Introduction
This article describes some best practices to help prevent a legitimate mass email from being marked as spam.
Explanation
Mass emails can be marked as spam by machine learning algorithms for any number of reasons. Some of these reasons include:
- Mixed messages like an email relevant to a survey containing information about a raffle
- External links
- “URL shorteners” like bit.ly or Tiny url
- External recipients (emails in this category are the most likely to be marked a spam. It is very difficult to avoid)
If you are planning to send an email to any number of recipients, here are some best practices to consider:
- Avoid the possibility of the intent or content of the message being mixed or misinterpreted by
- Keeping the email content relevant to the original topic and
- Avoiding using any wording that attempts to entice recipients to respond such as raffles, promotions, or anything else they can win
- Limit recipients to internal only (vt.edu accounts)
- Send through university approved sending methods such as a Google Group (opt-in preferable) or Adobe Campaign. Especially if the email must go to external recipients.
- Avoid external links
- Avoid “URL shorteners” like bit.ly or tiny url
- Follow proper bulk sending guidelines
If you find yourself block from sending, submit a ticket to 4Help.
More Information
Bulk Email Sending
Self-Reporting Spam and Phishes
Virginia Tech Google Groups
How to protect yourself from phishing attacks
Knowing your responsibilities when receiving an email that violates acceptable usage