In this article I will tell you exactly how to avoid getting marked as spam and significantly improve your reply rates.

When sending an unsolicited email there always lies a risk of getting marked as spam, but don’t sweat it just send it any ways because I will show you exactly how to avoid getting ticked as spam.

I have broken this down into 7 chunks on how to not get marked as spam

1)  Send from an email address that uses a business domain
Most of the newbies out there believe that you need to have an unsubscribe link but in this case you will  not need to send an unsubscribe link because you are sending a real email from you however people still need a way to “I don’t want these emails anymore”

So make sure your email comes from a business domain means it is much more likely to be seen as credible.

Never ever bulk email, if you are looking for that then use tools like SendGrid or Mailchimp. Cold personalized emails are the solution because they are personalized one on one communications and do not raise spammy flags.

2) Short, Sweet and to the point.  
Keep your email short & format is as if you were having a conversation with a friend or an associate you know.

3) Customize & personalize this email as much as possible
Be sure to use the correct name as their contact and make sure to do your due diligence if they are more familiar with a shorter version of their name. For example, let’s say I am sending an email to Benjamin, find out by doing a quick search if they are most often used to being called with a nick name such as Ben, Using the later will reduce the chances of raising a red flag and it will improve your open rates. Whilst sending outreaches I noticed most of my prospects do not use their real name.  Another example is Greg for Gregory. Again, this is a personal choice and if you are not sure about this, don’t try to play the guessing game but instead just use the first name.

4) Always include a signature
This is not only a common guideline but also a way for your prospects to know more about you & the business you are representing. The most common signature to use is Name followed by designating & then business name or website. You can normally skip mentioning your website as they can open your website from the email you sent but during my A/B tests I found out that including a hyperlink got more click rates.

5) Grammar Nazi
Use proper grammar and language, make sure you are using correct punctuation. Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying to avoid the of use slang or informal language but do not use words that make no sense to your audience. Always keep in mind of the context and reason of your email.

6) My favorite: The ask yourself spam test.
I normally do this, basically the trick is to read out the email you just crafted and ask yourself if you would be comfortable with saying out the exact copy to someone you just met at a conference or a meetup.

If you are not comfortable? Ouch, you are in the Spam territory!  
If you are comfortable? Good Job! You are not spam territory

To elaborate further, imagine if I walk up to somebody and say “Hey I am Girmal, I just read the article you wrote last week and found this point really interesting.

What I would not say is “Hey, great article. Would you like to buy my product?” Please do not do this.

Do not be forceful & pushy in your cold email marketing,
You just want to get to see if the next step can be taken.