"Spam Words"

Discussion in 'Mail Chat' started by airin, Mar 8, 2012.

  1. airin

    airin Member

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    So I have hired an intern to start writing custom creatives and from/ subject lines for all of our deals. Our advertisers are starting to take notice and wanting to improve what they are giving us. I have a couple requesting lists of words they should avoid, so I figured where better to compile that list. =)

    The obvious like Free even escape most advertisers, as they have no concept of mailing.
     
  2. PushSend

    PushSend VIP

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    Frequently, more sophisticated anti-spam methods used by ISPs use a "point system" that identifies trigger phrases commonly used by Spam. If an email goes over the "points" it is filtered out, and is never delivered to a customer.

    Some of the more commonly used phrases that ISPs and mail clients filter out include:



    Free!
    50% off!
    Click Here
    Call now!
    Subscribe
    Earn $
    Discount!
    Eliminate Debt
    Double your income
    You're a Winner!
    Reverses Aging
    "Hidden"
    Information you requested
    "Stop" or "Stops"
    Lose Weight

    Multi level Marketing
    Million Dollars
    Opportunity
    Compare
    Removes
    Collect
    Amazing
    Cash Bonus
    Promise You
    Credit
    Loans
    Satisfaction Guaranteed
    Serious Cash
    Search Engine Listings


    There are other problematic phrases that can trigger some Spam filters, or start adding "Spam points" to emails sent out, and should be avoided. These include:



    Act Now!
    All New
    All Natural
    Avoid Bankruptcy
    As Seen On…
    Buy Direct
    Casino
    Cash
    Consolidate Your Debt
    Special Promotion
    Easy Terms
    Get Paid
    Guarantee, Guaranteed
    Great offer
    Give it away, Giving it away
    Join millions
    Meet Singles
    MLM
    No cost, No fees

    Offer
    One time
    Online pharmacy
    Online marketing
    Order Now
    Please Read
    Don't Delete
    Save up to
    Time limited
    Unsecured debt or credit
    Vacation
    Viagra
    Visit our web site
    While Supplies last
    Why pay more?
    Winner
    Work at home
    You've been selected


    Using quotation marks, dollar signs and exclamation points in subject lines will frequently trigger mail filters, as well as using all capital letters (shouting). You should also never put a toll-free number in the subject line, since that will also cause your email to be filtered out by many Spam filters. And never use a font size larger than 2+, or you could trigger some Spam filters.

    Please be aware that the above lists aren't meant to be comprehensive, and only identify some of the more common words and phrases that trigger Spam filters. One way to check? Send an email to yourself and some select friends (such as other Internet-based marketing moms) with Spam filters first, before sending it out to your customers, and see if it makes it through. Or, go out and buy one of the better software programs that will highlight words that could be identified as Spam. If you depend on email marketing to bring traffic to your web site, it is well worth the investment.



    source: internetbasedmoms.com
     
  3. PushSend

    PushSend VIP

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    Then you could always send them to the following link and have them pull from this rather extensive list:

    SpamAssassin Tests
     
  4. PushSend

    PushSend VIP

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    Or you could send them this:

    I built this list of some 250 words and phrases from two spam filter lists. It is not complete. I have left out porn trigger words. Most spam filters work on a point system, so that the occurrence of just one "spam phrase" probably won't trigger rejection -- except some which the filter considers notorious. SpamAssassin 2.43, for example, assigns default points for these top offenders, as follows:

    Reverses aging 3.37

    'Hidden' assets 3.28

    stop snoring 3.26

    Free investment 3.19

    Dig up dirt on friends 3.12

    Stock disclaimer statement 3.04

    Multi level marketing 3.01

    Compare rates 2.83

    Cable converter 2.75

    Claims you can be removed from the list 2.70

    Removes wrinkles 2.69

    Compete for your business 2.57

    free installation 2.51

    Free grant money 2.50

    Auto email removal 2.36

    Collect child support 2.33

    Free leads 2.29

    Amazing stuff 2.26

    Tells you it's an ad 2.21

    Cash bonus 2.20

    Promise you ...! 2.15

    Claims to be in accordance with some spam law 2.11

    Search engine listings 2.09

    free preview 2.07

    Credit bureaus 2.03

    No investment 2.01

    Serious cash 2.00

    But even if you don't use these notorious phrases, other spam words can add up. Here are some to be aware of in your e-mail newsletters -- and ads contained in your newsletters.


    4U
    Accept credit cards
    Act now! Don't hesitate!
    Additional income
    Addresses on CD
    All natural
    Amazing
    Apply Online
    As seen on
    Billing address
    Auto email removal
    Avoid bankruptcy
    Be amazed
    Be your own boss
    Being a member
    Big bucks
    Bill 1618
    Billion dollars
    Brand new pager
    Bulk email
    Buy direct
    Buying judgments
    Cable converter
    Call free
    Call now
    Calling creditors
    Cannot be combined with any other offer
    Cancel at any time
    Can't live without
    Cash bonus
    Cashcashcash
    Casino
    Cell phone cancer scam
    Cents on the dollar
    Check or money order
    Claims not to be selling anything
    Claims to be in accordance with some spam law
    Claims to be legal
    Claims you are a winner
    Claims you registered with some kind of partner
    Click below
    Click here link
    Click to remove
    Click to remove mailto
    Compare rates
    Compete for your business
    Confidentially on all orders
    Congratulations
    Consolidate debt and credit
    Stop snoring
    get it now
    Special promotion
    Copy accurately
    Copy DVDs
    Credit bureaus
    Credit card offers
    Cures baldness
    Dear email
    Dear friend
    Dear somebody
    Different reply to
    Dig up dirt on friends
    Direct email
    Direct marketing
    Discusses search engine listings
    Do it today
    Don't delete
    Drastically reduced
    Earn per week
    Easy terms
    Eliminate bad credit
    Email harvest
    Email marketing
    Expect to earn
    Fantastic deal
    Fast Viagra delivery
    Financial freedom
    Find out anything
    For free
    For instant access
    For just $ (some amt)
    Free access
    Free cell phone
    Free consultation
    Free DVD
    Free grant money
    Free hosting
    Free installation
    Free investment
    Free leads
    Free membership
    Free money
    Free offer
    Free preview
    Free priority mail
    Free quote
    Free sample
    Free trial
    Free website
    Full refund
    Get paid
    Get started now
    Gift certificate
    Great offer
    Guarantee
    Have you been turned down?
    Hidden assets
    Home employment
    Human growth hormone
    If only it were that easy
    In accordance with laws
    Increase sales
    Increase traffic
    Insurance
    Investment decision
    It's effective
    Join millions of Americans
    Laser printer
    Limited time only
    Long distance phone offer
    Lose weight spam
    Lower interest rates
    Lower monthly payment
    Lowest price
    Luxury car
    Mail in order form
    Marketing solutions
    Mass email
    Meet singles
    Member stuff
    Message contains disclaimer
    Money back
    Money making
    Month trial offer
    More Internet traffic
    Mortgage rates
    Multi level marketing
    MLM
    Name brand
    New customers only
    New domain extensions
    Nigerian
    No age restrictions
    No catch
    No claim forms
    No cost
    No credit check
    No disappointment
    No experience
    No fees
    No gimmick
    No inventory
    No investment
    No medical exams
    No middleman
    No obligation
    No purchase necessary
    No questions asked
    No selling
    No strings attached
    Not intended
    Off shore
    Offer expires
    Offers coupon
    Offers extra cash
    Offers free (often stolen) passwords
    Once in lifetime
    One hundred percent free
    One hundred percent guaranteed
    One time mailing
    Online biz opportunity
    Online pharmacy
    Only $
    Opportunity
    Opt in
    Order now
    Order status
    Orders shipped by priority mail
    Outstanding values
    Pennies a day
    People just leave money laying around
    Please read
    Potential earnings
    Print form signature
    Print out and fax
    Produced and sent out
    Profits
    Promise you ...!
    Pure profit
    Real thing
    Refinance home
    Removal instructions
    Remove in quotes
    Remove subject
    Removes wrinkles
    Reply remove subject
    Requires initial investment
    Reserves the right
    Reverses aging
    Risk free
    Round the world
    S 1618
    Safeguard notice
    Satisfaction guaranteed
    Save $
    Save big money
    Save up to
    Score with babes
    Section 301
    See for yourself
    Sent in compliance
    Serious cash
    Serious only
    Shopping spree
    Sign up free today
    Social security number
    Stainless steel
    Stock alert
    Stock disclaimer statement
    Stock pick
    Strong buy
    Stuff on sale
    Subject to credit
    Supplies are limited
    Take action now
    Talks about hidden charges
    Talks about prizes
    Tells you it's an ad
    Terms and conditions
    The best rates
    The following form
    They keep your money -- no refund!
    They're just giving it away
    This isn't junk
    This isn't spam
    University diplomas
    Unlimited
    Unsecured credit/debt
    Urgent
    US dollars
    Vacation offers
    Viagra and other drugs
    Wants credit card
    We hate spam
    We honor all
    Weekend getaway
    What are you waiting for?
    While supplies last
    While you sleep
    Who really wins?
    Why pay more?
    Will not believe your eyes
    Winner
    Winning
    Work at home
    You have been selected
    Your income


    source: WilsonWeb
     
  5. airin

    airin Member

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    Thank you Push. This is exactly what I was looking for. My intern and advertisers will definitely make good use of this post...which hopefully makes you more $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$.
     
  6. BigEricBug

    BigEricBug VIP

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    Nice work Push.....good sheet!
     
  7. DKPMO

    DKPMO VIP

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    It would be very interesting to see how much "avoiding specific words" would actually help you.

    The real problem is that most words indicating commercial intent are likely to end up on the list sooner or later and just FYI modern spam filters used by TLDs do not just filter / score specific words but learn on the fly to associate new words / phrases with recipient feedback. Fixed word list filters are more common on GI with pretty unsophisticated SpamAssassin setups.

    I think the bigger benefit to rewriting creatives is not as much getting them past modern spam filters as just adding a fresher spin to drive recipient action.

    /2 cents
     
  8. mx10

    mx10 VIP

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    lol collect child support
     
  9. PushSend

    PushSend VIP

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    How ya gonna get
    if you don't do better at
    ??

    I know you love pickin' shit apart, but anything a network can do to help mailers in general is a step in the right direction, no? Not every mailer takes the time to unique everything for themselves. And if you ever worked in a role such as airin does (and I have) you know anything you can do to help the advertisers ends up making EVERYONE more money.

    Remember - the clowns writing from/subjects most often are NOT mailers so they don't know shit about this stuff. They're copy writers and it it sounds good it has GOT to sell, right?

    They don't think in the same way as you and I as mailers do.
     
  10. DKPMO

    DKPMO VIP

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    Not sure why my comment is causing the controversy.

    Of course it is a great idea to have a network come up with better creatives... I just think maybe the focus should be not as much on avoiding spam words (though it could be possible to some extent) as just coming up with fresher calls to action to drive response.

    Best of all, come up with all possible ideas and then test and see. Of course if you have patience to actually run a test vs. just blast out the whole mix and hope it makes more money.

    Cheers
     
  11. PushSend

    PushSend VIP

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    And I'm not picking on you per se, just trying to point a couple of things out:

    call to action you say?

    Wouldn't the 1st call to action be the subject line?

    And if you can improve it in order to get around a few extra filters wouldn't that in turn work towards what you're talking about which would be the actual CTA within the creative itself?

    All I'm saying is that it can't hurt a thing if networks like Crush take the time to educate their advertisers in the ways of emailing such as she's trying to do.

    Nothing more bro...got nuttin' but love for you my man...just trying to support her point a bit is all.

    :five:
     
  12. DKPMO

    DKPMO VIP

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    You are correct, you have to get through filters before the call to action is seen.

    However I am doubtful that massaging a few words in a typical offer would make a big difference in getting through filters. But CTA on whatever gets through can make all the difference.

    It is generally very hard to figure out what increase in response can be attributed to better delivery/inboxing vs. just better CTA.
     
  13. BigEricBug

    BigEricBug VIP

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    I agree with Push on this one. Although it isn't the be all end all to not use any of these terms, it made a huge difference early on for me to utilize and understand info on this shit.

    You can't avoid using all of them, but not using the obvious ones that give u huge points against right out the box and testing to check ur scores previous is huge man.
     
  14. phdesign

    phdesign Active Member

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    I suppose this goes along with other stupid stuff in creatives that clueless designers leave in the HTML - all the retarded tags I clean out before mailing. Makes me wonder how peeps mail with full API integrations. Like Adstation where most of the creatives are the same exact dimensions. Hats off to the networks that actually mail as well and clean some of the crap up. Two more I see all the time in subjects: "Get (anything)" - Spamassasin seems to hate this one and "Your Family" No it doesn't actually hate your family ;)
     

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