Emails going to spam? Here’s why and how to fix it
Ever sent an email you were sure would blow up your sales, only to see dismal open rates and little engagement? Chances are, your emails are going straight to the dreaded spam folder.
But don't panic—email deliverability is something every brand deals with, and it can be fixed. As we head into Black Friday and the holiday sales season, ensuring your emails land in inboxes is crucial for getting your promotions in front of customers when they’re most ready to buy.
In this post, we’ll cover why email deliverability matters, how to spot issues, and what you can do to fix them—just in time for BFCM!
Why email deliverability is so important
Email deliverability refers to the ability of your emails to reach your audience’s inbox rather than getting stuck in spam or junk folders. Sounds easy, right? Well, it’s a bit more complex than it might seem.
Here’s why it matters:
Visibility: If your emails don’t land in the inbox, they’re essentially invisible. It’s like preaching to no chorus at all.
Sales: Poor deliverability for BFCM and any other key promotions directly impacts your bottom line—no views mean no conversions.
Reputation: A low sender reputation can harm not only your current campaigns but also future ones. Once an ISP (like Gmail or Yahoo) flags you, it's an uphill battle to regain trust.
With BFCM being one of the biggest shopping events of the year, inboxes will be flooded with promotional emails. If your deliverability isn't up to par, your messages may get buried under the competition or, worse, never seen at all.
Signs you have email deliverability problems
Image source: Unsplash
How do you know if your emails are underperforming because of deliverability issues? Watch out for these signs:
1. Diving open rates
Everyone loves feeling like they’re getting something exclusive, and your VIPs should be the first to know about new product launches or collections. A significant drop in your open rates can signal deliverability issues. If your open rates suddenly plummet or stay consistently low, your emails could be getting filtered into spam.
2. High bounce rates
A high bounce rate (especially if it’s above 2%) is a clear indication that your email isn’t reaching the intended inboxes. This can be caused by poor list hygiene, like outdated addresses or fake signups.
3. Spam complaints
If users mark your emails as spam, ISPs will notice—and not in a good way. Spam complaints can lower your sender reputation and increase the likelihood of your emails being filtered out.
Key elements of fixing email deliverability
Now that you know the signs, let's discuss the key factors influencing email deliverability.
1. Sender reputation
Your sender reputation is like a credit score for your emails. It’s based on factors like bounce rates, spam complaints, and list hygiene. A bad sender reputation means ISPs (like Gmail, Yahoo, etc.) are more likely to direct your emails to spam.
Tip: Using a trusted email platform like Klaviyo helps, as they have many security features enabled to support deliverability. One of the most effective is using a dedicated domain for your emails, as it builds trust with ISPs and improves your sender reputation.
2. Content quality
What you say (and how you say it) plays a big role in deliverability. Emails with spammy subject lines, overly promotional language, or too many links may trigger spam filters. Content that’s relevant, concise, and value-driven tends to perform better.
Tip: Avoid spam trigger phrases (like bargain, best price, and order now) keep a healthy text-to-image ratio, and make sure all your links are functional
3. List hygiene
Regularly clean your list by removing inactive or fake addresses. Emailing unengaged users not only leads to higher bounce rates but also lowers engagement metrics like clicks and opens.
How to improve list hygiene:
Identify ‘ghost’ subscribers who haven't engaged with your emails in a long time. If they haven’t opened or clicked, it’s likely they’re not even seeing your emails. Run a re-engagement campaign to give them a chance to reconnect. If they stay inactive, remove them from your list.
Regularly review soft bounces, which are temporary failures like “inbox full.” Repeated soft bounces suggest it’s time to suppress or remove those addresses to maintain a clean list.
Unusual sign-ups, like gibberish emails or ‘plus addresses’ (e.g., user+spam@gmail.com), could be bots or spam traps that harm your sender reputation. Use analytics to spot and suppress these contacts.
Track engagement trends, especially for subscribers whose interest is declining. Send personalised follow-ups to re-engage them. If they remain inactive, move them to a suppression list.
Many email platforms, like Klaviyo, offer automated list cleaning tools. Set triggers to automatically remove hard bounces, suppress soft bounces after several attempts, and clean inactive subscribers through automated flows like a sunset flow. This ensures your list stays healthy without adding to your workload.
Read more in our blog here.
4. Authentication
Email authentication protocols like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC help verify that your emails are actually coming from you (and not a scammer). Without these, ISPs may be less likely to trust your emails, leading to more of them going to spam.
Tip: Ensure your domain has proper SPF, DKIM, and DMARC authentication set up. This signals to ISPs that your emails are legitimate.
Final Thoughts:
Email deliverability is essential for making sure your BFCM campaigns (and every other campaign) are a success. Keeping your list clean, optimising content, and improving your sender reputation will ensure your emails hit the inbox, not the spam folder.
By focusing on deliverability now, you'll set yourself up for higher engagement, more visibility, and better results when BFCM hits. Take control of your email strategy and get in touch for more help.