The presence of spam trigger words in an email copy (especially in the subject line) can destroy an email campaign’s deliverability. It can also cause your email to be flagged as spam.
That’s why we want you to avoid this nightmare.
After all, email marketing is still relevant in 2024. It has been a staple of digital marketing due to its several advantages, including high ROI, an excellent channel for customer retention, and highly targeted communication.
Without further ado, we’ll share some of the spam trigger words to avoid in 2024. Keep reading until the end for a few tips on how to boost your email deliverability further.
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What are Spam Trigger Words?
Spam trigger words or stop words are certain phrases or terms that, when present in the email content or subject line, can trigger spam filters.
A spam filter is a program that detects virus-infected, unwanted, and unsolicited emails and prevents them from landing in a user’s inbox. This filter also has specific criteria as a basis for its judgments.
When an email is flagged as spam by the spam filter, it can be deleted after a period of time or instantly. Major email service providers, including Gmail or Hotmail, have built-in spam filters to protect their users.
Therefore, it is important to avoid using spam trigger words to ensure your emails are delivered to your target audience’s inbox.
Related: How to Know if Your Emails Are Going to Spam
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7 Types of Spam Trigger Words to Avoid in 2024: The Definitive List
Now, let’s have a closer look at the types of spam trigger words (with examples) that could activate the spam filters.
1. Words that Create False Promises or Make Exaggerated Claims
This type of spam trigger words create false promises or make exaggerated claims. It may also promise things like fantastic deals, money, and risk-free opportunities.
Some examples of this type of email spam words include:
- “Double your income” or “double your cash”
- 100% money back guarantee
- Consolidate debt
- Fast cash
- Financial freedom
- Earn per week
- Easy terms
- Cash bonus
- Lowest price
- Incredible deal
- Guaranteed
- Money back
- Prize
- Promise
- Lowest price
- Risk-free
- Pure profit
2. Medical Spam Words
Phrases or words related to health, weight loss, and drugs can trigger spam filters. You can even check your junk folder now to find emails that mention spam words.
Some examples of this type of email spam words include:
- Online Pharmacy
- Weight loss
- Lose weight
- Insurance
- Diet
- Drugs
- Medicine
3. Words That Create Urgency
The next email spam trigger words are those that create a sense of urgency. Exaggerated and unnecessary phrases or words that urge recipients to take action are common techniques spammers use.
Some examples of this type of email spam words include:
- Apply now
- Act now
- Limited time
- Now only
- Call now
- Get started now
- Order today
- Offer expires
- Urgent
- Don’t hesitate
- Don’t delete
- What are you waiting for?
- While supplies last
- Once in a lifetime
4. Dating Spam Words or Anything Salacious
These are words designed to entice recipients to click on links, purchase products, or view websites related to adult services or dating websites.
Some examples of this type of spammy words include:
- Relationship
- Romance
- Longing
- Sexy
- Sexy Singles
- Love
- Date
- Flirtatious
- Soulmate
- Loneliness
- Seduction
- Flirt
- Hot
- Desired
- Mingle
5. Words That Offer Free Gifts or Offers (Often Too Good To Be True)
This category of spam trigger words involves free gifts or offers, often too good to be true.
Some examples of this type of spammy words include:
- Free Gift
- Full Refund
- Free Consultation
- Free hosting
- Free Investment
- Free Money
- Join billions
- Lower rates
- Free access
- Free Membership
- Free Quote
- Free preview
- Giveaway
- Fast cash
- Eliminate bad credit
- Earn extra cash
6. Superlative Words and Exclamations
Words like “Amazing” and “Incredible” make you appear untrustworthy and smack of desperation.
If you truly want to convey that you’re the best in your industry, show them, don’t tell. Therefore, consider numbers, beneficial adjectives, and facts instead.
Some examples of this type of spammy words include:
- Perfect
- The best
- Wonderful
- Unbelievable
- Fantastic
- Cheapest
- Fastest
- Revolutionary
- Innovative
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7. Shady or Legally Questionable Words
Shady, unethical, or legally questionable words are also spam trigger words. They can be drug-related keywords or emails that contain words that address legal concerns in some ways.
Some examples of this type of spammy words include:
- Clearance
- Certified
- Chance
- Collect child support
- Consolidate your debt
- Copy accurately
- Compete your business
- Compare rates
- Loans
- Accept Credit Cards
- Free access/money/gift
- Legal notice
- Reserves the right
- Terms and conditions
- Financially independent
- Free iPhone/Macbook
- Incredible deal
- Free installation/sample
- Human growth hormone
- Babes
- Kinky
- No catch
- Confidentiality
- Mass email
- Direct email
Anything salacious or with pornographic or sexual words will likewise get you blocked. It could also get you in trouble with your internet service provider.
So, even if you add symbols (i.e., nak*d), such silliness usually won’t make it past the spam filters.
Still, It Depends on the Context and Frequency
Remember that using simple English words will not automatically trigger the spam filter. In the end, it will depend on the context of how you use the words in your content and the frequency of its use.
For example, genuine usage of the word “free” will ultimately be allowed. On the other hand, combining it with certain spam words or repeating the same can eventually trigger spam filters and may make your emails appear as spam.
Basically, avoid being:
- Cheap – Avoid spammy words like “100% off,” “Free,” and “Full Discount.”
- Needy – Don’t scare off the beautiful and handsome folks on your email list. Avoid sounding desperate with spam words like “Save big,” “Distress,” and “Help.”
- Sleazy and Salesy – Forget sleazy and salesy marketing tactics that some email marketers are guilty of. These words include “adult” and “hot babes.”
- Far-fetched – Stay away from words like “billions,” free money,” and “lose weight.”
- Manipulative – Asking for your recipient’s credit card information is surely spam. So, avoid manipulative words. Moreover, avoid creating a false urgency with spammy words like “Expires today,” “Final Call,” or “Urgent.”
Unsplash/ Austin Distel
How Do I Make Sure My Emails Go to Inbox Aside from Not Using Spam Words?
Aside from avoiding using common spam trigger words, following best email marketing practices is vital to ensure your campaign lands in the inbox. Moreover, engaging your content is essential to encourage interaction with your recipients.
Other Spam Triggers to Avoid
- All caps
- Special characters (#,$)
- Extreme punctuation
- Links and attachments
- Strangely formatted or unusual fonts [1]
4 Best Practices to Boost Your Email Deliverability in 2024
Here are the top tips to inspire you to craft your best email marketing campaign and boost its deliverability:
1. Know Your Recipient
Getting to know your prospects first before emailing them is a great practice to boost email deliverability. So, try to determine when and how they prefer to receive emails from you.
That way, they are more likely to take action from your emails because it is relevant to them.
Knowing your recipient can also segment your list, allowing you to respond better to their pain points.
2. Focus on Quality
Email marketing is a powerful tool for any business. However, you should avoid increasing your email frequency over quality to make your campaign more effective.
In fact, your recipients may unsubscribe from your newsletters or mark them as spam emails if they feel overwhelmed by the communications.
If you hate spam, then so does your audience. Thus, it’s best to start slow and focus on the quality of your email over frequency.
3. Authenticate Your Email
This is another important practice to ensure your deliverability. Authenticating your email also proves that your emails are not forged.
Some effective authentication methods include Sender’s Policy Frameworks (SPF), Domain Keys Identified Mail (DKIM), and Domain-Based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance (DMARC).
Read SPF, DKIM, DMARC explained [Infographic] to understand better how to perform email authentication.
4. Run a Spam Check
Finally, use spam-checking tools to remove spammy words in your email. These tools can also scan your content for potential technical issues, allowing you to refine your campaign and ensure it will not be accidentally flagged as spam.
Harness the Power of Email Marketing Automation with InboxAlly
If you want to create personalized, relevant, and timely email campaigns, embracing email automation is best.
In fact, it’s necessary to promote relevance, improve your team’s productivity, and increase your revenue.
In addition, the right software can help your marketing team turn a manual process into an automated one. It also takes place by sending campaigns to prospects and customers based on triggers you set.
With InboxAlly, an email deliverability tool, it can send mass emails on your behalf and increase your open rates without fear of landing in spam.
It also teaches email providers to land your emails in the primary inbox from the very start.
Some many use cases of InboxAlly for your campaigns include:
- Tracking your progress on a dashboard
- Compatible with any email-sending service
- Repair or increase email deliverability on any IP or domain on any platform
- It can be used with a large email list
- Your emails are opened from different machines with unique IPs in different US locations
Overall, InboxAlly can tailor a solution to your email marketing automation needs, regardless of the size. Check out this guide: How do I know what plan to start with?
People Also Ask: FAQs About Spam Trigger Words
What are spam words?
Spam words are words associated with manipulative language and are overpromising, causing unnecessary pressure on the receiver. Email service providers see these words as red flags.
How do you trigger a spam filter?
Common things that trigger a spam filter include using too many images in an email, too many links, irrelevant or suspicious attachments, poor grammar and spelling, and a spammy email subject line.
What subject lines trigger spam filters?
Subject lines with exclamation points and are written in all caps are common spam triggers.
A few other phrases or words in the subject line that also trigger spam filters include “Extra income, “Earn per week,” “Make money,” “Not spam,” “Success,” “Passwords,” and “Free.”
Related article: How Does Email Spam Testing Work
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Don’t Land in the Spam Folder Anymore
By avoiding the overuse of these spam trigger words and following the best practices we shared above, you can ensure that your campaign reaches the right inbox, with the right impact, and at the right time.
However, if you’re still unsure if the words you use will appear as spammy to the spam filter, read your campaign from your consumer’s point of view and trust your gut.
We hope this guide helps. Email on!
Don’t let spam trigger words ruin your campaign.
Find out how InboxAlly can ensure your emails get delivered to your target audience’s inbox right from the start.
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