Do You Know What Can Turn Your PR Outreach into Spam? If you have used a number of different email service providers, you’d know that they do not filter spam equally well. That is because each has its own spam filtering algorithm even though the CAN-SPAM Act specifies clearly what spam is. The point of mentioning this is, no matter your intent, your PR outreach could very well find a permanent place in the spam folder if you are not careful with your appearance. Follow a few simple rules that are mostly based on common sense, anyway, to ensure that you bypass those spam filters.
Why would anyone open your mail in the first place? Two reasons, actually. They know you or, your subject line is compelling enough. State clearly, what you are all about. This does not necessarily have to be salesy, but give them some kind of reason to stop at your mail when they are scanning their inbox. The specifics will depend upon your business, but do take the subject line as a make or break element.
2. The best mail-opener
One thing that is almost guaranteed to work is when you address an individual by name or, at least, by designation. If you are using a generic company or press address, you are blending in with the rest of the people who use a web contact form to send mails. Make an effort to find out whom it is exactly that you should be talking to.
There’s another problem here: The first name-fix PHP code can generate individual names in bulk mails, and people (and email services) are aware of this strategy. You don’t want to appear like just another Internet Marketer looking to sell something to a harvested list. Think about how you can make it look different. For example, you can use the Fax format of writing ‘Attn’ before the recipient’s name, and use an underscore to state your subject.
3. Where are you from?
It is a rule that you cannot use just a company name in the ‘From:’ field. Add your name before it and use the underscore again. If you don’t do this, your mail could be rejected as spam by the service provider even before your recipient has a chance to see its otherwise compelling subject line.
4. Option to opt out
Your mail footer must contain an unsubscribe or opt-out link. Moreover, a click is all that the recipient should have to do to get the job done (apart from being taken to the unsubscribe page and checking the appropriate box). Don’t ever require them to send you a mail to get relief from your mails. Nobody has the time, and it is your responsibility, anyway.
5. Getting physical
We mean your physical location, of course! A company address with full contact details has to go below your signature line. A concrete, reachable physical presence is essential in any communication, and more so when you are in the virtual world.
6. Are you safe for work?
In certain cases you may have to send mature content. Make sure your subject line reflects that. Simply writing ’Mature Content’ or something similar in brackets at the end of your subject line is good enough. Just make sure you don’t end up embarrassing the person who may be opening your mail in the office, in full view of their colleagues. That would be as bad as spamming – the person concerned is very likely to blacklist your email if you are deemed unsafe.
7. Use your own domain
A free email address is rather unprofessional. If you are reaching out for publicity, at least have your own domain and email. When you have invested in your own domain, you appear serious. That counts. Again, this is not a measure against being spammed per se, but part of your overall strategy to stand out and not be marginalized (which is about the same as being relegated to the spam folder).
8. Don’t get too desperate
Even if you haven’t had much luck with receiving replies to your mails, don’t get to the point where you use a reputed company’s headers to con your way into being read. That would be illegal, above all else, and would certainly not work wonders for your reputation.
9. Don’t send to bought lists
Yes, a lot of marketers do that, but stay away from buying or harvesting emails. Put in a little effort and find out whom you should be communicating with, instead. Do a Google search, talk to your contacts, generally make inquiries – do whatever it takes to be in a position to answer the question that might come if you manage to make contact: ’Where did you find my email?’.
That’s about all, more or less. If you are aware that you could be misunderstood, you should be able to do things right. Let us repeat: it is not only the intent that counts – you must work on your appearance first.
