How to Reduce Email Spam and Increase Value

Is your mail sliding into the spam folder? Has your reputation slipped to "low" in Google Postmaster Tools? Does Microsoft SNDS think you stink like a kid who just came in from recess? Well, I have good news and bad news. 🟢 Good first: Most major mailbox providers (MBPs) provide methods of contacting them! Gmail, Microsoft, Yahoo, Comcast, Apple (and more!) all offer sender support forms or publish postmaster email addresses so that you can reach out directly when you're encountering an issue delivering mail to their users. 🔴 Now for the bad: These MBPs receive a ton of submissions, most of them from spammers. They already have information on your traffic, which is why you're blocked or bulked in the first place. They're not going to just fix whatever problem you're having because you asked nicely. They're definitely not going to fix it if you're being rude. They don't care about your business model, or your bottom line, or your legal requirements. What they care most about is their own customers. And if you're sending to the right people, then those people are also *your* customers, and you should care about them, too! So, even though it's an option to ask the MBP for help, it's probably not the first (or best) one, because all the evidence they have available so far indicates that your mail is potentially dangerous, and maybe you are too. Your job now is to demonstrate that they got it wrong, ideally using your actions and not just words. Before submitting that sender contact form, review the MBP's guidelines and your own practices. After all, their playground, their rules! Each MBP has its own quirks, but the basics tend to be the same. If you're not sure where to start, it's here! 🛝 Rule 1: Keep spam complaints as low as possible. The best way to do that? Get permission, always. Maintain a healthy list by removing bounces and sending to your most-engaged subscribers. Make it easy to unsubscribe, and honor unsubscribe requests when you get them. 🛝 Rule 2: Authenticate your mail. Use SPF, DKIM, and DMARC so you earn the deliverability you deserve (and don't forget to actually review your DMARC reports!). Authentication doesn't guarantee inbox placement, but you'll be left in the dust without it. 🛝 Rule 3: Be predictably yourself. MBPs and subscribers both reward consistency, and results tend to be stronger when everyone knows what to expect, when. Send similar volumes at similar times on similar days, ensuring increases are gradual to give the filters (and the audience) time to adjust. If you're ramping up and see increased delays, blocks, or complaints, or lower opens than expected, slow down and reassess. It's possible that the segment is no longer viable, or requires a different approach. If these bases are covered, THEN you can reach out. Include your name, your company, your domain & IP, the specific outcome you're having (including the bounce reason, if applicable), and what you've done to improve. And be nice!

📊 Over the years of auditing thousands of email campaigns across various industries, I've noticed a concerning trend: The perpetual "sale spiral." 🌀 Companies are trapped in an endless cycle of discounting, each trying to outshout the other in increasingly crowded inboxes. Recently, I worked with a DTC brand whose open rates had declined over 30% over six months despite increasing their promotional frequency. Their customer lifetime value was dropping, and unsubscribe rates were climbing. The diagnosis? Discount fatigue. 😫 Here's what we implemented: We introduced what I call the "70/30 Value Rule" - 70% pure value content, 30% promotional. ⚖️ For the value portion, we created: ➜ Industry insight newsletters ➜ Behind-the-scenes glimpses into product development ➜ Customer success stories ➜ Actionable tips related to their product category ➜ Community spotlights The results after 90 days were compelling: ⭐ Open rates increased by 32% ⭐ Customer feedback emails jumped 215% ⭐ When promotional emails were sent, conversion rates improved by 28% ⭐ Unsubscribe rates dropped by 41% Key Learning: The most successful brands understand that email isn't just a sales channel—it's a relationship builder. By giving your audience "breathing room" between promotions, you create anticipation and trust that translates into stronger campaign performance when you do make offers. This approach requires patience and a shift in metrics. While immediate sales might dip initially, the long-term engagement metrics and customer lifetime value typically show significant improvement within 3-4 months. For companies looking to break free from the discount cycle, start small: Replace one promotional email per week with pure value content. Track not just opens and clicks, but also replies, shares, and sentiment. The data will speak for itself. Remember: In a world where everyone is shouting "BUY NOW," sometimes the most powerful message is simply "We're here to help."

Gmail's spam filter caught 749 spam emails last month. But it still let 209 slip through. Here's how I eliminated virtually all remaining spam with AI - zero false positives in 30 days of testing. I built an n8n workflow with a simple AI prompt that acts as my second line of defense. The system marks emails as spam if they meet 2+ criteria from my ruleset: * Unsolicited business proposals or cold outreach * Generic pitches using publicly scraped company data * "Limited time" sales tactics or competitor fear-mongering * Marketing agencies claiming they can "10x your growth" * People referencing our funding news without any prior relationship The key insight: When spam evolves, so does my filter. Each time a message slips through, I ask AI how to modify the prompt to catch that pattern next time. It's a learning system that gets smarter with each iteration. My exceptions list keeps legitimate emails safe: Travel providers (airlines, hotels) Demo requests Known contacts The result? My inbox is now actually my inbox - not a dumping ground for every growth hacker with a LinkedIn scraper. For fellow founders drowning in cold outreach: this 10-minute setup will save you hours per week. Your attention is your most valuable asset. Protect it accordingly. My exact AI prompt is in the comments. #Productivity #AI #EmailManagement #Automation #StartupLife #n8n #CEOInsights #TimeManagement

Poor email deliverability creates an invisible wall between you and your customers. We see this scenario play out too often: → A marketing team creates amazing content → The brand sends it out → Emails go to spam or bounce → Sales opportunities vanish That’s why you *must* make email deliverability your top priority. Here’s how: ↓ 1. Track key metrics daily Leverage your ESP to monitor: → Unsubscribe rates → Bounces → Domain health When numbers spike, find out why— Was it a specific campaign? A particular segment? Pinpoint the issue and fix it. 2. Segment strategically Ditch the “one size fits all” approach— Break your list into targeted groups: → New subscribers → Frequent buyers → People who browse but don’t buy → Fans of certain products → Engagement tracks based on varying levels of engagement …then write emails that fit each one. A skincare brand we work with split their list by skin type— Oily skin folks got different product recs than dry skin types… …and opens jumped 25% in just one month. 3. Keep your list clean Get rid of… → People who never open emails → Emails that bounce → Inactive contacts A small, engaged list beats a big, quiet one— This helps you avoid the dreaded Gmail promotions tab (once you get in, it’s hard to get out!). 4. Make it personal Use what you know about each subscriber to… → Recommend products they’ll like → Send emails when they’re likely to read → Create content based on their likes and needs Make your emails feel like they’re just for them. These elements work together: → Segmentation boosts relevance → Monitoring catches issues early → A clean list helps emails get through → Personal touches keep people reading The goal isn't more emails— It’s *better* emails that actually get in the hands of consumers when they are most likely to buy Quality content + the right consumers + engaged readers… …that's the formula for turning emails into revenue.

After reviewing data from 1,000s of inboxes at RevGrowth, these 8 practices have made the biggest impact for consistent 99% email deliverability:   Most teams skip at least one of these, then wonder why their cold emails land in spam.   Here's what we do:   1. Use Secondary Domains - Never send from your main domain > We buy secondary domains through Porkbun for cheap, easy management   2. Track Replies Only - Open and click tracking hurt deliverability > I keep reply tracking on and turn everything else off. Clean signal, less risk   3. Send Fewer Emails Per Mailbox - I stick to 30 emails/day per mailbox, max > Spread your volume across several domains. Fewer red flags, more consistency   4. Warm Up Slowly - Ramp up sending volume over time. > Start low, increase gradually. This builds trust with inbox providers.   5. Double-Verify Your Lists - Bad data kills sender reputation > We use LeadMagic, Icypeas, and Prospeo.io for email search, then verify with LeadMagic. Clean lists = low bounce rates   6. Use Modern Sending Platforms - Old-school SEPs drag down deliverability > I recommend EmailBison or Smartlead   7. Automate CRM Syncing - Manual updates cause errors and missed follow-ups. > OutboundSync handles real-time syncing with HubSpot or Salesforce. Less manual work, more accuracy.   8. Stick to Plain Text - Links and images lower inbox rates. > I write text-only emails. They look more human and get better placement.   Our team applies these 8 steps in every workflow ourselves & all client accounts.   What’s been your biggest deliverability challenge lately?

If you aren't doing these things, you're eviscerating your email delivery rates... 1. Authenticate Your Emails: Implement SPF (Sender Policy Framework), DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail), and DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance) to authenticate your emails. Get to know Google Postmaster Tools. 2. Clean Your Email List Regularly: Remove inactive subscribers and invalid email addresses. A clean list reduces bounce rates and improves your sender reputation. 3. Segment Your Audience: Send targeted emails to specific segments of your audience. Personalization increases engagement, which signals to ISPs that your emails are valuable. 4. Craft Engaging Subject Lines: Create compelling and relevant subject lines to improve open rates. Avoid using spam trigger words like “free,” “buy now,” or “guarantee.” 5. Use a Reputable Email Service Provider (ESP): Choose an ESP with a good reputation for delivering emails and strong anti-spam measures. They can help ensure your emails are properly configured and compliant with regulations. 6. Optimize Email Content: Keep your emails concise, relevant, and visually appealing. Use a mix of text and images, and ensure your emails are mobile-friendly. Personalized video goes a long way. 7. Include a Clear Unsubscribe Option: Make it easy for recipients to unsubscribe if they no longer wish to receive your emails. This helps maintain a positive sender reputation and reduces spam complaints. 8. Monitor Your Email Metrics: Track key metrics like open rates, click-through rates, and bounce rates. Use this data to refine your strategy and improve future email campaigns. 9. Warm Up Your IP Address: If you’re starting with a new IP address, gradually increase your email sending volume. This helps build a positive sender reputation with ISPs. 10. Avoid Using URL Shorteners: URL shorteners can be associated with spam. Use full URLs or branded links to maintain trust and avoid triggering spam filters. 11. Ask for Whitelisting: Encourage your subscribers to add your email address to their contact list or whitelist. This ensures your emails land in their inboxes. 12. Check Your Email’s Spam Score: Use tools to analyze your email content for spammy elements before sending. This helps you identify and rectify potential issues that could land your email in the spam folder. By following these simple tricks, you can significantly improve your email delivery rates, ensuring your messages reach your audience effectively and boost your overall email marketing success. Feel free to share any additional tips or experiences in the comments!

If you use email to generate revenue, this is the most important post you’ll read today. Everyone and their mother is building an email list (which is great), but that opens up a host of deliverability issues. The gist is: → More people are getting spammy emails → Google/Microsoft/etc want to protect their users → Regular emails land in spam at a higher rate When your emails land in promotions or spam, they don’t get read. When they don’t get read, you don’t make sales. Here are 3 tips you can use to keep your deliverability clean (and keep making sales from your list): (1) Get off shared domains. When you sign up for Substack or beehiiv, make sure you change your sending domain to a custom one you bought. If you don’t, you’re at the mercy of the shared domain’s reputation. That means if some bad actors send spam from it, you suffer. Not worth it. Pay the money and send from your own domain to keep yourself in control. (2) Vary your content mix. If you send 100% marketing emails (which, yes, some people do), you’ll ruin your deliverability. People join your list to get something valuable. The cost of not giving it to them (at least semi-regularly) is them marking you as spam, and you facing deliverability problems as a result. (3) Clean your list. After someone hasn’t opened your emails for 30 days, send them a win-back sequence. These can be good but are not going to win everyone back. Regardless, after someone hasn’t opened or clicked your email in 90-120 days, remove them from your list. TLDR: 1. Get off shared domains 2. Don’t only send marketing emails. 3. Clean your list!

The reason why prospects ignore you. You sound like everyone else. After analysing 10,000+ outreach messages, I have discovered why 98% feel like spam. Because they basically are. Even the ones labelled "personalised." Most teams call this personalised outreach: Hi [First Name], I noticed you work at [Company]… Then a bunch of copy-pasted pain points ripped from some blog. Same template blasted to 500 people. Zero context beyond a LinkedIn headline. And then they wonder why their reply rate is stuck at 2%. This is the pattern I see quite often: 1,000 messages sent. Single-digit replies. One sad meeting booked. Personalisation? Dropping company names into a mail merge. This is not real personalisation. Real personalisation requires three layers of context. I put the complete 3-Layer Context Framework into a free guide with templates, examples, and implementation steps: https://lnkd.in/dmx8pw9d Here is what the three layers look like: Layer 1️⃣: Company intelligence Funding rounds, acquisitions, leadership changes. Tech stack and tools in play. Signals of growth stage and competitive moves. Layer 2️⃣: Individual insights What their role actually cares about. Recent posts, comments, engagement. Career trajectory and level of influence. Layer 3️⃣: Timing relevance Budget cycles and planning windows. Team growth or restructuring. Industry events, regulatory shifts, seasonal business patterns. Here is what changes when you get this right. When you stack these three layers, outreach stops looking like spam and starts feeling like relevance. That is when replies jump into double digits. That is when prospects literally say: "Finally, someone who gets our business." You cannot fake relationships. But you can build the context that makes them possible. Stop spamming more. Start personalising better. Outbound teams winning today are not sending more messages. They are sending smarter ones. Outreach that feels human, builds trust, and actually gets the meeting. P.S. Here's the full 3-Layer Context Framework we use at Leadhunt.ai to hit 40%+ reply rates: https://lnkd.in/dmx8pw9d