Don’t sound like a spammer

Don’t sound like a spammer: Here’s a quick PSA for you – every week I look down a list of over 8,000 junk email messages that my anti-spam service caught. I’ll only peruse it very quickly and then select all and delete. Very occasionally I’ll see a message that really isn’t spam, usually because it’s from someone I recognize, and the subject line is meaningful to me. Among all the blatant spam that’s easy to spot, I see a number of subject line variations that continue to crop up. These subject lines are pretty reliable spam indicators. If you want to make sure your email gets read, then you should avoid using a subject line that smacks of spam (I’ve got a top 25 list below). Here’s what you should do:

1. If you are replying to or forwarding an email from someone else, use the same subject line as the original message, with either Re: or Fwd: added at the beginning (most email programs will do this for you automatically).
2. If you are composing a new email to someone, do NOT use all caps! While that used to be the mark of an email newbie (or someone who always yells), it’s now become a mark of a spammer.
3. By the same token, do not omit filling in a subject line. Craft the wording of your subject line to be meaningful to the person or people you’re sending – avoid ‘boilerplate’ language. Meaning, don’t be cryptic in your subject line, spell out what the email is about.

Billions of emails are flying around the internet every day, and fully 90% of them are classified as spam. For those of us who haven’t quite given up on using email to communicate, we are all in the same boat – being inundated with spam. So most people tend to triage their inboxes, by using the from address and/or the subject line, and then bulk deleting emails that don’t look interesting. So when you compose an email and don’t bother to craft a good subject line, you’re upping your chances of not being seen.

Here is a relatively short list of often-repeated subject lines (and fragments). You should avoid using these as many spam-catching services will automatically block messages using subject lines like these. And even if the spam-catchers don’t, more and more people’s eyes glaze over as they look at their full inboxes and they just hit the delete button without bothering to open the email.

1. Hi or Hello or Hey
2. Just a quick note or is it time or take a minute
3. Urgent Attention or Urgent or Urgent _______
4. Please read or Big News or new this week
5. Last Call or Last Chance
6. I need your response or Response Required or Need Feedback
7. A thank you from us or Thanks or Thank you
8. Your ___ account status
9. From: _____
10. Job Offer
11. Re: bill
12. [blank or no subject line]
13. Why you should ______ or Do you like _______ or Do you need help _______
14. Ultimate guide to _______ or Ultimate
15. Fwd: ______________ or Re: ____________ [any subject line you don’t recognize]
16. Business Opportunity
17. Service Termination
18. Request for a ___________
19. Your ______ is/are ready
20. [a date and/or time]
21. out of time
22. [VOICE MAIL] Personal message
23. sorry
24. You have __ new ______
25. get a free ______

If you’re guilty of using subject lines that contain or are similar (or exactly) like any of the above, then I suggest you change your habits. Unless of course you are a spammer, and then by all means ignore my advice!

Lastly, avoid sending an email to more than just a few people. If you want to get your missive out to everybody on your school PTA, sports team, Mah Jongg group or whatever, then please use a bulk email service. MailChimp and SendBlaster are good free services. Constant Contact or iContact are good services for commercial ventures. Sending an email out to more than about 10 people is a quick way to get yourself blacklisted.