The ultimate list of email spam trigger words

The competition for your email marketing audience grows tougher every day. And this is not just because more businesses are now running email campaigns. It’s also because email marketing spam filters have become so advanced. 

Cloud HQ reports that 48% of emails end up in spam. This can happen when common spam trigger words are spotted in your emails. These words are flagged because they are often associated with scams, deceptive marketing, and overly promotional content. 

When trigger words are flagged, your emails are more likely to be filtered into spam folders, which can cause deliverability and engagement rates to decline.

Read on to see some common spam words to avoid in your emails and stay out of spam folders. 

Email spam trigger word categories

Before we get into the list of spam words, it’s important to note that using certain words and phrases alone may not trigger email spam filters. 

Typically, email filters have been trained to asses other factors like formatting, sender id, and context when determining what qualifies as spam. Still, these words can raise red flags, especially when overused.

That said, here’s a list of over 100 spam words in various categories. Avoid, or at least use them carefully within your emails.

Exaggerated claims and promises

The first category of common spam words to avoid includes those that indicate exaggerated claims and promises. These words are found in emails that promise unrealistic benefits or use highly deceptive language.

Here are some exaggerated spam filter trigger words to avoid:

• Secret hack
• Guaranteed
• Hidden
• Risk-free
• All-natural
• Stop aging
• Simple trick
• Lose weight fast
• 100% guaranteed
• New and improved
• Double your money
• Unbelievable results
• Doctors recommend
• Without exercise or diet

If you truly have something valuable to offer, there’s no need to be deceptive. Be transparent with your customers and only make promises that your products can deliver.

Non-personalized greetings

Generic greetings indicate that the recipient may be getting a mass/bulk email, which may not be credible. So, spam filters relegate your inbox placement when they spot such greetings.

Some examples include:

• Hi there!
• Attention
• Greetings!
• Good day
• Good news
• Dear friend
• Hello friend
• Dear customer
• Dear subscriber
• Special invitation
• Friendly reminder
• Dear valued customer
• To whom it may concern

Typically, personalized emails perform better than generic ones. We’ll show you in more detail how to personalize emails later.

Monetary offers

Here, we have common words in spam emails that aim to exploit the recipient’s desire for financial improvement or quick money. They’re often used in scams or misleading promotions. 

Some monetary spammy phrases include:

• Bonus
• Win big
• Cashback
• Own boss
• Credit check
• You’ve won
• Easy money
• Instant payout
• Get rich quick
• Secret to wealth
• Unclaimed funds
• Accept credit cards
• Save big money
• Claim your money
• Exclusive deal
• Earn extra income
• Double your income
• Online biz opportunity

Unnecessary scarcity tactics

Email spam trigger words in these categories play on urgency. Think of it as the wrong use of FOMO (fear of missing out) in email marketing. While some of these words can be used in proper email campaigns, doing that excessively can make your emails appear pushy and increase your spam score. 

Some examples:

• Act now
• Buy now
• Don’t wait
• Click now
• Hurry now
• Selling fast
• Expiring soon
• Don’t miss out
• Only a few left
• Rare opportunity
• Limited time only
• Once-in-a-lifetime
• Limited quantities
• Before it’s too late

If you must play the scarcity card, let it be genuine. And, don’t use it too often, as email subscribers may eventually catch on, if the spam filters don’t. 

Also, consider phrasing the words differently; you can still get users interested in your offers without being excessive.

Marketing and sales

Marketing or sales campaigns that indicate aggressive sales tactics can also be flagged by email spam filters, especially in subject lines.

Here’s an example of email subject line spam words to avoid.

• Free
• Hurry!
• Limited
• Discount
• Exclusive
• Risk-free
• Best price
• Don’t miss out
• Sign-up free
• No strings attached

With marketing emails, a better approach would be to educate and engage your audience with helpful content that would naturally lead to conversions. You should also avoid overly pushy CTAs by all means.

Health and pharmaceuticals

Emails related to health, weight loss, or medications are thoroughly scrutinized due to regulatory concerns. The words listed below are likely to trigger spam filters, especially when sent from suspicious domains:

• High
• Cure for
• Diet pill
• Pain relief
• Prescription
• Weight loss
• Clinical trial
• Hair growth
• Enhancement
• Online pharmacy
• Scientifically proven
• Guaranteed weight loss
• No prescription needed

Technology and security

Some tech-related terms, when used in emails, can read like phishing attempts, causing them to be triggered and dumped in the spam folder. 

Examples of such words include:

• Antivirus
• Sales
• No catch
• Free trials
• Click here
• Data breach
• Verify identity
• Final warning
• Security breach
• Password reset
• Suspicious activity
• Important update
• Account verification
• Verify your account

Confidential claims

This category involves words or phrases that imply some form of secrecy, exclusivity, or confidential information. Mostly, such emails are used as bait by scammers or malicious parties, which is why they are marked as spam.

Examples include:

• Secret formula
• Confidential
• Exclusive assess
• Private offer
• Top secret
• Classified
• Restricted access
• Priority access
• Selected specially
• Confidential proposal
• Exclusive invitation
• Special invitation
• Important notice
• Confidential information

Suspicious attachments and links

You’ll mostly spot the next set of email marketing spam words in content that contains suspicious attachments or links. Such emails would normally play on fear or false urgency to get clicks. These links or attachments can deliver malicious content or redirect users to phishing sites.

Some suspicious email spam words include:

• Click to verify
• Confirm your details
• Cyber monday
• Data breach
• Download now
• View now
• Install now
• Activate link
• Secure download
• Free update
• Instant access
• Download for free
• Update account
• Activate now

Controversial (Gambling, adult content, etc.)

Other categories of spam filter triggers include words associated with sensitive or controversial topics like gambling, adult content, gaming, and various high-risk areas. These words are flagged because they are associated with restricted, unsolicited, or inappropriate content. 

Examples of controversial spam filter words to avoid include: 

• Adult content
• Click to win
• Bet now
• Win big
• Cash out
• Casino bonus
• Online betting
• Online gaming
• Risk-free bet
• XXX
• Winning numbers

If your business falls under these sensitive areas, consider using subtle and respectful language in your emails instead of explicit terms, which can easily be flagged.

More tips to ensure good email deliverability (and avoid spam filters)

Apart from marking trigger words, emails may be flagged as spam if the recipient did not subscribe. So, ensure you’re only sending emails to those who have subscribed and inform them about the type of content to expect from you.

With that in mind, let’s look at other ways to ensure good email deliverability.

Personalize your emails

Personalized emails can improve email open rates by 30.36%, according to our Email Marketing Benchmark report. Higher open rates and increased email engagement reduce the chances of your emails ending up in spam. That’s because email service providers will see that recipients are actually interested in your emails. 

Now, when people hear about personalized emails, what mostly comes to mind is adding the recipient’s name in the email. But there’s more. 

Email personalization also involves sending content that’s more relevant to your audience, especially when the email contains information they need.

The key to proper personalization is segmenting your list. Split your subscribers into smaller, more specific groups based on shared attributes like preferences, interests, or demographics. 

Get details for segmenting your list by asking for relevant information in your sign-up form, like the above example. You can use your site’s analytics to observe user behavior and interests over time.

Keep subject lines natural

Another helpful way to improve email deliverability is by using clear, natural subject lines. The best subject lines are the ones that can get clicks without being forceful. So, you may want to tone it down with the promotional subject lines. Also, avoid using misleading subject lines. 

A better alternative to spam email subject lines is replacing buzzwords with something more specific. Simply tell the reader what your email is about. Just like this example by Loom:

Source

A reader who sees the above subject line has enough information to decide whether they want to open the email or not. And this has been achieved without unnecessary sensationalization, which could trigger spam filters. 

GetResponse offers a built-in email subject line generator that you can use to create effective subject lines for your campaigns.

Optimize for mobile

According to Ascend2’s survey of 372 marketing professionals, 56% said they’d adopt mobile-friendly designs in their email marketing efforts. This makes sense, considering most recipients will open emails on their mobile devices. And you don’t want to frustrate those recipients with emails that don’t look great on their gadgets. 

Remember, if recipients cannot read and engage with your emails because they’re poorly designed, they’ll stop opening them, and some may delete them. Reduced engagement signals to ISPs that users are not interested in your emails. That hurts both your sender reputation and deliverability.

Email builders like the GetResponse Email Creator provide email templates that render well across all devices: phones, tablets, desktops, etc., and you don’t need to write any code. 

That said, keep these practices in mind for a mobile-responsive email design:

• Use email copy that’s legible enough for people to read. You can increase your line spacing and font size to 14-16 px for regular text and 22 px for headlines.
• Use layouts that allow vertical scrolling on mobile devices.
• Use large, touch-friendly buttons that users can easily tap. Add about 10-20 px of extra space around clickable areas.
• Keep subject lines below 60 characters so they don’t get truncated. Also, front-load important information and calls to action so readers see them first.

Finally, it’ll be helpful to optimize the size of images and other visual elements so the email content can load better. 

Don’t email too frequently

Spam filters monitor sending patterns, including how often you email recipients. A sudden increase in email volume or frequency, especially from a new IP or domain, can be flagged as suspicious behavior. 

Also, recipients overwhelmed by too many emails may become annoyed, leading them to ignore, delete, or mark your emails as spam. This increases spam complaints and hurts your deliverability. It also reduces engagement metrics like open and click rates, which are key signals email filters use to assess your reputation. 

Per our email benchmark analysis, about 46% of marketers sent one email per week and got better open and click-through rates. See the data below:

From the above, we can say that the optimal frequency is two newsletters per week if you want to maintain high open and click-through rates. You can send more if you have a large subscriber base and good engagement rates, but you must tread carefully.

If you want to send more frequent emails, let your audience know the exact number when they’re signing up. That way, you’ll set clear expectations, allowing your emails to be more welcome in your recipient’s inbox.

Also, you may want to do some IP warm-up before sending mass campaigns from a new domain. 

Practice good email list hygiene

This typically means identifying and removing subscribers who have not opened or interacted with your emails in a long time. Thanks to your email analytics data, these contacts are easy to find. 

Additionally, you should remove invalid email addresses, i.e., those with typos, syntax errors, or non-existent domains. These email addresses may cause hard bounces or permanent delivery failures. And if your emails keep getting bounced, it may give spam filters a hint that your content is spammy, even when it’s not.

Lastly, remove generic addresses like info@ or sales@. These are usually shared accounts and may rarely or never be checked. Also, avoid purchased email lists because they often contain invalid or unengaged addresses and can increase spam risks.

Bonus tip: If you use GetResponse, we’ll automatically remove subscribers who report your emails as spam.

Authenticate email domain

Authenticating your email domain is another smart way to avoid spam filtering and optimize your email marketing efforts. For one, it gives you a good IP reputation, which signals email providers that you’re a genuine and trusted sender.

There are three main email authentication methods:

• SPF (Sender Policy Framework): Specifies which mail servers are authorized to send emails on behalf of your domain.
• DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail): Adds a digital signature to your outgoing emails, ensuring the message has not been altered and verifying it came from your domain.
• DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance): Builds on SPF and DKIM by adding domain alignment checks and allowing you to specify how to handle emails that fail authentication.

To learn more, you can read our guide to email authentication.

Include unsubscribe and double-opt-in features

Making unsubscription easy might not be something you want to do because it seems like you’re losing leads. But it’s a lot better than having subscribers who don’t read your emails, or worse, mark them as spam.

An unsubscribe button or link at the footer of your email is usually the way to go. Here’s an example:

Source

For double opt-in (DOI), you’ll send a confirmation email (like the one below) to new subscribers who fill out your sign-up form. 

With DOI, you’re sure of the user’s explicit consent. It’s also an effective way to build an audience that wants to hear from you. Such recipients are less likely to block or report you as spam. 

Follow CAN-SPAM guidelines

CAN-SPAM guidelines make sure your commercial emails comply with U.S. law and protect consumers from deceptive or unwanted emails. 

Apart from hurting your sender reputation, non-compliance with CAN-SPAM guidelines can lead to hefty fines of over $46,000 per violation.

Some recommendations of these guidelines include:

• Using accurate header information
• Honest subject lines
• Indicating advertisement messages
• Adding a valid postal address to your email
• Easy and visible opt-out

Following CAN-SPAM guidelines not only keeps you compliant with U.S. law but can also build trust with your audience, reduce spam complaints, and improve your email deliverability.

Use links carefully

Using links carefully in your emails is vital for both user experience and avoiding spam filters. 

When adding links in your emails, you should:

Use clear, descriptive anchor text, not vague phrases like “click here.” Stick to concise, meaningful text that tells recipients exactly what they’ll get by clicking. In the example below, the hyperlinked text “Link your Battle.net account…” is pretty specific, although it’s a long one.

Source

Make the links visually distinct. Use an underlined text or a color that stands out from the body content. Avoid clustering links too closely, especially on mobile. Links placed too close together can cause accidental clicks and ruin the user experience. 

Finally, double-check all links before sending to ensure they work and lead to the correct destination. 

Use a good email service provider (ESP)

Using a good email service provider (ESP) is one of the most effective ways to improve your email deliverability, avoid spam filters, and run successful email marketing campaigns. 

A reputable ESP provides the tools and infrastructure to maintain a healthy sender reputation and engage your audience effectively. 

Since there are lots of options in the market, look out for:

• Email service providers known for high deliverability rates and good relationships with major ISPs (Gmail, Outlook, GetResponse). GetResponse boasts a deliverability rate of 99%, for example.
• Providers with dedicated IP and good anti-spam protocol.
• ESPs that support authentication protocols.

Also, make sure ESP has built-in tools for managing unsubscribes, bounces, and inactive subscribers. The platform should also have a spam checker and support easy compliance with regulations like CAN-SPAM and GDPR.

Test extensively before sending

The final step to improving your email deliverability is to test the emails you send. With A/B testing, you can get data-backed insight about what your email content should have and what it shouldn’t. 

To conduct an A/B test, you’ll split your email audience into two. Then, send a different version of your email to both groups to see which one performs better.

GetResponse lets you automate your A/B tests. Our A/B testing feature allows you to check up to five email versions to identify your top performer. You can also track performance through open rates, clicks, and other engagement data.

Apart from A/B tests, consider sending multiple test emails to yourself and your team. Look for errors like typos, poor formatting, bad link placements, and anything else that seems off. Also, remove possible spam triggers and check the sender information before sending.

Conclusion

Spam trigger words often slip into emails because they’re so common in marketing. That’s why it’s smart to use alternatives when writing email copy and subject lines. The ultimate rule is to avoid sensationalizing your emails and provide real value to your target audience.

As we’ve seen, common categories of email spamming words to avoid are exaggerated claims, generic greetings, monetary offers, unnecessary scarcity, and confidential claims, among others.

But, avoiding spam words isn’t the only fix for email deliverability. Other best practices include personalizing your emails, using natural subject lines, and making your emails mobile-friendly. You should also authenticate your sender domain, follow CAN-SPAM regulations, and test emails before sending.

That’s all. Now, put these tips to work and create email campaigns that get results.