Cold emailing remains a powerful outreach tool in 2025, but getting past spam filters is tougher than ever.
Email providers use advanced AI to detect unwanted messages, and even a single spam trigger word can land your email in the junk folder. From overly promotional phrases to misleading claims, certain words immediately raise red flags.
Understanding which words to avoid—and what to use instead—can drastically improve your deliverability. In this guide, we’ll cover 200 known spam trigger words to steer clear of, along with tips to ensure your cold emails reach the inbox.
But before we get into that, here are some additional best practices to stay out of the spam fold when doing cold email outreach in 2025.
How to Keep Emails Out of the Spam Folder in 2025
1. Authenticate Your Email Domain
Email authentication is crucial to proving your emails are legitimate. Without proper setup, your messages may be flagged as spam before they even reach the recipient. Here’s what you need to do:
SPF (Sender Policy Framework): Helps email providers verify that your emails are sent from an authorized server.
DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail): Adds a digital signature to your emails to confirm they haven’t been tampered with.
DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance): Tells email providers how to handle emails that fail SPF or DKIM checks.
Additionally, avoid using free email services like Gmail or Yahoo for cold outreach. Instead, use a verified business domain (e.g., yourname@yourcompany.com) to establish credibility.
For a more detailed guide, check out this video from MailChimp:
2. Personalize Your Emails and Avoid Spam Triggers
Generic, mass emails are more likely to be flagged as spam. Instead, craft personalized messages that show you’ve done your research. Here’s how:
Use the recipient’s name rather than a generic greeting like “Dear Sir/Madam.”
Mention a mutual connection or reference a specific detail about their business.
Avoid spam trigger words like “free,” “guarantee,” “limited-time offer,” or “urgent.”
Write naturally—avoid all caps, excessive exclamation points, and too many links.
For example, instead of saying:
“Get a FREE consultation now! LIMITED spots available! Click here!!!”
Try:
“Hi [Name], I saw that your company recently expanded to new markets, and I thought you might find [Solution] helpful. Would you be open to a quick chat?”
This approach feels more natural and less like an aggressive sales pitch.
3. Maintain a Healthy Email List
A bad email list can hurt your sender reputation and cause email providers to filter out your messages. To keep your list in top shape:
Remove inactive or unresponsive contacts to prevent high bounce rates.
Use a double opt-in process so recipients confirm their interest before receiving emails.
Make it easy to unsubscribe—burying the unsubscribe link forces recipients to mark your email as spam instead.
A clean email list means your messages are more likely to be welcomed rather than flagged as unwanted.
4. Monitor and Test Your Emails
Even if you follow best practices, you need to track performance and adjust your strategy. Use these methods:
A/B test subject lines to see which ones get the most opens.
Monitor open rates, click-through rates, and spam complaints with email tracking tools.
Check your sender reputation using tools like Google Postmaster or MXToolBox.
Look out for blacklists—if your domain gets flagged, your emails may never reach the inbox.
By testing and tweaking your approach, you can continually improve email deliverability. If you want to use something with more robust options for testing your emails, here is a list of 25 email testing services to check out.
With all that out of the way, here is a comprehensive list of over 200 common spam trigger words and phrases that have been identified over the years:
Email Spam Trigger Words to Avoid in 2025
Financial and Monetary Offers:
100% free
100% satisfied
Accept credit cards
Be your own boss
Best mortgage rates
Best price
Best rates
Big bucks
Billions
Billion dollars
Bonus
Buy direct
Cash bonus
Cashback
Certified
Cheap
Claims
Collect
Compare rates
Consolidate debt
Consolidation
Credit
Cure
Deal
Debt
Discount
Double your income
Earn
Earn extra cash
Earn money
Easy money
Eliminate bad credit
Extra cash
Extra income
Expect to earn
Fast cash
Financial freedom
Free access
Free consultation
Free gift
Free info
Free membership
Free preview
Free quote
Free trial
Full refund
Get paid
Guarantee
Increase sales
Increase traffic
Increase your sales
Incredible deal
Investment
Join millions
Loan
Lose weight
Lower interest rates
Lowest price
Luxury
Make money
Million dollars
Money back
No cost
No credit check
No fees
No hidden charges
No hidden costs
Offer
One-time
Only $
Penny stocks
Potential earnings
Pure profit
Refinance
Risk-free
Save big money
Save up to
Special promotion
Unsecured credit
Unsecured debt
Wealth
Win big
Winner
You are a winner
Urgency and Scarcity:
Act now
Apply now
As seen on
Before it's too late
Call now
Click here
Do it today
Don't delete
Don't hesitate
Don't miss out
Exclusive deal
Expires soon
Final call
Final chance
Final notice
For instant access
Get it now
Hurry up
Immediate action required
Instant
Instant access
Instant savings
Limited offer
Limited supply
Limited time
Marketing and Sales Promotions:
4U
50% off
0% risk
100% more
777
99%
99.9%
100%
Be your own boss
Best price
Big bucks
Billions
Bonus
Buy direct
Call now
Cancel at any time
Certified
Cheap
Click here
Congratulations
Deal
Double your income
Earn extra cash
Eliminate bad credit
Expect to earn
Extra cash
Free access
Free consultation
Free gift
Free info
Free membership
Free preview
Free quote
Free trial
Full refund
Guarantee
Increase sales
Increase traffic
Increase your sales
Incredible deal
Join millions
Lose weight
Lowest price
Luxury
Make money
Millionaire
Final Thoughts
Cold emailing in 2025 is all about delivering value while staying compliant with evolving spam filters.
By authenticating your domain, personalizing your outreach, maintaining a healthy email list, and monitoring performance, you can improve your chances of landing in the inbox.
Focus on building trust, and your emails will stand out for the right reasons—rather than getting lost in spam folders.
And if you're looking for help with email marketing, feel free to book a free consultation with us.
コメント