5 Reasons Your Emails Are Landing in Spam

If your emails aren’t getting clicks, they might be stuck in spam. Here’s why—and the habits you can build to fix your email deliverability.

Getting your email into someone’s inbox can make all the difference—it can open doors, spark connections, and create opportunities that transform your business. But hitting send on an email doesn’t guarantee it will land in the inbox.

With more than 45 percent of all emails flagged as spam in 2023, internet service providers (ISPs) and email service providers (ESPs) use advanced filters to block unwanted messages. If your emails trigger those spam filters, they may never reach your audience. They might end up buried in spam folders instead.

Could you be triggering those spam filters without even realizing it? Small mistakes—like using an outdated email list or missing proper email authentication—can quietly hurt your email deliverability. Here are some things you may be doing that prevent your emails from reaching the inbox.

1. Your contact list is outdated

An old, outdated email list means you probably get many bounces and aren’t seeing many clicks. ESPs often interpret a high bounce rate as a sign of spam, so the higher it is, the more likely your emails are flagged as junk. To avoid that, keep your bounces under 2 percent by regularly pruning invalid emails.

2. You miss email authentication

Authenticating your emails is like getting a stamp of approval for your messages. Without it, ESPs can’t verify you’re a trustworthy sender, so your campaigns and newsletters may not make it to the inbox. Google and Yahoo now require proper authentication, so set up Sender Policy Framework (SPF), DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM), and Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance (DMARC), especially if you send thousands of emails a week.

3. You get too many spam complaints

If too many people complain about your emails, ESPs won’t deliver them to the inbox anymore. To prevent this, build trust with your audience. Seventy-eight percent of consumers will report an email as spam because they perceive it as spam. Make sure your content is relevant, avoid misleading subject lines, and make it easy for folks to unsubscribe. Your spam complaint rate shouldn’t be higher than 0.3 percent.

4. You use spam-triggering words 

Words like “free,” “urgent,” or “win” aren’t harmful by themselves. But using them excessively—especially when combined with other mistakes like poor list hygiene—can raise red flags with ESPs. To land your emails in the inbox, keep your language balanced and avoid sounding too promotional.

5. You send too many emails, too often

Flooding your subscribers’ inboxes can lead to unsubscribes and spam complaints. Both hurt your email deliverability. ESPs also keep an eye on sudden spikes in email volume to block potential spammers. Stay consistent in your sending schedule and prioritize content quality by emailing your list only when you have something valuable to share.

Bonus tip: To land in the inbox, warm up your IP and domain 

Sudden increases in email volume can hurt any sender, but they’re especially risky for those new to email marketing. To build trust with ISPs and ESPs, consider ramping up your email volume gradually.

Warming up your IP and domain reduces the chances of triggering spam filters and helps your emails land in the inbox. Another option is to use an email warmup tool, which automates this process. Whether you’re just starting out or have been sending mass emails for years, keeping your IP and domain reputation strong is key to consistent deliverability.