My (least) Favorite Email Myths
Tips on how to reach the inbox are a dime a dozen these days. But not everything you've read online is true! In fact, some of it is downright BS. Today, we’re gonna talk through a few of the most common email myths I encounter that need serious debunking, like, all the time.
We just talked about one in last week’s lesson on unsubscribes (ahem: they’re not bad for deliverability).
Let’s dig in, shall we?
Myth 1: Authenticated Email Will Always Go to the Inbox
I wish it was that easy! But it’s not. Not even close. Truth is…
Authentication protocols (including SPF, DKIM, and DMARC) allow mailbox providers to feel more confidence that the email they received “from you” is (very likely) coming from the real you. That’s good!
But spammers also authenticate.
So doing this alone doesn’t mean much more than showing a valid driver’s license or passport when you get pulled over by the police. It proves you’re a registered driver, but it doesn’t mean you’re getting out of that speeding ticket.
Your sender reputation is what will take you all the way to the inbox (or not).
Myth 2: Spammy Words No Longer Cause Deliverability Issues
This one is only a half-myth.
You DO still need to be thoughtful about how you use "spammy words."
But not for the reason most people think…it's not about spam filters punishing you for using words like “Free” and “Sale”. Check your inbox on any given day and I’d bet good money there are plenty of examples staring you in the face.
In 2024, what matters most about any words or phrases you use in your emails is the reaction they elicit from your recipients.
If they like your content, you’re golden! But if your subject line’s too aggressive, or too generic, or you’re sending to people who aren’t expecting to hear from you, it'll trigger spam complaints and other negative reactions, damaging your future deliverability.
The reality is, consistently reaching the inbox involves maintaining a positive sender reputation and sending emails your recipients actually want to receive instead of trying to cut corners and bypass spam filters with email trickery.
Monitor your email stats to gauge your audience's response: strong opens, clicks, conversions; all good things. Elevated spam complaints and unsubscribes? Time to adjust accordingly.
Focus on making your recipients happy above all else and you can use any words you wish, even if they're spammy as hell.
Myth 3: Changing IPs or ESPs Will Solve Your Deliverability Issues
Again, I wish it was that easy. It’s not.
Just like in the real world, it’s hard to outrun a bad reputation. (Just ask Josie Grossie).
...on second thought, maybe don’t ask Josie.
Point is, email is a data-rich channel, and mailbox providers are tracking 10’s (sometimes 100’s) of signals related to your message, including your sender address, domain, IP, ESP, content fingerprint, reputation of URLs within the body of your email, etc, etc, etc...
Some ESPs definitely have a better sender reputation than others, but if you’re having email problems, those problems will follow you until you clean up your act. Change your practices, not your IP.
Myth 4: Landing in the Gmail Promotions Tab is Bad
This is such a polarizing topic. And has been since Google first released their tabbed inbox experience over a decade ago.
I’ve seen people talk about how much more money they make when they land in the primary tab, but I’ve yet to see any actual data to support that beyond extremely anecdotal use cases. (If you happen to have any real evidence please send it to me - happy to be proven wrong on this, but I need to see the receipts.)
My stance? Promotional email belongs in the promotions tab.
Email recipients are in the right frame of mind to purchase something when they’re in the Promotions tab, leading to higher conversion rates. It’s like being able to go to the mall when I’m ready to shop.
The promotions tab lets me think about spending money on my terms, when it’s convenient for me…not for the person trying to sell me stuff.
Which is super easy to do because email is not fleeting like social media. I could wrack up 100 emails from multiple brands over the course of months that are all just a search term away, directly within my promotions tab.
On the flip side, I’m NOT in the right frame of mind to receive promotional content when it's mixed in between email coming from friends, family and a very select few other things I’ve told Gmail I find important. I want everything else outta my way. Which means I’m gonna drag it over to my promotional tab or unsubscribe (if I’m being nice) — or mark it as spam if I don’t remember why (or even if) I signed up for that mail in the first place.
Fighting Tabs is a Losing Battle
We should also talk about all that change we keep seeing within our industry. Google and Yahoo’s new requirements are but one example. Less than two months ago, Apple announced they’ll be releasing a tabbed experience in September 2024. Just in time for the holidays! 🎉
A preview of Apple's tabbed inbox experience, coming in September 2024. Image courtesy of the Spam Resource blog.
Any "success" you have in delivering mail to the Primary tab is gonna be anecdotal at best because mailbox filters from providers like Apple and Gmail are changing in real time. You'll be spending a LOT of time chasing rainbows and will mostly just end up frustrated because you can't replicate whatever you think may have worked that one time.
It’s just…send it right.
Stop trying to force your way into people’s lives and instead, spend time focusing on how to surprise and delight the users who actually want what you’re sending…even when it’s in the promotions tab (where it belongs).
Myth 5: Open Rates Are Useless
Nope. Couldn’t be farther from the truth for deliverability.
As Will Boyd explained on LinkedIn several moons ago, using the “open rate to determine marketing success has always been a zombie” because “the download of an open tracking pixel could never be an accurate indicator of either intent or even reach.” Fair point, Will.
Still, they’re useful for gauging inbox placement. More specifically, I use destination-level open rates directionally and comparatively to measure inbox placement.
For example: if you have a ~30% open rate across all of the top destinations you send to, but only 5% at Hotmail, there's likely a spam folder issue at Hotmail.
Be sure to monitor multiple metrics, in addition to opens to get a complete picture:
Bounces to measure data quality (collection & mgmt practices)
Clicks to determine if recipients find your emails useful / interesting
Conversions and/or Revenue Per Email (RPE) to ensure your segmentation and messaging are aligned with your email goals.
Spam Complaint above your norms can highlight problems with list collection and maintenance, segmentation, frequency and the unsubscribe process. Work to reduce elevated complaint rates ASAP!
Unsubscribes highlight negative sentiments similar to complaints
By looking for the thing that’s odd within your picture, not the things that look normal, a problematic trend will stand out like a bunch of little Where’s Waldo dudes creepin’ over your grandfather’s shoulder in an otherwise completely normal family portrait.
Grant Wood. American Gothic. 1930, Art Institute of Chicago (styled with Where's Waldo? imagery from Martin Hanford. 2007, Candlewick Press).
Myth 6: Cold Email is Not Spam
There are two commonly accepted definitions of spam in the US:
To anti-abuse folks (like me), ‘spam’ refers to any unsolicited message sent in bulk by email.
Cold emailers reference compliance with CAN-SPAM or claim they’re exempt altogether. It’s long, so here are some high points:
This is usually their favorite part because it serves as a loophole for sending spam. As long as they can defend that the mail falls under ‘relationship’, it is exempt.
To cold emailers, exempt = legal = totally ok!
But defining ‘spam’ is the wrong argument altogether.
What really matters is that spam is in the eye of the beholder...first, it’s in the eye of the mailbox provider who gets to decide if a message is worthy of inbox placement.
Next, it’s in the eye of the recipient: Do they know who you are? Do they find value in what you sent? Are they ok with hearing from you again?
These things will determine if you continue to reach the inbox or not. Because if the answer is ‘no’ to any of these questions, they may mark your email as ‘spam’. Even if they signed up to receive it! And spam complaints are poison for deliverability.
So, say it with me, friends: legality ≠ inbox!
Myth 7: Inbox Placement Can Be Guaranteed
Truth time: NOPE. Not at all. No one can guarantee inbox placement. Mailbox providers control what makes it to their users' inboxes.
You can influence inbox placement, but you cannot guarantee it.
RUN AWAY if someone is promising you any kind of guarantee about inbox placement. They are lying. Full stop.
Ways to influence inbox placement
Instead, focus on sending it right by using best practices like getting permission before sending, authenticating emails, monitoring metrics, and making it easy to unsubscribe.
Always get permission before hitting ‘Send’. Skipping this leads to high bounce & spam complaint rates - both are bad for deliverability
Authenticate all email (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) - your ESP can help!
Follow your metrics to know what people like...and don’t. Improve your opt-in processes, segmentation, frequency & content accordingly
Make it easy to unsubscribe to reduce spam complaints
Myth 8: You’re in this Alone
Again, nope. Not at all. Not even a little bit.
There are tons of resources available to help you connect with fellow email practitioners to learn and ask questions, including the #emailgeeks Slack community, Women of Email, the Email Marketing Gurus LinkedIn group, and a bunch of events where you can network with other nerds (which is updated regularly by Randy Levy).
There are also a handful of expert blogs I read (or contribute to) regularly that help separate fact from fiction: Spam Resource, Word to the Wise, Email Karma, Spamhaus, SocketLabs, Litmus, I Should Know This By Now (ISKTBN), Kickbox, Only Influencers, and Inbox Collective...just to name a few. (Got a favorite blog I should add to the list? Please let me know. 💌)
Summing Up
Email myths: we've all faced ‘em. Some of us even drank that Kool-Aid for a while. NBD. Tasted good at the time. Until we realized that stuff we drank our entire childhoods was just artificially colored and flavored sugar water.
We’re older now. We know better.
My advice? Let your data do the talking and dedicate your time, money, and effort to email strategies that build trust and loyalty with would-be customers instead of alienating them with poorly targeted spam.
There are SO many other email myths out there…what’s one you would add to the list?
Reply and let me know so we can grump together. 💌
Until next time…happy sending!
