Emailing your customers without ending up in spam: a basic guide
Consent, an identifiable sender, easy unsubscribe, useful content and domain setup so your emails get delivered.
Only email people who gave permission
To send marketing messages you generally need the person's consent or an existing customer relationship, depending on the applicable law (for example, GDPR and ePrivacy rules in the EU). Keep a record of when and how they agreed. For specific questions, ask a professional or your data protection authority.
Clear sender and easy unsubscribe
- Use a sender name your customers recognise.
- Include a one-click unsubscribe link in every email.
- Identify your business and a way to contact you.
Content worth opening
An email should have a concrete reason: news, a date, a useful tip. An honest subject line describing the content, one main message and a single clear action. Avoid misleading subject lines and promises you cannot keep.
Set up your domain
Major mailbox providers ask senders to authenticate their domain (SPF, DKIM and DMARC) and make unsubscribing easy. Your email or domain provider usually has a setup guide.