When it comes to fine-tuning your outreach efforts, it’s important to be aware of the email mistakes that can affect deliverability and determine whether or not your emails get marked as spam.

In our Email Deliverability series, we’re sharing a helpful list of email mistakes to avoid so you can make sure your carefully crafted emails are landing in people’s inboxes.

In this post, we’ll explore three of the most common email mistakes: spam trigger words, excessive hyperlinks and attaching files.

Spam trigger words

One of the most common email mistakes that can cause your messages to end up in spam folders is using certain words in your subject line and the body of your email. If you inadvertently use some of these words, spam filters are likely to be triggered and then flag and remove your email from the recipient’s inbox.

To keep your outreach on track and help ensure your emails get through every time, keep these key tips in mind:

  • Language that adds unnecessary urgency for the recipient to take action are the most likely to trigger spam filters and should be avoided – they can also come off as too assertive and deter prospects from further engaging with you.

  • Some of the words and phrases to exclude in your emails are free, offer, sale, urgent, win, claim your prize and final chance.

  • Any statements or claims that sound exaggerated or ethically questionable should also be avoided.

Sharing links in emails is helpful since recipients can then visit any page you want them to with one simple click. However, including too many links is another email mistake that can get your emails marked as spam.

When including links, it’s key to include only the most relevant links to direct recipients to learn more about the information you’re sharing with them in your email. It’s also important to be considerate of your recipients’ time and avoid overloading them with information and too many links.

We recommend keeping the amount of hyperlinks to three at most to be safe from spam filters.

Attaching files

Another email mistake that can negatively impact deliverability is attaching files to your emails. While attachments can help provide additional context for your prospects, it’s important to use them sparingly – and strategically.

Here are some guidelines to follow when including attachments to ensure your emails have the impact you want them to:

  • If an image or multiple images take up the majority of your email, your email could be flagged as spam so it’s critical to balance your text-to-image ratio.

  • Since most email providers aren’t able to support JavaScript or Flash Video, it’s best to limit or avoid videos altogether in your emails.

  • Two general rules to optimize your deliverability are to host your files with reputable service providers and to keep your email size below 100 kb.

If you’re searching for a dynamic solution to help you avoid making these typical email mistakes, Interseller’s Email Editor Coach does a real-time scan before you send out your email to provide suggestions on how to enhance and optimize the copy and ensure deliverability.

Check out the full Email Deliverability series to learn more about good email hygiene, creating engaging outreach emails and technical best practices on the Interseller blog.