April 2, 2020
at less than 2 cents each, healthcare emails are one of the least expensive marketing tactics. ’s highly targeted, and you’ll know immediately what’s working and what’s not. Awesome, right? But your email has to be received first. That means it needs to plow through a SPAM filter on the receiving side first. The cause of SPAM-outs ranges from a suspiciously large load of code to a blacklisted server that sends the email.
The one that will blindside you, though, is the use of specific words in the text. It may be a perfectly fine word, but in some contexts, it might be evidence of a scam. Here are a few in the medical category:
- Diagnostics
- Medicine
- Valium, Xanax, Viagra, Vicodin
- Life insurance
They seem innocent enough, but they may also be part of a come-on.
- Here are a few phrases related to marketing
- Not spam, this isn’t junk, this isn’t SPAM
- Undisclosed recipient
- Click here, click below, click to remove
- One-time mailing
- You will not believe your eyes
These general terms may also have double meanings in the SPAM world.
- ACCEPTANCE, ACCORDINGLY, AVOID (the words themselves, and all caps, in general, aren't recommended)
- Chance
- Medium
- Passwords
- Success
- Miracle
- Lifetime
- Stop
You might think that “Medium” means the middle size of the product we offer, not the crank using an Ouija board. Keep in mind that it’s all about context. One word may not get your email chucked, but several of them may if it’s perceived to be in a spammy piece of copy.
A good time to check is after you get a flurry of rejections. Give your copy the Eagle eye and make a list of suspects to review with your vendor.
Are you having other problems with email deliverability? See this article on bounce rates.