| Ensuring requested opt-in email is delivered to | | | | newsletter could cause the entire message to be |
| subscriber inboxes is an increasingly difficult battle | | | | filtered. |
| in the age of spam filtering. Open and click thru | | | | Words/phrases: |
| response rates can be dramatically affected by | | | | Choose your language carefully when crafting |
| as much as 20-30% due to incorrect spam filter | | | | messages. Avoid hot button topics often found in |
| classification. | | | | spam such as medication, mortgages, making |
| Permission | | | | money, and pornography. If you do need to use |
| Confirming that the people who ask for your | | | | words that might be filtered, don't attempt to |
| information have actually requested to be on your | | | | obfuscate words with extra characters or odd |
| list is the number one step in the battle for | | | | spelling, you'll just make your messages appear |
| deliverability. You should be using a process called | | | | more spam like. |
| confirmed opt-in or verified opt-in to send a | | | | Images: |
| unique link to the attempted subscriber when they | | | | Avoid creating messages that are entirely images. |
| request information. Before adding the person to | | | | Use images sparingly, if at all. Commonly used |
| your list they must click that unique link verifying | | | | open rate tracking technology uses images to |
| that they are indeed the same person that owns | | | | calculate opens. You may choose to disable open |
| the email address and requested to subscribe. | | | | rate tracking to avoid being filtered based on |
| Subscriber Addresses | | | | image content. |
| When requesting website visitors to opt-in ask for | | | | Attachments: |
| their "real" or "primary" email address instead of a | | | | With viruses running rampant and spreading thru |
| free email address like Yahoo or Hotmail. Free | | | | the usage of malicious email attachments many |
| emails tend to be throw away accounts and | | | | users are wary of attached documents. It's often |
| typically have a shorter lifetime than a primary | | | | better to link to files via a website URL to reduce |
| ISP address. | | | | recipient fear of attachments and reduce the |
| List Maintenance | | | | overall message size. |
| Always promptly remove undeliverable addresses | | | | CAN-SPAM Compliance |
| that bounce when sending email to them. An | | | | The January 2004 Federal CAN-SPAM law |
| address that bounces with a permanent error 2-3 | | | | introduced a number of rules regarding the |
| times in a 30 day period should be removed from | | | | delivery of email. It's important you have your |
| the list. ISP's track what percentage of your | | | | legal counsel review your practices and ensure |
| newsletters bounce and will block them if you | | | | you are in compliance. The two most important |
| attempt to continually deliver messages to closed | | | | rules include having a valid postal mail address |
| subscriber mailboxes. | | | | listed in all commercial messages and a working |
| Message Format | | | | unsubscribe link that is promptly honored to |
| Usage of HTML messages to allow for text | | | | remove the subscriber from future messages. |
| formatting, multiple columns, images, and brand | | | | Reputation |
| recognition is growing in popularity and is widely | | | | Reputation services are often used by large ISP's |
| supported by most email client software. Most | | | | as a way to vet email senders regarding their |
| spam is also HTML formatted and thus | | | | email practices and policies. Businesses listed with |
| differentiating between requested email and spam | | | | these services are then given less stringent |
| HTML messages can be difficult. A 2004 study by | | | | filtering or no filtering at all. |
| AWeber .com shows that plain text messages | | | | Relationships & Whitelisting |
| are undeliverable 1.15% of the time and HTML | | | | Contact with major ISP's and email providers is |
| only messages were undeliverable 2.3%. If | | | | essential in letting them know about your |
| sending HTML it is important to always send a | | | | requested subscriber email. Many large providers |
| plain text alternative message, also called text | | | | such as AOL and Yahoo have specific whitelisting |
| HTML multi-part mime format. | | | | programs and postmaster website areas to |
| Content | | | | ensure your email is delivered as long as you |
| Many ISP's filter based on the content that | | | | meet their policies and procedures in handling your |
| appears within the message text. | | | | opt-in list. |
| Website URL: | | | | Email deliverability is about ensuring requested |
| Research potential newsletter advertisers before | | | | opt-in email is delivered to the intended recipient. |
| allowing them to place ads in your newsletter | | | | While no single tip will enable you to get 100% of |
| issues. If they have used their website URL to | | | | your email delivered each one utilized as a group |
| send spam, just having their URL appear in your | | | | can go a long way to reaching that goal. |