Overview:
In addition to being up-to-date on email authentication, news organizations can follow best practices to keep spam complaints low and avoid deliverability issues. These practices including being straightforward with readers about what type of emails they’re signing up for, optimizing the content within emails and keeping a close eye on email performance metrics to identify issues before deliverability is at risk.
News organizations have expanded their use of email in recent years, contributing to the rise of email send volume worldwide. With hundreds of billions of emails sent daily, also on the rise is spam, phishing and malware, leading Gmail and Yahoo to announce new requirements for bulk email senders beginning in early 2024.
The new policies from Gmail and Yahoo require publishers who send 5,000 or more emails in a day to be up-to-date on all email authentication protocols, including SPF, DKIM and DMARC. In addition to requiring authentication, Google has also said it may not deliver messages from senders who receive excessive spam complaints, citing a spam rate threshold of 0.3%, or 3 per 1,000 emails marked as spam. But publishers should really aim to keep spam rates below 0.1% or 1 per 1,000 emails, or they may encounter deliverability issues.
Publishers can keep spam rates low by being straightforward with readers about what type of emails they’re signing up for and can expect to receive, by optimizing the content within emails and by keeping a close eye on email performance metrics to identify issues before deliverability is at risk.
Ask readers to whitelist emails
Readers who have taken the time to sign up for emails likely want to see them in their inbox, so remind readers early on to take steps to ensure the emails stay out of the spam folder. Publishers working with BlueLena will have a whitelist reminder as part of the first email in their new reader welcome series. A shorter reminder of the same type can also be added into ongoing email newsletters.
Deliver the content readers signed up for
Include an accurate description of the type of emails a reader can expect as part of the signup process for any newsletter list. If readers signed up for the “latest news” but then receive lots of marketing or sponsored messages, they may feel spammed and mark an email that way. Instead, have separate lists for sponsored advertiser messages versus news content. Or if you decide to send sponsored content to readers who have signed up strictly for news, label the email clearly as sponsored and consider adding a disclaimer or explanation as to why the reader is receiving the message.
When launching a new newsletter, don’t assume all your existing readers wish to sign up for it. Invite current readers to the new newsletter, but don’t automatically opt everyone in.
Consider sending frequency
Be mindful of how many newsletters or emails readers might be receiving at once when they enter your email in a newsletter signup prompt on your site. Be transparent with readers about how many emails they will receive when signing up for a newsletter, and be mindful of the timing that newsletters are sent out, as well as the timing of ongoing automations such as a welcome series a reader might also be receiving. It’s valuable to send emails frequently to encourage reader habit, but too many emails at once can annoy readers and lead to spam complaints.
Don’t send single-image emails
Avoid sending emails that contain only a single graphic. These are often used by spammers and can lead to deliverability issues.
Apart from deliverability issues, single-image emails can be slower to load, cause issues for users who can’t download the image or search for the text in the message later and offer a poor experience in terms of accessibility, as contacts using a screen reader are unable to interpret the message. Instead of one large graphic, design emails in an email designer using a mix of text and graphics.
Include only high-quality links
Spam filters will check URLs within emails, so be mindful when including external links to websites that may have poor reputations. Avoid link shorteners like bit.ly, which are commonly used by spammers. If using a link shortener, make a custom URL instead of using the tool’s randomly-generated link. Avoid using an outward facing link such as acmetimes.com/subscribe that links to another page on your site such as acmetimes.com/subscription-offer-2. Instead, use text like “subscribe” or a hyperlinked button to direct readers to the offer page.
Make unsubscribing easy
While spam complaints can negatively impact deliverability, unsubscribes aren’t necessarily bad, so it’s in the best interest of a publisher to make it as easy as possible for readers to unsubscribe. Be sure unsubscribe links are easy to find at the bottom of an email, and consider adding them to the top of emails as well to discourage use of the spam button.
To appease readers who may be tired of receiving certain types of messages — like marketing or fundraising emails — use a marketing/fundraising–specific opt-out that allows readers to opt-out of only a certain type of message.
Review sender names and subject lines
Using a consistent “from” name, whether it’sits the name of a news organization or the newsletter editor, can help readers grow familiar with the brand, recognizing the emails as they land in their inbox. While it’s OK to send occasional emails from a specific person at the news organization (and can sometimes give open rates a boost) be careful not to switch up sender info frequently.
For subject lines, avoid all caps, too many special characters or other spammy words.
Use re-engagement automations and list cleaning
List growth is exciting, but the quality of contacts is just as important as the quantity when considering deliverability and spam rates. Improve the quality of your contact list with a re-engagement automation that targets disengaged contacts and invites them to re-engage. If they don’t take action, consider removing them from your list altogether to keep open rates and engagement higher. BlueLena can work with publishers to set specific criteria for list cleaning, putting together a customized plan to improve list health.
Study email engagement metrics
As lists grow, check in to see how new readers are responding to emails. It’s particularly important to keep an eye on email engagement if you’ve changed or added top-of-funnel acquisition tactics, such as starting paid acquisition campaigns. Keep an eye on open rates as lists grow, and look at individual emails sent to review the number of spam complaints.
Use Google Postmaster and other tools
To understand your email account’s overall spam rate, publishers need to use a couple of tools in tandem. Google Postmaster is a free tool that allows email senders to see their spam rates in Gmail specifically. Meanwhile, a publisher’s ESP, such as ActiveCampaign, can track spam rates for all other email clients. ActiveCampaign will contact users who have a concerning spam rate overall, but publishers who are curious where they stand can email support@activecampaign.com to learn more about their spam rtate. Review the data from your ESP and Google Postmaster together to get a fuller picture of overall spam rate.
Continue reviewing best practices as they evolve
Just as Google and Yahoo launched new rules around spam and deliverability in 2024, best practices on the topic will continue to evolve. Stay up to date on email deliverability best practices by reviewing the ActiveCampaign website, signing up for industry emails, including Inbox Collective or The Newsletter Newsletter and lastly, ask BlueLena! We can help review deliverability concerns and implement ideas from this list to ensure your spam rate stays low.
About BlueLena
BlueLena is a strategy consulting and audience management platform founded in 2020 to support the sustainability of independent local media. By combining cutting-edge technology with expert-driven services, BlueLena helps over 250 news organizations across North America develop and manage subscription, membership, and donation models. Its unique shared-resource management approach provides publishers, regardless of size, with access to enterprise-level tools and personalized support, enabling them to focus on high-quality journalism while building loyal, revenue-generating audiences.
BlueLena is majority employee-owned, and backed by investors including Automattic (the parent company of WordPress), the Local Media Association, and Old Town Media.