Design for deliverability

Deliverability measures your ability to consistently Deliver marketing email to the intended recipient's inbox. Email deliverability can be affected by many factors including spam filters, blacklists, and bad addresses. When you design email templates, remember to include standardized items that make it easy for each message generated from the template to comply with anti-SPAM regulations, and to include elements that generate confidence in your brand.

Common methods to improve the deliverability of your email include the following practices.

  • Include a zone designed to provide an opt-out or unsubscribe link.
  • If your company can accommodate additional opt-out options (web-based, telephone, reply to email), include standardized text that describes how to do so.
  • Include a phrase that clearly identifies the email as an advertisement.

    For example, some companies use the unsubscribe statement at the bottom of an email to state "This email advertisement was sent to [email address of the recipient]. If you no longer want to receive these email messages, click here to unsubscribe." Such a sentence ensures that the email complies with US law.

  • Provide a valid physical mailing address for recipients to identify or use to contact the company.
  • Include a standard sentence that requests that recipients add the From address from the message to their address books.
  • Put your brand logo in the same place in every email from your company.
  • Do not use a single image that covers the entire message.

For more details about CAN-SPAM, see the official Federal Trade Commission (FTC) website, specifically the page The CAN-SPAM Act: A Compliance Guide for Business.