Frequently Asked Question

Certain emails are stopped by Spam filters. Every ISP has a Spam filter. Maybe the recipient’s ISP blocked the email.

There are also organizations that blacklist certain IP addresses (server addresses).

What we do is to check our IP address regularly at many of these organizations, e.g. www.dnsbl.info and http://www.barracudacentral.org ; fortunately our IP address is clean (most of the time; if not we request that the ip address be cleared).

So it is very likely that your client's ISP or desktop software hat these emails are stopped or sent to their Junkmail / Spambox.

You can also read a lot about Spam here on Wikipedia : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spam_(electronic)

The easiest solution is to ask your regular business partners to whitelist your email address or domain name.

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This piece that describes the problem in detail and gives other possible solutions:

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The problem could be Spam filters. With the increase in Spam has come increasingly sophisticated guardians against unsolicited emails. These email "watch dogs" are used by most Internet Service Providers (ISP's) as well as private customers. While this software does block out Spam, it can also block legitimate emails as well. Understanding how Spam filters work can help prevent non-delivery problems, or being labeled a 'spammer' unfairly.

Increasingly Sophisticated Filters Mean Less Emails Get Through

Many ISPs have special routers for their email domains that analyze all incoming emails. The router can automatically block emails that come from certain addresses (those on the "blacklist" of known spammers), and they will also filter out emails that contain certain trigger words in the subject line that have been frequently linked to Spam messages. 

Even if your email gets past the router on your customer's ISP, it may also have to get past the filter on your customer's email box. With our increasingly sophisticated email programs, people can tell their mailboxes to automatically delete messages that have trigger words in the subject lines, or that come from the "wrong addresses".

How Spam filters work

Normally, email filters examine the words in the email "subject line". This is the header that you see when an email shows up in your email box. A good subject line can encourage people to actually click on and open an email (more on this in lesson seven), but you need to exercise care when creating your subject headings to prevent filtering. 

Frequently, more sophisticated anti-spam methods used by ISPs use a "point system" that identifies trigger phrases commonly used by Spam. If an email goes over the "points" it is filtered out, and is never delivered to a customer. 

Some of the more commonly used phrases that ISPs and mail clients filter out include:

 

Free!

50% off!

Click Here

Call now!

Subscribe

Earn $

Discount!

Eliminate Debt

Double your income

You're a Winner!

Reverses Aging

"Hidden"

Information you requested

"Stop" or "Stops"

Lose Weight Multi level Marketing

Million Dollars

Opportunity

Compare

Removes

Collect

Amazing

Cash Bonus

Promise You

Credit

Loans

Satisfaction Guaranteed

Serious Cash

Search Engine Listings

There are other problematic phrases that can trigger some Spam filters, or start adding "Spam points" to emails sent out, and should be avoided. These include:

 

Act Now!

All New

All Natural

Avoid Bankruptcy

As Seen On…

Buy Direct

Casino

Cash

Consolidate Your Debt

Special Promotion

Easy Terms

Get Paid

Guarantee, Guaranteed

Great offer

Give it away, Giving it away

Join millions

Meet Singles 

MLM

No cost, No fees Offer

One time

Online pharmacy

Online marketing

Order Now

Please Read

Don't Delete

Save up to

Time limited

Unsecured debt or credit

Vacation

Viagra

Visit our web site

While Supplies last

Why pay more?

Winner

Work at home

You've been selected

Using quotation marks, dollar signs and exclamation points in subject lines will frequently trigger mail filters, as well as using all capital letters (shouting). You should also never put a toll-free number in the subject line, since that will also cause your email to be filtered out by many Spam filters. And never use a font size larger than 2+, or you could trigger some Spam filters.

Please be aware that the above lists aren't meant to be comprehensive, and only identify some of the more common words and phrases that trigger Spam filters. One way to check? Send an email to yourself and some select friends (such as other Internet-based marketing moms) with Spam filters first, before sending it out to your customers, and see if it makes it through. Or, go out and buy one of the better software programs that will highlight words that could be identified as Spam. If you depend on email marketing to bring traffic to your web site, it is well worth the investment. 

Update Your Lists Frequently

Another aspect of email marketing and list management is vital: checking and updating your list frequently. This is best done automatically. For instance, if a subscriber chooses to "unsubscribe", you email list manager should immediately take them off your mail list, to prevent accusations of "Spam" (Kwikwap's system does this). Failing to update your list can cause you to be blacklisted with their ISP. It's essential to include an "unsubscribe" link in each email that you send out, and to honor this request as soon as it occurs. 

Also, non-deliverable mails need to be looked at. Is it due to hard-bouncing (wrong email address/domain name?) or is it a soft-bounce (misspelled name?) In some cases, the address is no longer valid, and should be taken off the list. Most automated list managers will delete emails after a certain number of attempts that get bounced back. 

Getting off of Blacklists 

Even the most legitimate mailings may cause some customers to cry "Spam". They may forget signing up for your newsletter (even though it was a double opt-in subscription), or have selective memory about signing up to receive email newsletters. 

In these cases, it can help to keep careful records of your opt-ins. If you get blacklisted by an ISP (or even yours, if you are accused of spamming!), show them your records: on January 15, 2010, a customer using the email address memyselfandI@anyISP.com signed up for my newsletter from the IP address. This lets the ISP know that you are responsible, and that someone from that ISP DID sign up to receive emails from you. In most cases, the "blacklisting" will be dropped. 

By paying careful attention to subject lines, and avoiding those that trigger email filters, your emails have a better chance of reaching your customers, and not being filtered out. By emailing responsibly, and keeping good records, you can avoid accusations of Spam, and enjoy interacting with your customers via email.