The Secret to Making Sure Your Emails Actually Land in the Inbox
Have you ever spent hours crafting the perfect email, hit "send," and then... crickets? You aren't alone! We’ve all been there, wondering if our messages are hitting the inbox or landing in the Spam folder.
The good news? Email deliverability isn’t some dark art only for tech wizards. It’s really just about being a "good neighbor" on the internet. Email providers like Gmail and Outlook want to make sure their users aren't getting junk, so they look for signals that you’re a real, trustworthy person.
Let’s chat about how to get your emails to the place where they belong: Your subscriber’s inbox.
1. What’s This "Warming Up" Business?
If you’re starting a brand-new email domain or haven’t sent in a long time, don't go from zero to 10,000 emails in one day! Email providers will see that sudden flood and think, "Whoa, who is this spammer?"
Warming up is just the process of gradually increasing your email volume to prove to providers that you are a legitimate human with a legitimate list.
How to do it: Start small. Send to a handful of your most engaged subscribers first. Maybe send 5–10 emails a day for the first few days, then slowly increase that number over the next 2–4 weeks.
The Golden Rule: Consistency. It’s better to send a little bit every day than to send one giant burst once a month.
2. Words That Make Spam Filters Wince
We all love a good sale, but sometimes our enthusiasm can get us into trouble. Certain "salesy" words trigger spam filters because, well, they sound like spam.
Avoid these (or use them very sparingly):
"Free," "Cash," "Guarantee," "Act Now!"
"Urgent," "Winner," "Limited Time Offer"
Use of ALL CAPS, red fonts, or a million exclamation points (e.g., "BUY NOW!!!!")
Tip: write like you’re emailing a friend. Use your recipient's name, ask a question, and keep the tone natural. If it sounds like something a robot would write, the spam filters will treat it like one!
3. Keep Your List "Squeaky Clean"
Having a huge email list is a fun ego boost, but having a clean list is what actually helps your deliverability. If you send emails to addresses that don't exist, or to people who haven't opened an email from you in years, email providers will start to think, "This person doesn't know who their audience is," and they’ll start dumping your mail in the junk folder.
Scrub it regularly: Once every few months, look for "bounces" (emails that couldn't be delivered) and remove them immediately.
Say goodbye to "ghosts": If someone hasn't opened your emails in 6–12 months, send them a "Hey, are you still interested?" email. If they don't engage, it’s okay to let them go. A smaller, highly engaged list is always better than a huge, inactive one.
Never, ever buy a list: Seriously. It’s the fastest way to get blacklisted, and those people don't know who you are, which means they will mark you as spam.
4. Does Frequency Really Matter?
It sure does! If you send emails once a year, people will forget who you are, mark you as spam, and poof—there goes your reputation. If you send 10 emails a day, they’ll get annoyed and mark you as spam.
The Sweet Spot: There’s no magic number, but consistency is key. Whether it’s once a week or once a month, stick to a schedule so your subscribers learn to recognize and expect you.
Let them choose: If you can, offer a "preference center" where subscribers can pick how often they want to hear from you. It gives them control and keeps them happy!
The Bottom Line
At the end of the day, email deliverability is about trust. If you treat your subscribers like actual people (by only sending them stuff they’ll love, at a frequency they can handle), the email providers will notice.
Good luck with your email sends!
