It's a newsletter publisher's nightmare--being accused of sending spam and then blocked from reaching their subscribers.
One of the most difficult things to deal with is being accused of spamming. It can cause all sorts of frustrations:
- If
you use a newsletter script hosted on your own website it can result in
your IP being blacklisted and then you'll have trouble getting your
regular business email delivered (not just your newsletter).
- If
you use a third party hosting service, your domain email won't get
blacklisted, but your newsletters won't reach your subscribers.
You don't want either of these things to happen!
How
can you avoid it? Some people will click the "Spam" reporting button
instead of unsubscribing, no matter how easy you make it, and then
you'll need to deal with getting de-listed, but there are some ways to
protect yourself from being accused of spamming.
1) Don't Send Spam
This
sounds obvious, I know, but many small businesses don't realize exactly
what spam is. Spam isn't just the ads you get for stocks, medicines, or
winning international lotteries. It's any unsolicited commercial email.
Unsolicited means you sent it to someone who didn't specifically
request it.
What does this mean for you? Don't take your entire
contact list of emails and add them to your newsletter! Do not add
anyone who has not requested specifically to receive sales related
emails from you. If at all possible, you need an IP address and
timestamp proving they requested it (third party newsletter hosts will
track and keep this information for you).
In addition, you MUST
comply with the CAN-SPAM act by providing an unsubscribe link in every
newsletter you send, as well as your complete postal mailing address.
If someone requests removal you need to remove them promptly and be
sure they stay removed from your list.
2) Double Opt-In Only
Always
require double opt-in for your newsletter. This means after the person gives you their
email address, a verification email is sent that they must respond to
(usually by clicking a link or replying to the message) in order to be
added to your list. This ensures that the email address is correct and
current. It also means you've got two methods to prove to a service
provider who thinks you're spamming that the email address did want to
receive your newsletter.
3) Ask Your Subscribers to Whitelist You
The
process varies depending on what email service your subscribers are
using, but include a note at the top of your newsletters asking your
subscribers to please whitelist your email address or add you to their
friends list. If they take this step you're much more likely to end up
in their inbox instead of their junk mail folder. You could use
something like, "So we can be sure you continue receiving great tips
from us to help you run your business each week, please take a few
seconds to add yournewsletteraddress @ yourdomain.com to your whitelist
or friends list. Thank you!"
4) Include a Permission Reminder and Note About Unsubscriptions
Sometimes
people forget that they've subscribed to a newsletter (be sure you send
out regularly so your subscribers don't forget you!). To help jog their
memory, you can include a permission reminder somewhere near the top of
your newsletter. "This newsletter is only sent with permission to those
who've requested it at our website yoursite.com but if you'd like to
change your address or unsubscribe just scroll to the bottom of this
email and click the link." If it's easy to see where/how to
unsubscribe, people will be more likely to use that feature instead of
reporting you as a spammer.
5) Run Your Newsletter Through a Spam Checker Before Sending
Once
you've completed writing your newsletter, take time to run it through a
reliable spam checker. Some services (like GetResponse and Aweber) have
this feature built-in. If your sending service doesn't, here are two
good free ones:
http://spamcheck.sitesell.com - This site will give you a "Spam Score" and recommendations on how to reduce it.
http://programmersheaven.com/webtools/Spam-Checker/spamchecker.aspx - This tool checks based on SpamAssassin and SpamBayes rules.
6) Keep Tabs on Your IP and it's Blacklist Status
There
are lots of different blacklists out there that your IP address may get
added to if you are accused of spamming. Your IP address is sort of the
numerical version of your domain name, except it's not always unique to
you and is probably shared with other sites hosted by your website
host, unless you have an SSL certificate or other reason for your own
unique IP. You don't need to worry about this with a third-party hosted
newsletter service because they monitor their IPs, but if you're
hosting your own newsletter, then check your IP status at the following
websites:
http://mxtoolbox.com/blacklists.aspx
http://rbls.org/index.html
What
can you do if you're blocked for spamming and stuck on a black list? If
you get placed on a blacklist you'll need to request removal. It sounds
a little intimidating, but it's really not a scary process. When you
receive a bounce notice that assumes your newsletter was spam, look
closely to find the service provider who bounced you. Start at their
website and do a search to see what you can find about their spam list
and removal process. If you can't find how to remove yourself from
their blacklist, a phone call to their customer service department
should help. Your website host may also be able to guide you through
getting your IP de-listed.
These six tips will help you successfully deliver your newsletter to the inbox of the people who've requested it.
