20 Words that Send Cold Email to Spam

Writing email copy has turned into a fine art. While there is no exact route to getting the results your business bank account is craving, there are some firm DON’T-DOs that you need to avoid in your cold email outreach…

A big one of these is to avoid words that trigger your email to land in the SPAM folder of the recipient.

Email providers will flag copy that includes phrases that appear to overpromise a positive outcome with a goal of retrieving sensitive information from the recipient. While you definitely need to be clear on the value you will offer the recipient in your cold email outreach, you need to do it in a way that is genuine and not gimmicky. If it sounds too good to be true, the smart email providers will probably pick it up as desperation aka possible fraud.

So which phrases may ruin the future of your email? There are hundreds, but here are 20 examples that should give you an understanding of what to avoid:

One hundred percent guaranteed
Act now
Now only
Once in a lifetime
Free gift
Unlimited
Join millions
No strings attached
Big bucks
No fees
Pure profit
Money
Additional Income
100%
Take action
Offer expires
Do it today
Apply now
This won’t last
Will not believe your eyes

Chances are you wouldn’t use these phrases if you were in a meeting with a potential client, so keep it real, speak to them like you would in real life. And remember, don’t over-promise, but do show value.