[extract] by Jessica Albon, author of several books including 51 Fun Ways to Energize Your Newsletter.
Each week, she shares tactical business promotion tips in her newsletter Newsletters in Focus. Sign up for free at
http://www.designdoodles.com/free.
Nine great tips to keep YOUR newsletter from falling prey to spam
filters and ending up in the trash.
For those of us who receive way too many unsolicited e-mails, Spam filters
are a blessing. According to Maria Gracia, Publisher of
Get Organized Now!,
“filters are powerful tools for keeping one organized.”
Switch to the publisher’s side of the desk, though, and Spam filters can
become problematic.
Before you can keep your opt-in newsletter out of the Spam filter’s reach,
you have to learn a little about the kinds of Spam filters available. Currently,
options range from those installed by an ISP, like SpamAssassin, to those
that run with another program, like Microsoft’s Outlook, as is the case
with Cloudmark’s SpamNet. SpamAssassin uses a point system to determine
whether or not a piece of e-mail is Spam. The more points a particular e-mail
collects, the more likely it is to be Spam. SpamNet not only filters based
on key words (free! for instance), but also allows users to submit Spam
to be blocked from other users.
The other component you’ll need to be aware of is the blacklist. Most of
the available Spam filters use one or more of these collections of e-mail
addresses and domain names that send out a lot of Spam. Blacklists are primarily
compiled by volunteers. In other words, you mail them the Spam you receive
in your inbox, they take a look at it and then decide whether or not to
add the sender to their list.
Because Spam filters have both a computer component (such as the points
system used by SpamAssassin), and a human component (such as the blacklists
and the new system from SpamNet), you'll need to make sure your newsletter
doesn’t raise flags in either camp. Here are some suggestions for avoiding
problems:
Human Tips
- Never send your newsletter unsolicited, not even to current or past
customers (it’s easy enough to ask them if they’d like to
be subscribed with a personal e-mail). In fact, it’s a risk even
to send your newsletter to a list you’ve purchased no matter what
you’ve been told about the intent of the list’s subscribers;
can you be sure all of the subscribers expected to receive your e-mail
on widgets just because they checked a box saying they were interested
in widgets? This will help keep you off the blacklists.
- Provide what you say you will, when you say you will. Don’t mislead
your audience at the subscribing stage and don’t send out e-mails
with manipulative subject lines. Not only is this not good for your reputation,
but it may also trigger common Spam filters. Cathy Stucker, publisher
of Bright Ideas,
advises sending your newsletter with the newsletter’s name as the
beginning of the subject line, saying, “Subscribers recognize [the
newsletter], and it makes it easy to keep issues together.”
- Don’t type all in block capitals. A hallmark of the Nigerian Bank
Scam, typing all in caps isn’t just rude; it may get your newsletter
forwarded to a blacklist. Additionally, make sure to capitalize the beginnings
of your sentences and otherwise use professional grammar and punctuation.
An unprofessional e-mail may be more likely to arouse the suspicions of
your readers.
- Andy Birol, of Birol Growth Consulting,
suggests maintaining credibility is also crucial, saying if “the
audience sees you as credible and your message as truly adding value [then]
you will have people who choose to get it.” Some e-zine publishers
have found their e-zines are so popular, people who stop receiving the
e-mails actually complain.
- Make your policy clear. Tell readers how to unsubscribe at your website
and in your newsletter. Let them know who to contact if they have any
trouble. And, of course, make sure to follow through immediately.
Computer Tips
- Steer clear of subject lines that scream SPAM! Words like
free, limited time, and money often trigger Spam filters.
Take a look at the Spam in your own inbox for examples of words not to
use.
- Offer directions for subscribing and unsubscribing. Spammers often use
the word remove in their e-mails, so you’ll want to avoid
it at all costs. Plus, in some Spam filters, you actually lose points
(the fewer points, the less likely an e-mail is Spam) when you offer subscribing
and unsubscribing instructions.
- Send it from a reputable domain name, or better yet, your own. Free
e-mail addresses are often used heavily by Spammers, so you’ll want
to stay away from them if at all possible. If your host doesn’t
offer mailing list capabilities, Maria Gracia suggests Sparklist.com.
You may also find ConstantContact.com to be effective.
- Don’t send attachments. Most e-mail readers regard attachments
with suspicion anyway and the attachment may trigger Spam filters set
up to screen adult material. Both are good reasons to send your entire
e-mail in the body of the e-mail. Still not convinced? Many of your readers
will have limited inbox space; by avoiding attachments you won’t
give them an extra reason to delete your newsletter unread.
When you keep up-to-date on the latest Spam filter technology, you may
find Spam filters are actually your allies — they may mean your newsletter
will have less competition in your reader’s inbox.
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