FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

How using words and phrases associated with spam may prevent your email from getting delivered

BOULDER, Colo. - Even though recent reports indicate that the amount of spam being sent has significantly decreased in the last month, these unsolicited messages are still a major problem, and not just because they're annoying. In addition to clogging inboxes with unwanted email, the prevalence of spam has had the unfortunate effect of causing legitimate messages to be marked as spam and filtered (or deleted) accordingly by zealous spam filters and ISPs who are trying to protect their users from the scourge of spam, according to the Institute of Social Internet Public Policy (ISIPP).

"ISPs and spam filters have to rely on certain criteria to determine whether a message is spam, and while these mechanisms greatly reduce the amount of spam users receive in their inbox, they aren't perfect," says Anne P. Mitchell, CEO of ISIPP. "Among other things, this means that legitimate, solicited email is often incorrectly identified as spam, and thus is never seen by the intended recipient of the email."

Although there are a number of different ways that valid email can be marked as spam, one of the more intuitive reasons this occurs involves the content of sent email. Certain words and phrases will appear as red flags to ISPs and spam filters, and when this occurs, your email will be relegated to the spam folder at best, or never delivered at worst.

To avoid this, ISIPP offers this list of 10 words and phrases you should always avoid while composing email. Clearly, the words and phrases below would primarily appear in commercial email, so if you are trying to reach potential costumers through email, make sure to avoid the language on this list.

-Additional income

-All natural

-Apply online

-Avoid bankruptcy

-Click here

-Congratulations

-Consolidate debt and credit

-Dear friend

-Don't delete

-Home employment

It is important to note that content filters are not standardized, so words that suggest spam to one filter may not indicate the same to another. Still, most filters employ some form of a point system, such that certain words and phrases associated with spam are assigned points, and if the total points assigned to an email exceed a certain threshold, the email will be marked as spam. Because the words and phrases listed above will likely be given points, they should be avoided, even if they aren't recognized as red flags by all filters.

In addition to avoiding the words listed above, ISPs and spam filters will often block content with the following characteristics:

-Obvious misspellings; e.g., loan$, sxxy

-Offers for brand-name prescription drugs

-Sexually explicit material

-Falsified header information, as spammers are known to do

-Claims that the recipient is a winner (such claims also appear in countless email scams, one of the most malicious forms of spam)

By avoiding these words, phrases, and practices, the likelihood of your email being delivered to the inbox is greatly increased.

A full list of words and phrases to avoid is included in ISIPP's Email Deliverability Handbook, available for purchase through ISIPP's SuretyMail Email Accreditation Program.

ABOUT ISIPP SURETYMAIL:

The Institute for Social Internet Public Policy (ISIPP) is dedicated to providing analysis, information and consulting on industry issues relating to public policies and processes regarding spam, email, email deliverability, and the Internet. ISIPP's widely-acclaimed SuretyMail Email Accreditation service helps business email senders ensure that their email gets delivered to the inbox instead of the junk folder. Email senders around the world currently send more than 2 billion pieces of email a month backed by SuretyMail's money-back guarantee. To join them, see http://www.SuretyMail.com/

ISIPP

2525 Arapahoe Ave, #E4-302

Boulder, CO 80302