by Jim Kinkade

Created on: February 24, 2009

To prevent your e-mail from being mistaken for spam, it is a good idea to know what triggers recipient mail boxes to flag spam email. There are several things you can easily control, like the subject line and the message, but there are other factors that are more difficult to address.

Subject line - The subject line is one of the first things people and spam filters look at to determine if the message is spam. Subject lines should be simple and to the point and should never be written in all caps. Even if your subject line gets past the spam filter, you must account for the person reading the message. If the subject line is incoherent, they could reach for the spam report button without even opening the message.

Message body - Many people block images when reading e-mail. If your message is not readable with images turned off, then many people will disregard it or think that there is something wrong. If they don't trust you, then they may just report it as spam and never download the images. Make sure that if you use images in your HTML message to use the Alt tag feature so something is displayed when the message is opened.

Mail Server - One of the problems with being mistaken as spam is the mail server through which you are sending. It may be associated with known spammers, or may be misconfigured in such a way to arouse suspicion. In these cases, you will need to do some troubleshooting by finding an e-mail that went to a junk folder and taking a look at the e-mail headers. The headers may be able to provide clues as to why the mail server has a bad e-mail reputation.

Attachments - It is best not to send attachments if you can help it. Many people block attachments or forward them to the spam folder to try to protect their network from viruses. Only send attachments to people who are expecting them. If you have a lot of images or something to present, it is best to use a link where the recipient can download. This also saves valuable processing time on both their mail servers and yours.

In general, the best way to stay out of the junk folder is to use good e-mail etiquette and create clear messages without a lot of fluff. Make sure the message you are sending is something the recipient wants so that they do not click the this is spam button. Once that happens most, if not all, of the emails you send to that person will be flagged as spam. Those totals are also tracked by many ISPs and added to a global reputation score.

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