How to Reduce Your Spam Score and Improve Cold Email Deliverability

Cold outreach through email is a key strategy for sales and marketing teams looking to collect new lead data for their sales pipeline, however having a high spam score can undermine their efforts. If emails consistently land in spam folders, it impacts deliverability, credibility, and outreach campaign results.

In this article, we will walk you through the key elements for keeping your spam score low, best practices to avoid the spam box, and provide expert tips to help you engage cold leads effectively.

What is a Spam Score?

Email service providers such as Gmail, Outlook assign a score to incoming emails to identify whether the content is spam or legitimate. Spam scores are determined by algorithms which analyse several factors of the incoming email. If your score is too high, your emails will be filtered as spam, if low it increases chances of landing in your recipient’s inbox, which is an important factor of cold email outreach.

Here are 7 ways to Reduce Your Spam Score and keep your score low to ensure your emails reach inboxes:

Authenticate Your Domain

Set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC protocols to prove your emails are legitimate and reduces spam flags.

Personalize Content

Avoid sending generic bulk emails to huge recipients lists. Personalize subject lines and content with relevant details, like the recipient's name and company, to reduce your spam score.

Avoid Trigger Words

Limit the use of Words like "free," "limited time offer," or "guaranteed” as these are trigger words that can activate spam filters. Use clear, non-promotional language, especially in subject lines.

Optimize Email Structure

Keep a good balance between text and images (80% text, 20% images). Avoid excessive HTML, large attachments, or multiple links, which are often associated with spam.

Make Unsubscribing Easy

Include a clear unsubscribe option to comply with regulations and avoid spam complaints that can raise your score.

Clean Your Email List Regularly

Remove invalid or inactive emails to improve sender reputation and deliverability. Sending to disengaged users hurts your score.

Use a Consistent IP Address

Stick to a resolute or consistent IP address to build a trusted sender reputation. Switching IPs can make your emails look suspicious.

Best Practices to Avoid the Spam Box

• Warm Up Your Email Account
  Gradually increase email volumes when starting a campaign. This helps email providers recognize your account as trustworthy.

• Encourage Engagement
  Prompt recipients to reply, click links, or forward your emails. Engagement signals that your emails are valuable, reducing the chance of being marked as spam.

• Monitor Key Metrics
  Track deliverability, open rates, and bounce rates to gauge campaign performance and identify key areas for improvement.

• Test Emails
  Before sending large campaigns, test your emails for spam scores, links, image and frame placements and adjust accordingly.

• Segment Your List
  Send targeted, relevant emails to smaller segments to improve overall engagement and reduce un subscriptions.

• Limit Links and Attachments
  Too many links or attachments can trigger spam filters. Keep it simple and only include what is necessary.

Get Results with TEB Apps CRM

TEB Apps CRM simplifies email outreach by automating key processes like email personalization, list management, and compliance with anti-spam regulations. Track your spam score, monitor engagement, and keep your campaigns optimized effortlessly.

Ready to boost your email marketing? Book a demo with TEB Apps today to see how our CRM can transform your outreach and help you maintain a low spam score.