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Why Are My Emails Going to Junk?

If you're seeing lower open rates or suspect your emails are landing in the junk folder, you’re not alone.

Oskar Smith avatar
Written by Oskar Smith
Updated over 3 weeks ago

What Causes Emails to Go to Junk/Spam?

Even though we send emails via a highly reputable global email service, with large shared IP pools, email providers like Outlook, Yahoo, and Gmail are increasingly using sender-specific filtering.

This means your sender reputation - including your sending domain, email content, and recipient engagement - plays a much bigger role than the IP address.

Common Triggers for Junk Folder Placement

Here are some common reasons your emails may be flagged:

  1. Low engagement
    Email providers track opens and clicks. If a large percentage of recipients ignore your emails, this hurts your sender reputation.

  2. Too many sends
    Sending too frequently - especially to the same people - can look like spam.

  3. Inconsistent sending
    Long gaps followed by large email bursts can raise red flags.

  4. Spammy content
    Emails that look overly promotional (e.g., “Free!!!”, “Act now!”, or ALL CAPS) may trigger filters. We have a tool that helps spot potentially spammy content.

  5. Missing authentication
    Ensure you’ve correctly set up SPF and DMARC on your Branded Domain and that your records haven't accidentally been removed since you onboarded with us.

  6. Hitting spam traps
    Sending to old or invalid email addresses (like spam traps) can silently damage your sender reputation. Learn more about spam traps →

  7. Poor domain reputation

    If you've been sending email from this domain using a previous provider that hasn't adhered to best practice, your domain's reputation could have carried across and still be affecting you.

What You Can Do

Here are some steps you can take to improve deliverability:

1. Check your domain’s reputation

  • Use free tools like Google Postmaster Tools

  • Look for signs of poor reputation, high complaint rates, or high unknown user bounce rates

2. Send to engaged contacts

  • Focus on contacts who have opened or clicked in the past 6–12 months

  • Consider pausing or reducing emails to inactive segments

  • Use our built-in Engagement Milestones to target engaged contacts only

3. Avoid excessive frequency

  • More than 2–3 emails per week to the same contact can hurt performance

4. Authenticate your domain

  • Ensure SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records are correctly configured

  • If unsure, reach out to your domain/DNS provider or our support team

5. Warm up new domains carefully

Related Articles
Problems with emails not being received?
Top tips for writing subject lines and body content for your emails
Spam traps and how to avoid them
Email Domain Warming
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