You wrote a good email, hit send, and heard nothing back. Before you blame your subject line, ask a more basic question: did anyone see it? When emails go to spam, the problem is rarely your message. It's the signals your sending setup gives inbox providers like Gmail and Outlook, which decide within seconds whether a message reaches the inbox, the Promotions tab, or spam.

Fix your email authentication

  1. Set up SPF. This record tells providers which servers are allowed to send email for your domain.
  2. Set up DKIM. It adds a digital signature that proves your message wasn't changed along the way.
  3. Add DMARC. It tells providers what to do when SPF or DKIM checks fail.

Protect your sender reputation

  1. Clean your list. Remove addresses that bounce. Too many bounces make you look careless.
  2. Stop emailing people who never open. Silent subscribers drag down your reputation.
  3. Email only people who asked to hear from you. Spam complaints are the fastest way into the spam folder.
  4. Warm up new domains and servers. Start small and grow your volume gradually.

Improve what's inside the email

  1. Watch your formatting. ALL CAPS, piles of exclamation marks, and image-only emails all raise suspicion.
  2. Make it easy to reply and to unsubscribe. A visible unsubscribe link is better than a spam complaint.

Spam folder vs the Promotions tab

Landing in the Promotions tab isn't the same as landing in spam. It's a sorting choice, and many people still read that tab. Focus first on staying out of the spam folder, then work on earning attention.

Next steps

No setup can promise perfect inbox placement, but fixing these nine things puts the odds on your side. Zaap Mail lets you connect your own sending provider and shows opens, clicks, and bounces, so you can see what is landing.