Email Broadcast is a powerful tool when used correctly. Please carefully read through the do’s and don’ts to send emails that you would want to receive.
If you do not follow these guidelines, it can result in a high spam or bounce rate that will automatically pause your Email Broadcast access. This pause can be temporary or permanent.
Broadcast do’s
- Send plain-text messages to groups of contacts that have opted-in to receive messages from you.
- Unsubscribe any contacts that have not opted-in to receive messages from you.
- Email opted-in contacts you’ve been in touch with recently, within the last six months.
Broadcast don’ts
- Send unsolicited bulk email or junk mail, or include any words in your message that could get it marked as spam.
- Message anyone who’s email address you collected more than six months ago, that has unsubscribed from previous messages you sent them, or that doesn’t have a valid email address.
- Buy, rent, or borrow lists.
What is spam?
Spam is considered unsolicited email sent to multiple people at once. Email clients provide recipients the option to report any email as Spam.
Spam laws
Dryfta is required to enforce spam laws. If a recipient marks one of your messages as spam, it impacts future deliverability rates for you and anyone else using Email Broadcast.
Dryfta follows the CAN-SPAM Act. Among several requirements, this law requires you always include an unsubscribe link and never use deceptive names, reply-to addresses, or subject lines.
Tips to avoid spam complaints
SpamAssassin suggests avoiding references to lots of money, describing some sort of breakthrough, looking like mortgage pitch, or suggesting any money back guarantee.
MailChimp references other common mistakes and things to avoid:
- Using phrases like “Click here!” or “Once in a lifetime opportunity!”
- Excessive use of exclamation points!!!!!!!!!
- USING ALL CAPS
- Using bright red or green colored fonts.
- Sloppy HTML, usually from converting a Microsoft Word file to HTML.
- Only including images, and no text. Spam filters can’t read images, so they assume you’re a spammer trying to trick them.
- Using the word “test” in the subject line.
- Sending a test to multiple recipients within the same company. That company’s email firewall often assumes it’s a spam attack.
- Sending to inactive or stale lists
- Sending to a purchased list that didn’t opt-in
The FTC also shares tips to avoid spam complaints.
If you have a list of contacts who should be unsubscribed from past experience, you can include a Subscribed column when importing a CSV or Excel file.
What is a bounced email?
When an email cannot be delivered to an email address, it bounces. High bounce rates negatively impact both your sender reputation and Email Broadcast’s reputation. This makes it harder for you and everyone that uses Email Broadcast to deliver messages.
Steps to reduce high bounce rates
A higher than normal bounce rate can be caused by incorrect imports of email addresses, stale email addresses that haven’t been updated, or other factors.
Check for typos or formatting issues by exporting your contacts and use a 3rd party to confirm all email addresses are valid.
Always make sure all your contacts are opting in to receive emails from you. If you’re using a form to collect email addresses, consider a double-opt in process. This helps ensure email addresses are valid.
We recommend reconfirming your list to make sure your contact’s interest and information is up to date. You can email them individually to make sure they’re still interested.
We also recommend emailing your contacts in regular intervals. Email lists tend to go stale every 6 months.
iContact shares more on the perils of a bounces and how to reduce your own bounce rate.
Why was my access to Broadcast paused?
Dryfta automatically pauses Email Broadcast access for any accounts that have a higher than normal bounce or spam percentage.
Dryfta does not judge your emails and determine they are spam. Spam complaints are based on recipients marking an email as spam from their email client.
While we have our own thresholds, Mailchimp, which sends billions of emails a month, shows benchmarks by industry here.
If you exceed our thresholds, your account will be automatically paused. We will notify you and ask you to send us information regarding your intentions with Email Broadcast and confirmations of opt ins, etc.
Accounts will remain paused for 30 days, which allows for a fresh start versus risking being paused again after another issue. It also helps spread out spam complaints and bounces across the entire Dryfta community to maintain our reputation as an email provider. This helps all Dryfta customers deliver emails more reliably.