Stay out of spam: a practical checklist

There's no secret trick to reaching the inbox — it's the sum of many small, sensible choices. Do the boring things well and filters learn to trust you. This checklist covers what matters most, in plain terms.

The foundations

Get these right first. Without them, nothing else you do will keep you out of spam for long.

• Authenticate your domain. Set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC so providers can verify your mail is really from you. This is non-negotiable — start with Authenticate your domain.
• Only email people who opted in. Send to people who asked to hear from you. Purchased, scraped, or "found" lists are the fastest route to spam complaints and blocklists.
• Make unsubscribing easy and visible. A clear, one-click unsubscribe link in every email. Hiding it doesn't keep subscribers — it just pushes frustrated readers to hit "mark as spam" instead, which hurts far more.
• Include your physical mailing address. A real postal address in your footer is both a legal requirement in many places and a trust signal to filters.

Write and design for the inbox

Filters read your content too. You don't need to game them — just avoid the patterns that scream "spam."

• Skip spammy subject lines. Avoid ALL CAPS, excessive punctuation (Free!!!), and classic trigger phrases like "act now" or "risk-free." Write the way you'd write to one real person.
• Keep a good text-to-image ratio. An email that's one giant image with almost no text is a well-known spam pattern. Mix real, readable text with your images so filters can actually read your message.
• Make sure every link is legitimate. Broken links, shady redirects, or link shorteners can trip filters. Link to your own verified domain where you can.
• Don't hide or trick. No invisible text, no misleading "Re:" or "Fwd:" subjects, no fake sender names. Filters catch these, and readers resent them.

Keep your list and sending healthy

Your reputation isn't set once — it's maintained. Consistent habits keep it strong.

• Send consistently. A steady rhythm — say, a regular weekly or monthly send — builds reputation. Long silences followed by a sudden blast look suspicious to filters.
• Prune unengaged contacts. People who haven't opened anything in months drag down your engagement and raise your spam and bounce rates. Try to win them back, then let them go if they don't respond.
• Watch your metrics. Rising bounces or complaints are early warnings. Address them before they snowball into blocked delivery.
• Mind bounces and suppressions. Let BlueyEmail stop mailing addresses that bounce or unsubscribe — see Understand bounces and suppressions.