Earlier today Return Path had a informative webinar about avoiding spam traps and email deliverability.
The following is a list of tips to help avoid sending email newsletters to spam trap addresses:
The following is a list of tips to help avoid sending email newsletters to spam trap addresses:
- Do not allow generic addresses and role accounts to be subscribed (webmaster@, abuse@, support@)
- Remove addresses from your list that bounce (5xx user unknown, access denied)
- Confirm opt-in new subscribers (send an email and make them click a confirmation link)
- Block suspicious behavior (many subscriptions from a single IP address)
- Segment your email into dedicated outgoing IP addresses
- Use hidden fields in your forms to help detect human vs. bot activity
- Some people recommend CAPTCHA but those are easily broken (try hard to answer questions that are easy for humans)
- Audit the lists from data providers and reject compromised lists that don't meet your quality standards
- Never buy an email list from a 3rd party!