Here we have gathered tips on actions you as a user can take and what to consider when creating emails in Rule to improve the deliverability of your mailings and reach more inboxes, which is of course highly prioritized in email marketing.

Connect your domain

Get help from your IT department or domain provider to set up DMARC and DKIM and connect your sender domain to Rule. With DMARC and DKIM in place, your domain determines who has the right to use the domain as a sender. By adding some records to your domain name server, you confirm that you own the email domain you use with Rule. This makes your emails look more authentic and reduces the chance of them being classified as spam.Read more about setting up DMARC and DKIM here.

Avoid "spam phrases"

Remember not to use words that trigger spam filters in your email, not even in the subject line or pre-header text. Even though some phrases may not necessarily put you in the spam folder automatically, it is wise to avoid using common "spam phrases" in general. Examples of words are:

1. Free
2. Offer
3. Gratis
4. Risk-free
5. Eliminate your debt

Avoid capital letters in the subject line

Even if you only use one word in your subject line that is in capital letters, the risk of your email going straight to spam increases significantly.

Be careful with exclamation marks

It's okay to use exclamation marks in the subject line and body text, but use them in moderation. For example, do not use multiple exclamation marks in a row and do not use them unnecessarily.

Do not use a noreply@ as the sender

Marketers often send their campaigns from non-responsive email senders. These email addresses give a false impression to your recipients. Why shouldn't they be able to reply directly if they have a question? There is more than one reason to avoid "no-reply" addresses, but above all, it affects deliverability, so use a professional company domain address instead.

Always write 'ALT texts' on your images.

Make it a habit to always use alternative text descriptions for images to be used in the email. Sometimes email images are not rendered correctly. This is especially the case on narrow screens like mobile and tablet. With an ALT text that briefly describes each image, you can at least convey the idea behind the image to those who cannot see it. Another positive attribute of using ALT text on images is that it increases deliverability, especially for Gmail. It is definitely worth taking a little extra time to fill in this field when working with images in the Rule content editor. Learn more about how to add Alt text here.

Do not use heavy images.

The total size of your email plays an important role in deliverability. It is important to note that using overly large emails can raise a red flag for spam filters. Consider the following things:

1. Keep a maximum weight of about 50 KB.
2. Make sure the image resolution is 72 dpi.
3. Save images in JPG, GIF, or PNG.

Embed forms.

Forms are not supported in emails through regular email clients due to security risks. Instead, you can add a button with a link to a separate landing page consisting of a form.

Do not use red text color.

The same goes for using invisible text, i.e. light font on a white background. These are common tricks used by spammers, so it is a quick red flag for spam filters.

Double-check spelling.

Not only are spelling errors in your email perceived as unprofessional, but they also trigger spam filters. So double-check the spelling before sending.

Double-check that links work.

Make it a habit to always double-check that the links in your email work as they should. If your email contains broken links, it can be a spam trigger.

2. Do not send an email that only contains images.
3. An email consisting only of images is always suspicious to anti-spam filters and is likely to be filtered as spam. Design your email in a way that has a good balance between the amount of text and images.
4. Some final quick tips:
5. Remember that the first recipients of your emails are those who have been most active historically. You can think of it as if the "most important and active recipients" are the ones prioritized by Rule and receive the message the fastest.
6. If you need to send an email at a specific time, make sure to send it a few hours before the desired arrival.
7. Ask recipients to add your email address to their address book to ensure your emails land safely in their inbox.
8. Encourage recipients to respond to your email. For example, Gmail automatically adds an email address to the address book if the recipient responds to an email.
9. Do not send campaigns with headlines that are too long or too short. Keep the length between 18 and 52 characters.