10 Reasons Your Cold Emails Might Be Getting Spam Reports (and How to Fix It)

Share the Post:

August 7, 2024

You spend so much time and energy on carefully crafted messages for your prospects, only for those emails to end up in the spam folder. It's a huge bummer, right? But not anymore.

Ever feel like your emails are about as welcome as a surprise visit from your chatty neighbor at 6 AM? If your prospects are hitting that “Mark as Spam” button faster than you can say “limited-time offer,” we need to talk.

Let’s dive into 10 reasons why your cold emails might be triggering spam reports—and more importantly, how you can fix it.

1. Sending Too Many Email (You’re Being a Bit Clingy…)

Look, we get it. You want to follow up and make sure your message doesn’t get lost in the inbox abyss. But bombarding people with emails every couple of days is a surefire way to annoy your prospects, especially if you’re targeting smaller businesses.

Fix it: Give your prospects some breathing room. Space out your follow-ups and consider cutting the least effective ones. Tailor your frequency based on the company size—if the industry is competitive, less might actually be more.

2. Confusing Subject Lines

Nobody likes feeling tricked. If your subject line doesn’t match what’s inside the email, people are gonna get cranky. So how can you still grab a prospect’s attention?

Fix it: Make sure the keywords in your subject line are actually in the email body. It’s a simple way to keep things honest. Use keywords that are relevant and avoid tactics like:

Subject lines that have nothing to do with the email content
False urgency (e.g., “Action Required!”)
Pretending to be interested in their services when you’re actually selling

3. Pestering People Who Aren't Interested

If someone’s not opening your emails, take the hint! Continuously emailing someone who’s not interested is a fast track to the spam folder. It’s time to move on to greener pastures.

Fix it: Implement a system to drop ice-cold leads based on their engagement:

Small businesses: Remove after 3 unopened emails
Mid-sized companies: Remove after 4 unopened emails
Large enterprises: Remove after 5 unopened emails

4. The Jokes Are Falling Flat

Humor is tricky in cold emails. Not everyone’s going to appreciate your witty puns when they’re drowning in their inbox.

Fix it: Skip the jokes and focus on what matters:

Explain why you’re reaching out in a straightforward manner
Address their problems and show that you understand what they’re facing
Start a conversation (don’t try to book a meeting right away)

5. Spamming the Whole Company

Blasting the same email to multiple people at the same company is a recipe for disaster. The decision-maker will get annoyed when they see multiple versions of your email forwarded their way.

Fix it: Tailor your approach based on the company size:

Small businesses: Contact 1 person max in a 30-day period
Mid-sized companies: Contact up to 3 people in 30 days
Big enterprises: Contact up to 5 people in 30 days

6. Repetitive Call-to-Action (You're a Broken Record)

If your call-to-action (CTA) is a broken record, repeating the same request over and over, you’re likely to frustrate your prospects. Mix it up!

Fix it: Keep your CTAs fresh and varied:

Stick to one clear question as your call to action 🎯
Don’t ask for a meeting right away (it can cut your success rate by HALF 👀)
Keep it short and sweet 🍭

7. Email Threads Are Getting Out of Hand

Email threads can boost engagement, but there’s a limit. If you overdo it, your emails can feel overwhelming and annoying.

Fix it: Limit your threads to a maximum of 3 emails. After that, start a new thread with a fresh subject line to re-engage your prospect.

8. You Sound Like a Used Car Salesman

Confidence is great, but being overly confident or presumptive in your emails makes you sound salesy or even cocky.

Fix it: Use a tone that’s more curious and genuinely interested in their business

Ask thoughtful questions: Show that you care about their specific challenges
Avoid hard sells: Let your interest in their success shine through—it’s more likely to get a positive response and less likely to trigger a spam report.

9. Stop Reminding Them They're Ignoring You

Phrases like “I’ve tried to reach you a couple of times” or “Just circling back” can be really annoying. They can make you sound needy and entitled.

Fix it: Skip these phrases entirely. Instead, offer something new or valuable that gives them a reason to engage with you.

10. Don't Have a Good Reason for Reaching Out

Generic emails based on just job titles and industries aren’t gonna cut it anymore. You need a compelling reason to contact each person.

Fix it: Personalize your outreach by using:

Content they’ve engaged with on LinkedIn or Twitter
Employee reviews on Glassdoor
Job postings they’ve listed
Changes in their technology stack
Reviews they’ve left on platforms like G2 Crowd

Do Outbound, not Spam.

Try it for FREE today