Beware of Spam in Newsletter Creative • 7Boats

You might say at this point that you’re a writer and so not directly concerned about spam issues in newsletters. You will be partly correct in this assumption. As a newsletter writer, you’re not concerned about the process of opt-in or other issues that are directly related to newsletter spamming. That is the domain of an email delivery specialist. But, as a writer you’re certainly responsible from your end to ensure that the words used in the newsletter creative does not trigger spam filters. Now, a quick search on any major engine will reveal that there are many words that are categorized as spam words. Some are more mildly tagged as words which trigger spam. As a newsletter writer, these are your taboo areas.

It is true that spam filters are more intelligent these days. They can differentiate between spam words based on the usage. At the same time, it is also true that when bulk newsletters are sent, mildly spam words are often responsible in getting the ISP or ESP blocked. In such cases, your newsletter hits a dead end. You can no longer send newsletters through the blocked IPs. The email delivery specialist has to step in and get the IPs unblocked by getting in touch with ESP and ISP administrators. You’re a casualty of this problem as well because your newsletters are not getting to your readers. That is why it is very important to check your newsletter for spam words. Eject them from the creative so that your newsletter gets delivered into the inbox of the receiver.

Let us look at some of the spam words that you have to steer clear of. Words like ‘deal’ and ‘offer’ are considered hardcore marketing terms. Newsletters that are forcibly sent to receivers who have not opted to be subscribers usually contain these words. Spam filters are immediately alerted and the email is trashed in the Spam box. Words like ‘girlfriend’ or ‘pleasure’ are known to be associated with spamming as well, primarily because of the sexual content. The problem for newsletter writers is that you might use these words in a completely different context and yet trigger spam! You may be writing a beautiful love story through the newsletter. But as soon as you repeat the word ‘girlfriend’ a few times in the copy, you’ll be flagged as spam.

Another concern for newsletter writers battling spam is the length of the newsletter. You already have a valid reason for keeping newsletters crisp and short: the draining attention of the reader. Excessively long newsletters, packed with keywords, might be considered spam. As a writer you have to fall back on your knowledge of the language to keep the newsletters within a length that does not come across as intimidating. You might be tempted to hand over the problem of spamming to the technical team. However, it is advisable that you clear off the spam issues that your content can trigger. You owe it to your readers!