Black Friday is all about the sales pitch. So you’ll be sending sales emails – quite a few of them, over a short period of time. So what does that mean for your deliverability and spam complaint rate? Is there something you can do to avoid triggering the spam filters and making sure your Black Friday promo emails are visible in your audience’s inbox?
I sat down with Matt Brown, copywriter, full-stack marketer, and email deliverability expert and went deep into how not to trigger the spam filters with your Black Friday emails, improve your sender reputation, boost email engagement, and ensure your promotions actually land in your subscribers’ inboxes.
In 2020, Adobe Analytics reported that U.S. retailers sent over 10 billion emails during Black Friday weekend alone. Other studies and reports, like those from SendGrid or MailChimp, show that email marketing volumes can increase by 30-60% during major sales events like Black Friday.
So, with that insane competition in the inbox, the last thing you want is for your email to end up in the spam folder.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Overview
04:33 Preparing for Black Friday
07:41 Monitoring Email Placement
10:12 Google’s Perspective on Spam Filters
14:21 Impact of Subject Lines on Deliverability
19:43 Using Multiple Domains for Black Friday
29:41 Frequency of Sending and Deliverability
35:46 The Pitfalls of Buying Email Lists
40:18 Final Advice for Black Friday Campaigns
42:36 Conclusion
Hey, this season of Master the Inbox is all about helping you get ready for a profitable Black Friday.
You’ll learn from experts what are the exact steps you should be taking to create a no-brainer offer, build a profitable funnel, keep your list healthy and even write emails that convert without damaging your reputation.
Here’s a glimpse of what you can expect from this episode
In this episode, Monica Badiu and guest Matt Brown discuss how to avoid triggering spam filters with Black Friday emails. They emphasize the importance of working on deliverability in advance and maintaining high engagement and a clean list. Matt explains that Google and Yahoo have specific guidelines for spam complaint rates and recommend using Google Postmaster Tools to monitor reputation. They also address the use of emojis and discount words in subject lines, the impact of frequency on deliverability, and the pitfalls of buying email lists. Overall, they encourage running a Black Friday campaign and offer advice for success.
Takeaways
- Start working on deliverability in advance to avoid triggering spam filters with Black Friday emails.
- Maintain high engagement and a clean list to improve deliverability.
- Use Google Postmaster Tools to monitor reputation and spam complaint rates.
- Emojis and discount words in subject lines can be used if you have a high sender reputation.
- Buying email lists is not recommended and can harm deliverability.
- Running a Black Friday campaign can be highly profitable, and deliverability issues can be fixed afterward.
Start Preparing Early for Black Friday
Deliverability issues take time to fix, and waiting until the last minute could cost you sales. Matt emphasized that you should start working on your email deliverability months before Black Friday to identify and resolve any potential problems. Early preparation allows you to clean up your list, maintain engagement, and ensure you’re ready when it matters most.
Monitor Your Sender Reputation
Your sender reputation is key to making sure your emails land in the inbox, not the spam folder. Tools like Google Postmaster can give you valuable insights into your domain’s reputation, IP performance, and spam complaint rates. Keeping these in check ensures you have a better chance of reaching your audience.
Email Content Matters Less Than Reputation
Contrary to popular belief, content like using emojis or phrases like “discount” in your subject lines won’t automatically send your emails to spam. Instead, your sender reputation plays a bigger role. If you have a strong, well-established reputation, you can be more flexible with your content.
Unsubscribes Are Better Than Spam Complaints
Don’t fear high unsubscribe rates—Matt pointed out that unsubscribes are actually a positive signal to email service providers. They show that recipients are taking a responsible action instead of marking your emails as spam, which would hurt your deliverability. Letting people who aren’t interested unsubscribe will help maintain a healthy list.
Watch Your Frequency During Black Friday
Sending too many emails to disengaged subscribers can hurt your deliverability during the high-traffic holiday season. However, if your audience is engaged, increasing frequency during Black Friday can actually boost your reputation. It’s crucial to strike the right balance and avoid overwhelming inactive users.
Meet my guest, Matt Brown
Matt is a copywriter, full-stack marketer, and email deliverability expert.
Over the past 5 years, he’s managed lists from 1,000 to 200,000+ active subscribers in a variety of markets – including SaaS, Ecommerce, Online Education, Coaching, and more.
Now, he partners with entrepreneurs and business owners to fix deep-seated deliverability issues, boost email performance, and grow revenue.
He’s the author of the Deliverability Now newsletter, where he sends out weekly tips and strategies designed to help you win big with email.
Matt lives in Portland, OR with his wife Lisa and cat Clementine.
Connect with Matt:
Sign up for my free weekly newsletter here: https://deliverabilitynow.com/
Quotes
“The content of your email matters less than your reputation as a sender. If your reputation is high, you can get away with a lot more in terms of subject lines and copy.”
– Matt Brown
“Unsubscribes clear out the people who don’t want to hear from you, which can actually improve your next email’s performance.””
– Matt Brown
“Gmail’s spam filters ramp up significantly during the holidays. You have to be in the best shape possible heading into Black Friday, or you’ll risk your emails getting buried in spam folders.”
Matt Brown
“Deliverability isn’t something you can just set and forget. If you want your emails to perform well this Black Friday, you need to start looking at them now and make sure everything is in order.”
“If your open rates are consistently above 50%, that’s a good sign you’re landing in the primary inbox. If you’re below 20%, you likely have some deliverability issues to address.”
“If you see a spike in unsubscribes without accompanying spam complaints, that’s actually a good thing—it means people are opting out instead of reporting your email as spam.”
“When it comes to spam complaint rates, Google recommends keeping it below 0.3%. Anything higher and you’ll start seeing deliverability issues.”
“If you’re sending emails from a brand new domain or IP just before Black Friday, you’re setting yourself up for failure. Warming up a domain takes time, and this isn’t something you want to experiment with last minute.”
“Spam filters are more fine-tuned and personalized than ever before. Testing your deliverability using tools like GlockApps and ZeroBounce can give you a clearer picture of where you stand.”
“Even if you encounter deliverability issues after Black Friday, don’t worry. They’re fixable, and it’s better to go all in during the sales season and clean up later than to sit it out because of fear.”
Ready to Plan Your Black Friday Campaign?
If you want to run a successful Black Friday campaign but need some guidance, I’ve got something special for you. There is a Black Friday resources vault right here.
Hi. And welcome. My name is Monica Badiu. I am a marketing consultant turned conversion copywriter and copy coach. I help online course creators and info product businesses sell more through persuasive, non-spammy, no fluff copywriting.
I teach about copywriting, digital marketing, and conversion strategies tested in my businesses and with my clients.
Other links:
- Get to know more about Monica Badiu: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monicabadiu
- Visit Monica’s website: https://www.monicabadiu.com
- Listen more Master the Inbox episodes: https://www.monicabadiu.com/master-the-inbox-podcast/
- Get your Black Friday resources: https://www.monicabadiu.com/black-friday-resources/
- Read Monica’s blogs: https://www.monicabadiu.com/blog
- Get your freebies: https://www.monicabadiu.com/freebie
- Get assistance with your copywriting by scheduling a free discovery call: https://www.monicabadiu.com/contact
- Learn more about running successful email promos: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmXZEZDMnLQf1GnQeRfO5nUjNtZwEzoi0
Want to learn email copywriting?
Start by analyzing what others are doing. My Email Teardown series showcases some of the best (and sometimes worst) examples of sales emails that have hit my inbox. Here’s the link to the playlist. I publish new email reviews every week.
Are you a course creator?
Email marketing is one of those channels you should be developing early on in your business. Here are The 9 Email Automations Every Course Creator Needs to make bank, enroll students, and nurture audiences.
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Hi! I’m Monica. I help course creators enroll, engage, and educate audiences through customer-centric email copywriting. I’ve been privileged to partner with course creators from all over the world. And I’ve seen this customer-centric approach to email marketing work every time.
The best part? It’s not about the sale.
Email marketing is a fantastic channel because it builds trust, delivers value, and positions the brand as a partner. Read more on my blog or listen to Master The Inbox, the podcast where I share all my conversion secrets.