ConvertKit is a great email marketing platform. It supports content upgrades, customizable sign-up forms, email automation, and landing pages to help marketers bring in more email subscribers.

Sadly, even your well-intentioned ConvertKit email can end up in spam for a number of reasons. Sometimes, these reasons are beyond your control. At other times, though, it’s like you’re asking for it.

You see, your email marketing campaigns not reaching the inbox is more than just a “whoops we missed” event.”

For example, you may not have obtained the approval of your email recipients or you did not provide an unsubscribe link, which increases the odds that the recipient will report your email as spam.

So, if you fall short on your goal, now is the time to consider trying to improve your email deliverability.

Good thing there are tried-and-true strategies to help you reach the inbox in no time and that’s where we’ll focus our topic.

Here are the easy fixes that can help you keep your mail out of the spam folder:

Easy Ways Keep Your ConvertKit Emails Out of Spam Folder and In the Inbox

1. Be Compliant

Err on the side of caution. Depending on where your business is located, you should comply with anti-spam laws whenever you’re sending commercial emails.

Some of the most important legislation in the world for email senders and marketers include the California Consumer Protection Act (CCPA), the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Canada Anti-Spam Law (CASL), and CAN-SPAM.

Evaluate what the law in your country or state asks for senders. For instance, CAN-SPAM requires commercial emails to avoid deception by stating the purpose of the email and including an unsubscribe hyperlink in every email sent.

Need more information? Check out the Federal Trade Commission’s CAN-SPAM ACT Compliance Guide for Business here!

2. Authenticate Your Email

This part can be tricky. However, the solution is to verify that you are indeed who you claim to be and that your emails are legitimate. Why? It’s simple: email service providers, like Gmail, trust authenticated emails more than unauthenticated ones.

And if your ConvertKit email is authenticated, the ESP is more likely to deliver those emails straight into your recipients’ inboxes. Here are the four methods you can use to authenticate your email so it won’t be trapped in the spam filter.

  • Domain-Based Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) – This email authentication requires both DKIM and SPF to deliver emails. It makes it easier for ISPs to block malicious email practices, like email spoofing.
  • Brand Indicator for Message Identification (BIMI) – It enables the use of business logos in emails so that they will be more recognizable to receivers.
  • Sender Policy Framework (SPF) – This email authentication technique confirms your identity as the sender by comparing your IP (found in DNS record) with a list of Internet Protocol addresses that are authorized to send from that domain.
  • Domain Keys Identified Mail (DKIM) – DKIM makes sure that your emails are not tampered with during the sending process.

Note: You may experience a temporary drop in your open rate after setting up authentication records.

Don’t worry. Mailbox providers are just reevaluating your sender reputation, just like what happens every time there are major changes in the way you send your mails.

Open rates will return to normal after sending through the verified sending domain consistently after 2 to 3 weeks.

3. Build and Regularly Clean Your Email List

The next step to avoid your ConvertKit emails going to spam is to build an email list… the right way.

This includes putting out a sign-up sheet, leveraging your business cards, inviting people to “join the club,” organizing a giveaway, building a blog, or optimizing your main site for opt-ins.

But remember also that subscribers and email lists naturally drop off. At some point, there are just some people who no longer want to receive your emails and that’s okay! Don’t take it personally. What matters more is the quality of your list rather than the quantity.

Having people mark your email as spam will be detrimental to your sending reputation. So, it is best to regularly clean up your email list. Remove or segment the unengaged users. Prune your cold subscribers (those who have not clicked your email for the last 90 days) if necessary too.

4. Use Spam Checkers

Another way to keep your ConvertKit emails out of the spam folders and reach your subscribers’ inboxes is to use spam checkers.

These tools will protect your sender’s reputation and enhance the overall quality of your email because they will help you avoid spam trigger words.

While ISPs still have the final say as to how emails are filtered, email spam checkers often give senders a heads up as they prepare for new campaigns.

There are also some spam checkers that test the authentication of your email, whether SPF and DKIM are adequately set up. These tools likewise review your email content, making sure that there are no elements that would trigger the spam filter.

Usually, spam checkers flag email content with tons of exclamation marks, capital letter sentences, and spammy words both in the email body and the subject line.

5. Send Relevant Content

Have you ever subscribed to a website only to be bombarded with emails every single day? It sure is not a good experience, especially if most of the emails don’t even appeal to your interests.

The lesson here? No one wants to receive too many irrelevant emails. That’s why if you want to reach the inbox, send relevant content. Whatever you’re sending to your list will be a huge part of how these subscribers will see your brand and how your relationship will develop.

That is why we suggest putting your content at the core of your email marketing campaign and make sure to send it timely.

6. Provide Double Opt-In

A double opt-in subscription system will improve your overall deliverability. It’s a subscription system for adding new contacts to your list, wherein you collect email addresses through the sign-up form and then send a confirmation (or welcome email) in those email addresses to validate their contact information.

Using the double opt-in feature confirms the subscribers’ genuine interest in your messages. This will then keep your delivery and engagement rates high, while your spam traps low.

Want to know more about making opting forms and landing pages using ConvertKit? You can ask questions on its community page today!

7. Monitor Email Engagement Metrics

There are plenty of email engagement metrics you should be tracking to decipher which parts of your campaigns are working and which are not.

These include the bounce rate, complaint rate, and spam rate, subscribe and unsubscribe rates, open rate, unique open rate, and more!

Don’t worry. It’s easy to see some of these metrics in your ConvertKit dashboard. There are even detailed numbers on how your campaigns are performing.

And these features make the platform different from other ESPs. You can also ask and answer questions and share your experience with other users in ConvertKit.

But if you want to increase your email engagement, it is best to go beyond just measuring the numerical metrics. You can make your emails interactive and personal, celebrate your audience’s achievements, or be helpful and not just promotional.

You may also add a “Request Answer” feature to connect questions with people who can answer those queries or simply teach your subscribers something useful about them or you.

Your ConvertKit Emails are Inbox Worthy!

Yes, it is possible to run a thriving email campaign using ConvertKit. Follow the steps above and you can avoid email spam filters, which will eventually improve your email open rate!