How Legitimate Marketers Can Prevent Spam Complaints
You don't have to be a spammer to be reported for spamming
 You
don't have to be a spammer to get reported for spamming. If you're a
legitimate marketer, and you send email newsletters and promotions long
enough, you're going to get reported. It's just a matter of time. In
fact, we've found that totally clean lists that are 100% double opt-in
will get one or two abuse reports per 50,000 recipients. Sometimes it's
just a simple mistake, such as an inexperienced user clicking on their
"report abuse" button as a convenient way to "unsubscribe" from an
email or "file away" what they consider "junk mail."
But even if it's a simple mistake, getting reported for abuse is
pretty serious. If a major ISP (such as AOL) receives even a small
handful of complaints about your emails, they'll start blocking all
email from your server. And if you use EmailLoop (or any email
marketing service, for that matter) that means your emails can affect
the deliverability of thousands of other legitimate marketers on our
system. One bad apple can truly spoil the whole bunch.
And since it's virtually inevitable to receive spam
complaints every now and then, email service providers like us are
constantly monitoring abuse reports from ISPs, blackhole lists, and
anti-spam networks so that we can immediately pinpoint any problems as
they arise, and re-distribute email delivery to different servers and
IP addresses while we investigate the account in question. You never
knew email delivery was so complicated, did you?
When you receive an abuse report, you're kind of "guilty until
proven innocent." All that the major ISPs care about is reducing
unwanted email for its customers. There's no negotiating with them, and
they don't have time to listen to excuses or long-winded explanations.
And who can blame them? They're too busy trying to handle the
bajillions of other spam complaints coming in.
But as long as you collected your email list legitimately, and you
can prove without a doubt that any complaint you received is a simple
mistake, you're in the clear. But if there's any question about
your list collection practices, it's likely your account will have to
be shut down. Incidentally, that's why our list management system uses
double opt-in, and why our terms of use
prohibit purchased and rented lists, or opt-out lists. That kinda stuff
generates too many complaints, even when they're technically or legally
legit.
Okay, so now you know that even legitimate email marketers can
receive spam complaints. And that it's almost inevitable. And when it
happens, it's drop-dead serious. So let's talk about how abuse reports
work, and how you can prevent them...
How Abuse Reports Work
When people receive what they think is "spam" or "junk mail," it's
really easy to just click a button in their email program and label it
as spam. When they do that, an "abuse report" is often created, and
sent to their ISP. Lots of users don't even know this stuff is
happening behind the scenes. And lots of users think the "spam" button
is just a convenient way to unsubscribe from your list! If their ISP
receives enough of these reports, they fire off an automated warning
message to the sender. If you're using EmailLoop to deliver your
emails, that "sender" is "EmailLoop.com." So it's our Abuse Desk staff
who receive these warning messages. Usually, the report is very terse.
It hides the identity of the person who is complaining. It usually
includes a copy of the email you sent, plus something to the effect of,
"Our customers are complaining about your emails.
You need to address this issue ASAP, or we'll start blocking all email
from your servers."
If the complaints continue within a certain timeframe, that's it. All
emails from that particular IP address of the sending server is
blocked. Most of the time, it's a temporary block. For some ISPs, the
block is permanent. Scary, huh? That's why we're constantly monitoring
all incoming complaints. It's why we have human reviewers to approve
all new accounts before they're allowed to send campaigns. It's why we
monitor our outgoing mail queue all the time, and why sometimes, you'll
hear from one of our reviewers with some tips on how you can make your
email seem "less spammy."
Reasons for False Abuse Reports
So why do legitimate email marketers get falsely accused of sending
spam? Sometimes, it's a simple mistake. But more often than not, it's
the marketers' own fault. Yeah, that's pretty harsh. But it's true.
Here are some common reasons marketers get accused of sending spam:
- The marketer collected emails legitimately (through an opt-in form
on their site), but took too long to contact his list. People receive
full-blown email newsletters "out of the blue" and they don't remember
opting in 2 years ago.
- The marketer runs an online store. They've got thousands of
email addresses of its customers who have purchased products from them
in the past. Now, they want to start emailing them. Instead of asking
people to join the email marketing list, they just start blasting
offers out.
- The marketer is exhibiting at a trade show. The trade show
organization has provided the marketer with a list of attendee email
addresses. Instead of emailing those people an invitation to join their
list (along with a little explanation about how they got their emails
from the tradeshow), the marketer just assumes they have permission,
and start emailing full-blown newsletters and promos.
- Fish bowls and business cards. Yep, we've all dropped our
business cards into a fish bowl somewhere to win some free lunch, or a
t-shirt, or a door prize of some sort. To marketers, it's common sense
that the fish bowl is a list collection technique. To prospects, it's
just a free lunch.
- Purchasing or renting members' email addresses from an
organization, then just adding them to their list without getting
permission first.
There's a common theme here. In all of the above cases, the missing element is PERMISSION.
The marketers are caught up in legal rules and definitions. But it's
not enough to be legal. You've got to have permission, too.
Ways to Prevent Abuse Reports
Hopefully, by now you understand that permission is extremely
important, and that without permission, you're going to be reported for
abuse (whether the email is legit or not). So here are some ways to
prevent spam complaints:
- Use the double opt-in method. This is standard in EmailLoop's list
management feature. If you use double opt-in, you have proof that each
and every recipient gave you permission to send them emails. Period.
- Even if they're your customers, don't send promotions without
permission first. Setup a separate "marketing list" for customers to
join. Tell them you're about to start up a great email newsletter, or
promotions program, and give them reasons (or free prizes) for signing
up. Don't just send them promotions "out of the blue."
- Don't use purchased lists. They're a waste of money, and
they're just plain wrong. Even if you acquired them legally, they're
against our terms of use.
- Don't hide your opt-out link. Make it very prominent. People
who no longer wish to receive your emails are going to click your
"Unsubscribe" link, or their "This is spam" button. Which would you
prefer? Some marketers are placing the "Unsubscribe" link at the top of their emails, so they're easy to find. We think this is a best practice, and we highly recommend it.
- Make sure your email looks reputable. If you're not a
designer, hire one. Your email needs to look like it came from your
company, not some scammer who is phishing for information. If your
email looks unprofessional, who would trust your unsubscribe link?
- Set expectations when people opt-in to your list. If people sign-up for monthly newsletters, but you also
send them weekly promotions, they're going to report you for spamming.
Set expectations. Tell them what you'll be sending, and how often.
Setup different lists (one for newsletters, one for special offers and
promotions). Understand that there's a difference between soft-sell
newsletters and hard-sell promotions. Don't mix them up.
More information
We hope you found this useful. If you're
interested in how all the different "abuse reporting" systems work, and
what email service providers like us have to do to "stay off the
blacklists," here are some resources for you:
- Guidelines for proper list management from MAPS, a major anti-spam blacklist service.
- AOL's Feedback Loop - The automated system that lets you know when your emails are generating spam reports.
- SpamCop Abuse Reports
- If you get on the SpamCop blackhole list, email servers all over the
world block your emails. One of the leading anti-spam organizations
around. One of the few organizations that will listen to reason.
- Abuse.net
- Sort of a "411" for abuse complaints. If you send email that someone
thinks is spam, this is where they (of their ISP) look for contact
information. If you're not listed here, you look kinda fishy.
- ESPC - Email Senders and Providers Coalition
- Organization for ESPs, ISPs, and email marketers in general. Best
practices and legal issues are discussed here. We're a member. If you
send (or receive) lots of email, you should consider joining.
- NANAE
- Where email server admins and anti-spammers meet and talk online.
You'll understand all the headaches they go through, and why you don't want to be forced into explaining yourself to these people.
Other Useful Resources:
- Free Email Marketing Guide
- Inbox Inspector:
Generate screenshots of your email designs in all the major email
programs, test all the major spam filters and email firewalls, and scan
for spammy keywords in one click.
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