412 Spam Words to Avoid in Emails in 2024

Boost email deliverability in 2023 with low bounce rates, high reply rates, customized messaging, and minimal spam reports.

Some words are obviously spammy, and others are harder to tell. Read through our complete list.

As you know, landing in the primary inbox today is much more complicated than it used to be 5 years ago. We’ve written a lot about everything you need to do to stay out of spam. From the metrics your campaigns need to achieve, to the tactical steps you must take. But what about the actual language you use in your email?

Today’s buyers are much more sophisticated. So are the spam filters that you have to bypass to get your email delivered successfully.

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In the same way that this pop-up screams “SPAM!!!” at you, we want to ensure your copy doesn’t trigger the same reaction from the algorithms that will decide whether your email is legitimate or not.

^{What are spam keywords?}

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This is my current spam folder - some of these are obviously spam. But some of them look quite personalized. Yet, they all ended up in my spam folder all the same.

Spam keywords are trigger phrases that spam filters flag as harmful or fraudulent. Once flagged, these emails end up in spam like the image above. These words are usually associated with a gimmick that is too good to be true, with the goal of getting your sensitive information.

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How to Block Spam Emails | Trusted Since 1922

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It’s important to know that spam keywords are only one part of the equation in whether your email will land in spam or not. You might be able to get away with occasionally sprinkling one of these terms into your messaging. But it will make your odds much lower, especially if done repeatedly or at scale. It’s important to know each factor associated with your email deliverability.

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Remember that context is everything as well. There is a big difference between saying, “Try our product completely risk free” compared to asking “Are you free for lunch tomorrow?”.

How to check for spam words?

One solution is to keep reading this article again and again until you have a better sense for what spam filters consider to be spam keywords.

More practically, you can use an email sending tool that automatically flags this for you. We’ve used Mailshake in the past which used to flag spam words in our campaigns before we launched campaigns.

Real example

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Here is a real example of a message that landed in spam, most likely for including multiple spam-triggering words. Even the subject line is sketchy. As a general rule of thumb, if your email reads like an advertisement, there are good chances you are running into trouble.

Other easy red flags

The language in your email is only a small part of what ends up determining whether you land in spam or not. There could be several other issues with your outreach.

Not having an easy way to opt-out
Having too much design and formatting in your email template
Placing too many links or images

Conclusion

As long as these terms are used within the right context, you’ll still be able to get past spam filters. If you try to fit in too many of these words, or if you begin using them before your campaigns are performing well, you are headed straight to the spam folder.

We help founders and sales leaders solve their entire outbound motion. Zevenue writes your campaigns, manages your sending infrastructure, and handles all your lead list building and troubleshooting to give you differentiated, unique campaigns that lead to real sales pipeline. If you’re working on this right now, let us know what questions you have. Reach out to us and we’ll be glad to help!

412 Spam Words to Avoid in Emails in 2024

^{What are spam keywords?}

Categories

Subject lines

Spammy

Urgency

Promises

Commercial

Financial

Email

How to check for spam words?

Real example

Other easy red flags

Conclusion

412 Spam Words to Avoid in Emails in 2024

What are spam keywords?

Categories

Subject lines

Spammy

Urgency

Promises

Commercial

Financial

Email

How to check for spam words?

Real example

Other easy red flags

Conclusion

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