{"id":22944,"date":"2021-01-08T15:25:29","date_gmt":"2021-01-08T20:25:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/?p=22944"},"modified":"2025-07-16T12:05:41","modified_gmt":"2025-07-16T16:05:41","slug":"why-spam-trigger-words-are-a-thing-of-the-past","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/why-spam-trigger-words-are-a-thing-of-the-past","title":{"rendered":"Why spam trigger words are a thing of the past"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\t
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Creating an email can take a lot of work. So for it to land in the junk folder? A little soul crushing, not gonna lie. You might be tempted by the hundreds of articles on spam trigger words to avoid, but don\u2019t be fooled. Spam trigger words are mostly<\/em> an email deliverability myth<\/a>, and it now takes more than words to make it into the inbox.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udeab #EmailMarketing spam trigger words are an email deliverability myth.<\/em>
\n\u2705 Here\u2019s what spam filters actually look at.<\/em>
\nTweet this \u2192<\/a><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s get to the truth behind how spam filters really work.<\/p>\n

More than words: how spam filters actually work<\/h2>\n

When email marketing first took off in the 1970s and \u201880s, it was helpful to know which words to avoid so your email could escape the dreaded junk folder. However, this tactic made it easier for spammers to find their way into the inbox, too.<\/p>\n

As spammers have become smarter, though, so have spam filters.<\/p>\n

Mailbox and internet service providers (ISPs) like Outlook and Gmail now look beyond words to filter incoming email to their users. Three ways they do this are by checking Internet Protocol (IP) addresses and domains, email authentication, and subscriber engagement.<\/p>\n

Tip: You can be proactive with email spam testing<\/a> so you\u2019re not caught in an email deliverability dilemma\u2014those can be hard to get out of!<\/p>\n

Checking IPs and domains<\/h3>\n

Is your email coming from a blocklisted IP address? Are you linking to blocklisted websites? Is there something suspicious in your email header<\/a> like a sender email address that clearly doesn\u2019t match the sender\u2019s name?<\/p>\n

ISPs use a sender score or reputation to determine how credible or legitimate you are based on emails coming from your IP addresses and domains. Significant abuse gets you blocklisted<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Spammers try to get around this by churning through IP addresses and domains, which is why when you get a new IP address or domain, ISPs might think you\u2019re spam unless you do a proper IP and domain warmup<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Because of this, many spam filters also look at email authentication.<\/p>\n

Verifying email authentication<\/h3>\n

You\u2019ve got to prove you\u2019re the real thing. That\u2019s where email authentication<\/a> comes in. There are three standards:<\/p>\n