Blacklisting occurs in email marketing when your emails are flagged as spam by either the subscriber or the email platform filters. Blacklisting hurts your sender reputation and the likelihood of emails landing in the primary email inbox. The opposite of blacklisting is whitelisting, also known as a "safe sender" list.
Whitelisting occurs when a subscriber tells the email platform directly, they want to receive your emails. You will want to encourage your subscribers to whitelist you to increase the likelihood of receiving your emails in their primary inbox. When subscribers whitelist your email, it is the equivalent of going from an unknown phone number to being saved as a contact in your subscriber's contact list.
How to whitelist with Gmail:
- Settings (gear) icon"Settings"
- "Filters and Blocked Addresses"
- "Create a new filter
- "From: "(email address)" desired to move to main inbox
- "Create filter"
- "Never send it to Spam"
- "Create filter"
How to whitelist with Yahoo:
- Settings (gear) icon
- "More Settings"
- "Filters"
- "Add new filter"
- From: contains "(email address)"
- Pick a folder
- "Save"
How to whitelist with Outlook:
- "Settings"
- "Options"
- "Junk Email"
- "Safe Senders"
- Add "(email address)"
- "Save"
Simply put, ask your subscribers to add your email address to their contacts list. Then, their email provider will consider your email address as the desired contact their user wants to receive information from. Thus, it severely reduces the chances of being marked spam.
Create your steps to be whitelisted and add it to your pinned announcements, welcome email or signature block.
SO WHAT
Landing in a spam/promotions folder isn't the end of the world or a reason not to continue refining your email marketing techniques and tactics. However, you can take steps to increase the likelihood of landing in your subscriber's primary inbox.
If you aren't sure where to start with email marketing or what to send, I would love for you to join the waitlist to join my newest course, "Break up with the Algorithm." I will teach you how to gain subscribers legally and build automated email systems, along with nine more ways to reduce the likelihood of landing in the spam/promotions folder.