By Markus Allen, Publisher
If you're like me, you've been frustrated that your legitimate emails are being blocked by overly aggressive spam filters.
Over the years, I've noticed a disturbing trend... a growing number of my newsletter subscribers were not getting their issues in their email inbox.
But one day, my mastermind group discovered a soon-to-be released system on how to tweak my email software and bulletproof my emails from just about any spam filter.
It's called Market Through Spam Filters... a system developed by Canadian brothers Jonathan and Andrew Hook. What's fascinating is they offer a service that actually filters spam emails. In other words, these guys are the enemy of spammers. For some reason, they decided to expose the secrets of spam filters (and I'm super happy they did).
In less time than it took me to finish my Egg Drop soup at my local Chinese restaurant, I was armed with dozens of simple strategies and ideas to bulletproof my emails from even the most aggressive spam filter.
Just moments after tweaking my email software, I more than tripled my response. In fact, I'm now getting emails from old subscribers asking where I've been!
If you're frustrated having your legitimate emails filtered, you might try out these 7 simple strategies revealed in their system:
1) Don't offer an unsubscribe option
Phrases like “To Be Removed, Please...” flags your email as spam to even the weakest spam filters.
Instead, use these unsubscribe options:
To unsubscribe or change subscriber options visit:
http://www.aweber.com/z/r/?jAzMLGyMtEysjEx
"To unsubscribe go here"
"to be taken off our periodic mailings"
"to unsubscribe from this list"
... and here are unsubscribe sentences to avoid:
To Be Removed Visit:
http://202.63.201.239/remove.html
"To Be Removed, Please click here"
"To be removed from future mailings"
"to unsubscribe from our list"
Bottom line:
Don’t use the word “remove” anywhere in your email message.
2) Watch your time
Double check the date and time on your computer sending emails.
Your recipient's email software sorts incoming mail by date and time. Spammers realize this and adjust their "time stamp" to get their emails displayed first. Yet spam filters frown upon emails dated too far in the future or past.
3) Send plain text... not HTML
When you send HTML email (instead of plain text), you raise a huge red flag to just about any spam filters.
Spammers send HTML emails to hide tracking codes and gather data without their recipient's permission.
Even worse, HTML email is one of the leading vehicles for spreading computer viruses. Even if you think your computer is virus-free, the last thing you want is to unknowingly infect your recipient's computers with your virus. And of course your message won't get read if a virus filter flags your email.
4) Bulletproof against identity theft
Spam is so prevalent because a large percentage of email servers (hardware and software used to launch your emails) are unknowingly set with "open relays."
In fact, a large percentage of spammers would be out of business if all internet service providers closed open relays.
Spammers troll the internet looking for vulnerable email servers set with open relays. When they find 'em, they quickly send thousands (even millions) of emails through an open relay 'til the internet service provider finds out about it (and ultimately shuts it down).
Solution: Always send your emails through a secured email server. This usually requires you to tweak your email software to "authenticate" that you're legit before you can send email. Ask your Internet Service Provider for details.
5) Watch your head(ers)
Headers include a quasi computer-coded briefing about the contents of your email. Most important, it records every path your email travels to reach your recipient's email inbox (including whether or not your email was delivered by an email server with open relays).
Pay attention to the content that's ultimately display in your email headers:
- Avoid ALL CAPS...
- Include a valid email address, and avoid assigning the sender/recipient (you) with accounts from Hotmail, Yahoo, or Juno...
- Make sure emails don't start with an "@" symbol...
- Never use the carbon copy (CC) function...
- Never leave the “from” field, “to” field, “subject” field, or the “body”
blank. Even mail servers without any real spam filtering block emails with empty fields.
6) Don't hide spam words
Most spammers use alternative letters in an attempt to trick spam filters (e.g. vi*gra or fr~e). Most spam filters catch on to these tricks and actually penalize the use of these special characters more than they do the actual word.
7) Avoid sorting A thru Z
You might be surprised that some spam filters red flag legitimate emails delivered to them in A thru Z sort order.
Summary:
The bad news is most internet marketers are giving up on email and returning to snail mail via the post office.
But that's great news for us, because when you put Jonathan and Andrew Hook's system into action, you'll instantly profit as more of your legitimate emails get delivered, opened, and ultimately inspire a call to action.
I'd like to think I know a lot about email marketing, but I was a proven wrong when I scanned through Jonathan and Andrew's strategies. Now that I've discovered their secrets and tweaked my software settings, my emails are getting through more than ever, and my response more than tripled the very same day I put their strategies into action.