audience expectations; some level of 'spicy' language may be acceptable depending on your brand and audience.
Marketer view

Email marketer from Reddit shares that crafting emails that avoid trigger words is important, but ensuring high engagement from your recipient lists will have a much more positive impact on avoiding the spam box.

January 2023 - Reddit
Marketer view

Email marketer from Campaign Monitor answers that avoiding overtly spammy language is crucial, but censoring might not be the key strategy. Providing valuable content and maintaining a clean sending reputation are more effective.

December 2023 - Campaign Monitor
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Geeks shares his experience with Adam&Eve and other clients, raising concerns about filtering issues arising from censoring adult language. He cited cases where domain names or descriptions were filtered due to perceived adult content.

August 2021 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from Sendinblue Blog shares that the overall content and sender reputation matter more than individual words. Engaging content that recipients want will bypass many spam filters, regardless of occasional strong language.

July 2024 - Sendinblue Blog
Marketer view

Email marketer from Mailjet Blog explains that while excessive use of spam trigger words can raise red flags, simply censoring words might not always be necessary. Focus on providing value and relevant content to avoid spam filters.

March 2021 - Mailjet Blog
Marketer view

Email marketer from Stack Overflow suggests using language carefully to avoid hard triggers, but that deliverability relies on a range of factors with user engagement the key.

June 2021 - Stack Overflow
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Geeks shares that shocking an audience, not just with swear words but also with drastic changes in design or visual identity, can lead to spam complaints and unsubscribes, potentially impacting reputation.

October 2021 - Email Geeks

What the experts say
2Expert opinions

Experts agree that censoring 'spicy' language is not a significant factor in preventing emails from being flagged as spam. Spam filters are sophisticated and rely on numerous factors beyond individual keywords. Building a good sender reputation and engaging the audience are much more effective strategies.

Key opinions

  • Sender Reputation Matters Most: A good sender reputation is more important than avoiding specific words.
  • Engagement is Key: Engaging your audience is crucial for good deliverability.
  • Content Filtering Sophistication: Content filters are complex and don't rely solely on keyword blocking.
  • Censoring Limited Impact: Censoring 'spicy' language has limited impact on spam filtering.
  • Nannyware Consideration: Spicy Language is more likely to trigger nannyware rather than spam filters.

Key considerations

  • Focus on Reputation: Prioritize building and maintaining a positive sender reputation.
  • Engage Your Audience: Create engaging and valuable content to keep your audience interested.
  • Don't Over-Rely on Censoring: Don't depend on censoring language as the primary strategy for avoiding spam filters.
  • Understand Filtering: Recognize that spam filters use complex algorithms that go beyond simple keyword detection.
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks explains that spicy language is unlikely to trigger spam filters but could trigger nannyware in rare cases. He also notes that spam filters won't care about censoring for style or recipient preference.

February 2023 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Word to the Wise, Laura Atkins, explains that content filtering is much more sophisticated than simple keyword blocking. Censoring language might help a tiny bit, but building a good sender reputation and engaging your audience is much more effective.

May 2021 - Word to the Wise

What the documentation says
3Technical articles

Email service providers like Google and Microsoft, along with email formatting standards defined by RFC, indicate that censoring individual words, including 'spicy' language, is unlikely to significantly impact whether an email is classified as spam. These systems focus on broader factors such as sender reputation, content quality, user engagement, email structure, and IP address.

Key findings

  • Reputation is Paramount: Sender reputation is a critical factor in determining email deliverability.
  • Content Matters: The overall quality and structure of email content are important for avoiding spam filters.
  • Engagement Signals: User engagement (opens, clicks, etc.) plays a role in spam classification.
  • Limited Impact of Word Censoring: Censoring individual words has minimal impact compared to broader factors.
  • Email Structure: The email's headers and underlying structure are analyzed by spam filters.

Key considerations

  • Invest in Reputation: Focus on building and maintaining a positive sender reputation through consistent sending practices and authentication.
  • Optimize Content: Ensure your email content is high-quality, relevant, and properly structured.
  • Encourage Engagement: Strive to create engaging emails that encourage recipients to interact with your messages.
  • Don't Rely on Censoring: Don't depend solely on censoring specific words to avoid spam filters; address broader deliverability factors.
  • Understand Email Standards: Adhere to email formatting standards and best practices to improve deliverability.
Technical article

Documentation from Microsoft Support shares that Outlook's spam filters consider various aspects of an email, including the sender's IP address, domain reputation, and the overall structure and content of the message. Censoring potentially offensive words might slightly reduce risk, but isn't a primary factor.

June 2024 - Microsoft Support
Technical article

Documentation from RFC Editor explains email format. It highlights that while the content is important for user experience, spam filters typically consider the email's headers and underlying structure, making censorship of specific language in the message body a less crucial factor in preventing spam classification.

January 2025 - RFC 5322
Technical article

Documentation from Google Support explains that Gmail's spam filters analyze multiple factors, including sender reputation, content quality, and user engagement. Censoring individual words is unlikely to have a significant impact compared to these broader elements.

January 2023 - Google Support

Related resources
1Resource

188 Spam Words to Avoid: How to Stay Out of Email Spam Folders
188 Spam Words to Avoid: How to Stay Out of Email Spam Folders

Spam trigger words are words or phrases that spam filters see as red flags. Check out 188 spam words to avoid if you want to stay out of the spam folder.

ActiveCampaign

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