Why Are My Emails Going to Spam? A Beginner’s Guide to Inbox Success

Name: Jarrang
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Ever sent an important email only to have it disappear into the dreaded spam folder? You’re not alone. Whether you're sending thousands of marketing emails or just trying to reach a client, getting flagged as spam can be frustrating.

February 27 - 2025

Article 5 min read

Evelyn Fagbemi

Email Strategy Email Campaigns

Email spam filters are more aggressive than ever, trying to protect inboxes from unwanted or harmful messages. The problem is, sometimes legitimate emails get caught in the crossfire.

So, why does this happen, and more importantly, how can you stop your emails from going to spam? Let’s break it down. In this beginner-friendly guide, we’ll explain why emails go to spam and how to improve your inbox placement so your emails actually get seen.

The main reasons your emails are going to spam:

Your email address isn’t verified

One of the most common reasons emails get flagged as spam is that the sender's email address isn’t properly authenticated. If you're using a free email provider like Gmail, Yahoo, or Outlook for business emails, spam filters may see you as an unverified sender. The best way to avoid this? Use a custom domain email (for example, yourname@your business.com).

An even better approach is to make sure your email is authenticated with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records. Email providers look at these records, as it’s the settings that tell them, “Hey, this email is legit and really coming from me.”

So, what do these acronyms actually mean?

SPF (Sender Policy Framework): A list of which servers can send emails from your domain. It’s like giving email providers an approved guest list if a server’s not on the list, it shouldn’t be sending under your name.
DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail): This adds a digital signature to your messages, allowing providers to confirm that your email content has not been tampered with after you hit “send.”
DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance): Works hand in hand with SPF and DKIM. It sets the rules for what email providers should do if something seems suspicious, like an impersonator pretending to be you.

To fix this, you’ll need to log into your domain or hosting provider’s dashboard and set up these email authentication settings. If the technical side feels like uncharted territory, don’t worry, your domain host or email service provider can often help.

Your subject line sounds spammy

Did you know that email filters don’t just look at where an email is coming from? They also scan the content, and guess what one of the biggest red flags is? A spammy-sounding subject line.

Writing entire email subject lines in ALL CAPS, using too many exclamation points!!!, or words like "FREE MONEY," "CONGRATULATIONS," or "WIN A PRIZE" often gets caught in spam filters. These are classic tricks used by spammers, so even if your message is genuine, it might still get flagged.

It’s important to note that using these words occasionally isn’t necessarily a problem, it’s the overuse that raises red flags. So try rewording or limiting the use of these “trigger” words.

Instead of writing something like "LIMITED TIME OFFER!!! OPEN NOW!!!", try a more natural approach, like "John, here’s your exclusive discount." or “Here’s a Discount We Think You’ll Love.” The goal is to sound human, not like AI produced spam.

A bad reputation for your email domain or IP

Think of your domain (or IP address) reputation as your credibility score. If your past emails have resulted in high bounce rates, low open rates, or spam complaints, email providers might tag you as a risk. Just like people, domains and IP addresses can have reputations.

So, even if you’re sending perfectly legitimate emails now, email providers may have started to distrust anything else coming from you. In short, a tarnished reputation can still haunt you.

To improve your standing, try “warming up” your domain by sending smaller volumes of emails at first and gradually increasing as engagement rises. Make sure your mailing lists are clean by removing invalid or unresponsive addresses regularly. You can also check tools like Google Postmaster or SenderScore to monitor and improve your domain’s reputation over time.

Remember, just because you have a rocky past doesn’t mean you’re doomed forever. It takes time to rebuild trust, but with consistent best practices, you can climb your way back to a good sender reputation.

Mailing to inactive or fake email addresses

Sending newsletters or announcements to a long list of emails might seem like a good idea until… half of them bounce back. This tends to happen because sending emails to outdated or non-existent addresses can trigger spam filters.

When an email provider notices that a lot of your emails are bouncing (meaning the address doesn’t exist) or that people aren’t opening your messages, it signals to email providers that you might be spamming random inboxes or using poorly maintained lists.

Cleaning your list can feel scary, no one wants to delete potential contacts! But it is worth it in the end. Start by removing addresses that haven’t opened your emails in months.

Consider sending a “re-engagement campaign,” asking recipients if they still want to hear from you. This helps you keep only those subscribers who genuinely care about your content. It’s always better to have a smaller, more engaged audience than a large list full of unresponsive contacts.

At Jarrang, we’ve partnered with deliverability experts, Validity, to ensure that our client’s emails reach the maximum amount of inboxes possible. We use tools such as their industry-leading BriteVerify software to validate email addresses before sending them.

Being careful with links and attachments

It might be tempting to stuff your email with multiple links after all, you want readers to click through to your website, blog, product pages, or social media. But overloading your message with links can raise red flags.

Spam filters are wary of emails that look like link dumps. The reason? Many phishing emails use hidden or shortened links to trick people into clicking on malicious sites.

You’ll also want to be cautious with attachments. Large or suspicious file attachments can trigger a spam filter, especially if you’re sending them to people who aren’t expecting them.

If you need to share something big or complex, try hosting it on your own website or uploading it to a cloud service like Google Drive or Dropbox and simply include a link in the email. This not only keeps your email out of spam but also makes it easier for recipients to download.

Finding the right send frequency

Another common pitfall is sending too many emails at once, as email providers pay attention to sending patterns. If you typically send one email a month and suddenly send five in a day, email providers may assume your account has been compromised or that you’re blasting out spam. Even if your content is legitimate, the abrupt change can trigger a delivery block.

Let’s say you need to increase your email frequency (maybe it’s the holiday season or you have a big announcement). Here is how to avoid alarm bells:

Use a reputable email marketing platform that will help you regulate sending speeds, maintain a healthy sender reputation, and provide tools to monitor your deliverability so you can catch issues before they escalate.
Gradually increase your sending volume to avoid abrupt spikes. For example, go from one email a week to two, then possibly three, so it doesn’t look suspicious.
Keep a consistent schedule when possible. If people expect your email every Tuesday, they’ll be less likely to mark it as spam or ignore it.

Hidden or nonexistent unsubscribe links

In many countries, laws like the CAN-SPAM Act (United States) or GDPR (Europe) govern what you can and can’t do in marketing emails. One of these laws requires you to give recipients a clear way to unsubscribe from marketing emails so if your emails don’t follow these guidelines, they could be marked as spam.

Always make it easy for people to remove themselves from your list, ideally in one or two clicks. Treat unsubscribes as a normal part of email marketing, not a personal failure. In the long run, keeping only genuinely interested subscribers might even boost your open rates and engagement. Here’s our tips to ensure you say goodbye correctly:

Include a clearly labeled “Unsubscribe” or “Manage Preferences” link in every promotional or bulk email you send.
Make sure the unsubscribe process is simple, just one or two clicks.
Honour unsubscribe requests quickly so no one stays on your list when they don’t want to be. Continuing to email people who’ve opted out is a sure way for you to get reported as spam.

The bottom line

Email deliverability can sometimes feel like a moving target and getting stuck in spam filters can make you feel like you’re shouting into a void. But the good news is, you have control over most of the factors that affect where your emails land.

By focusing on proper authentication, writing clear subject lines, maintaining a clean list, and sending relevant content at a reasonable pace, you’re setting yourself up for inbox success.

Yes, filters change, rules evolve, and tastes shift, but there’s one constant truth: respect your audience. If you treat your subscribers like real people, because they are, and offer genuine value, you’ll build a solid reputation that keeps your emails out of spam and right in front of the people who need to see them.

Need extra help?

Jarrang offers expert assistance that can help optimise your email strategy and make sure your campaigns perform at their best, increasing your ROI. Contact us today if you’re ready to turn your emails into a marketing powerhouse and finally leave the spam folder behind!