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| Source: Wikipedia/Yotophoto.com |
When you send out a newsletter or email blast, you probably figure that your message will be seen by everyone you send it to, right? That might not be the case. It seems spam blockers are becoming larger and more broad-based all the time. I'm sure you all are familiar with or have set up filters blocking terms like "XXX" and "porn" but in "Spam Filters Run-Amuck," Timothy Gross of Internet Profit Systems explains that spam filters also block many emails that are not spam and they could be instantly deleting your messages now. McAfee Spam Killer is especially difficult to deal with, even a simple thank you for "your time and interest" results in automatic deletion. Phrases that you might have in your newsletters now could result in your messages being blocked: McAfee deletes emails containing "click here to be removed" and "visit our website." So what can you do to protect your messages?
1. Get familiar with the trigger words and be careful with your opt-out phrases. A comprehensive list of trigger words and phrases is available here.
2. You don't necessarily have to email your entire newsletter, which may contain triggers. You can email your list with a summary of the newsletter's contents with links to read the full newsletter.
3. If you are doing joint ventures or cross-promoting, be aware of 3rd party opt-out notices.
4. If you do paid advertising to grow your lists via opt-ins, make sure that your advertisers are aware of the triggers.
5. Tech Soup's Katie Dean adds that using firms that provide email services can be an effective way to get messages around Internet service provider (ISP) blockers because many of the firms have relationships with the ISPs.
For more read "Spam Filters Run-Amuck," and "Wait, That Newsletter's Not Spam!"
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