How to avoid the spam folder
Staying out of spam comes down to five things: authentication, reputation, list quality, content and engagement. Here's how to get each right.
There's no single trick to reach the inbox — filters weigh many signals. But the fundamentals are well understood, and you can check most of them for free with our tools.
Live reputation scoring
A 0–100 score built from real signals — authentication, bounces, complaints, placement and engagement — so you always know where you stand.
Inbox placement tracking
See whether your test mail lands in Primary, Promotions or Spam, plus SPF/DKIM/DMARC results, before you run a real campaign.
Gradual, human-like warmup
Volume ramps day by day from a safe baseline so mailbox providers see steady, organic growth instead of a spammy spike.
The deliverability checklist
1. Authenticate: publish valid SPF, DKIM and DMARC (check them with our free tools). 2. Stay off blacklists: verify your domain and IP aren't listed. 3. Clean your list: remove invalid and disposable addresses. 4. Mind your content: avoid spam-trigger words and heavy formatting. 5. Build reputation: warm up gradually and keep engagement high.
Get these five right and you've addressed the vast majority of spam-folder causes.
Frequently asked questions
What's the single biggest cause of landing in spam?
For most senders it's weak sender reputation combined with missing or misaligned authentication. Fix authentication, then build reputation through warmup.
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