Legit emails regularly land in my Junk/Trash box, which led to the idea of a post offering subject field tips to help you avoid looking spammy in your emails.
Beat Network Spam Checks
Networks across the Internet use spam filters and “flags” that look for specific criteria in an email to give it a “spam score.” Do the things typical of spam emails, and you risk your emails not making it to the intended recipient
You should always double-check your spam or junk folders before clearing them. You will most likely find emails you want that landed there erroneously.
The subject field is just one part of an email that filters determine an email’s “spamminess” factor. So, let’s jot down some easy subject field tips to remember!
Don’t be Spammy Subject Field Tips
The subject field will determine whether your email gets opened. 35% of respondents cited the “subject line” as the most important factor motivating them to open emails. Or worse, marking them as junk or spam. Be clear and choose your words carefully.
Do not send an email without crafting a relevant subject that reflects the actual content of your email. Never send an email with a blank subject field — that’s very spammy!
The subject field is for the subject of the email. Do not put a link in the subject line. Likewise, don’t put the entire message or a question in the Subject field with nothing in the message box. (That’s uber spammy!)
Refrain from using multiple !!! Or ???.
Do not use the recipient’s name in the subject field. This is typical of spammers or automated email programs.
Use proper punctuation and capitalization in the subject field.
Refrain from using terms such as Help, Hi, or Please Respond. Also, refrain from using the words you see spammers using!
When replying to an email, always leave the original subject intact so the recipient knows you are responding to their specific inquiry.
Put These Anti-spam Tips to Work
These tips will help ensure your email is not incorrectly identified as spam, blocked, or unrecognized by the intended recipient. As a result, you can avoid having your email deleted before it is even read!
In my experience, folks are always more open to new information or suggestions that they are doing something incorrectly when it is done with courtesy and good intentions. So, don’t hide behind your screen, assist others to learn what they do not yet know by being a kind voice amongst all the noise that they can count on to help them!
Are you tardy in your responses to incoming personal email? Do you respond to some right away and others later — if at all? If you answered yes to that last question, then you’ve confirmed what those on the other side assume. Some folks have your attention and priority more than others.
