Spam filters are responsible for deleting a high percentage of legitimate business emails from people who have no wish to spam. Here are some tips to avoid spam complaints in your emails or ezine.

Avoid the following triggers in your emails.

1. Excessive use of ALL CAPITALS in the subject line and body of your email.

2. The use of words like "free"(used alone or in combination with words like "trial","money", "quote", "sample", "membership", "access" etc.) Other more obvious word to avoid include "sex", "XXX","spam", "$$$", "checks", "money", "extra income", "as seen on TV". Even seemingly harmless word such as "search engine listings", "cable converter", and "reverses aging" will get you in trouble.

3. Excessive use of exclamation marks "!!!"

Tips for Staying on the Right Side of Spam Filters

1. Use words like "news", "newsletter", "list" in your subject line.

2. Say how often your ezine is published in the subject line - weekly, monthly.

3. Put date of newsletter in subject line.

4. Put issue number in the subject line.

5. Ensure your newsletter is a proper ezine with some substance in the text.

To help identify spam in your emails/ezines use the following spam checker always before you send anything out.

http://www.merchant-account-service.com/stop_spam_mail.html

Above all, use your common sense. We know what spam looks like, so avoid anything that resembles it in your ezine.

(C) John Lynch