• Email Server Reputation
  • Sender Email Address
  • Sender IP address
• Email Server Configuration
• Email Content and Subject Line
• IP Blocklisting

To run a spam check via seed test:

1. Click on Email & Spam Testing in the navigation pane.

2. Choose Spam only and click Next.

You will have three options to choose from for the spam test, click the radial button in front of I will send each test email from my ESP using a provided seed list.

3. Copy the list of emails.

Make sure to use a fresh seed list every test. If a seed list is re-used the process will fail.

1. Create one single email from your ESP and paste all the emails from the seed list into the ”To” field, but do not click send.

2. Click Run Test.

3. Send the email containing the seed list from your ESP.

Once sent, results will begin to display immediately. It can, however, take some spam filters a bit longer to return a response. Give it up to 10 minutes.

If you fail a spam filter, these articles may help you better understand your results:

• Why did my email fail in certain spam filters?
• Why are my spam analysis results so vague?
• Why did my email pass my spam filter but not yours?
• How email spam tests work and what you can do to pass them.

Troubleshooting a Spam Test Via Seed List

If any results are missing for your test after waiting here are a few things to try:

1. Re-send the email with the same subject and content to the Seed List addresses. The subject and content must be identical for this to work but will encourage the missing results to populate. You can access the seed list again at any time by clicking on View Seed List

2. Please be sure to send your email directly to the Seed List addresses, without using the CC/BCC/FWD fields.

3. Run a fresh test making sure to click Run Spam Test before sending the seed list out.

If you are still encountering issues reach out to our support team at helpdesk@emailonacid.com.

The post How to Run a Spam Test Via Seed List appeared first on Email on Acid.

We categorize our spam filters into B2B and B2C categories to help hone in on deliverability for your industry. You’ll notice a B2B or B2C badge next to each filter’s name to help you tell which is which.

If you market both B2B and B2C, then the overall score will work best for you.

The post What does B2B or B2C mean? appeared first on Email on Acid.

Spam filters look at a long list of criteria. In particular, they scan for phrases like “CLICK HERE!” or “FREE! BUY NOW!” They assign points each time they see certain phrases. Some criteria causes higher points than others.

Here are some sample criteria from Spam Assassin:

1. Talks about lots of money (.193 points)
2. Contains urgent matter (.288 points)
3. Money back guarantee (2.051 points)
4. Why Pay More? (1.249 points)

The list of  criteria is constantly growing and adapting because spam filters learn what junk looks like every time someone clicks “This is spam” in their email program. Spam filters even sync-up with each other online to share what they’ve learned. Avoiding these common mistakes can help you have the best chance of email deliverability:

1. Using phrases, like “Click here!,” “Once in a lifetime opportunity!” or  “Free”
2. Multiple exclamation points!!!!!!
3. USING ALL CAPS (especially in the subject)
4. Coloring with bright fonts like red, or green
5. Creating an HTML email that’s nothing but one big image, with little or no text (since spam filters can’t read images, they assume you’re a spammer that’s trying to trick

Notice with all caps and exclamation points, the email failed more filters that the same identical email with a different subject.

The post Why did my email fail in certain spam filters? appeared first on Email on Acid.

We give our users all of the information we have on how filters work and what you can do to pass them. Please check out our blogs on  SpamAssassin and Barracuda for more information on how to read the info returned by these filters.

The post Why are my spam analysis results so vague? appeared first on Email on Acid.

1.) Email Server Reputation – Web-based email clients check
the reputation of the server sending the emails. If the servers have a
bad reputation, emails sent from them will most likely be considered spam . You can check your email server’s reputation here (https://mxtoolbox.com).

A sender’s reputation is made up of a combination of IP Address +
Domain + From Email Address so it’s important that you maintain
consistency. Some ESPs filter email by domain versus only IP address.

2.) Local Configuration Settings – Every email client and/or spam blocking application has its own local settings and configuration
tools. In other words, users who receive email have the ability to
customize their client to be strict or forgiving when it comes to spam.
In our test, we have everything set to the default settings.

3.) Blocked Senders and Address Book – Several email clients
use different levels of spam blocking based on if or if not the sender
is considered “trusted” by the receiver. If the receiver places the
sender into his or her address book, future emails are less likely to be
blocked. When the receiver places the sender in their blocked list,
future emails are blocked.

4.) Email Content and Subject Lines – Spam filters look for
spammy sounding words in your subject line and the body of your email.
Most work on a point system. The more points you have against you, the
more likely you are to be placed into spam. Unfortunately, most email
clients will already start penalizing you for using HTML within your
email.

5.) Mailing List Quality – If you have several subscribers in
your mailing list that no longer have valid email addresses, you run the
risk of getting blocklisted. This is why several email service
providers are very strict about this. There are several affordable
email list cleaning services available today and most email service
providers remove individuals on your list who no longer have valid email
addresses. With that said, it’s best to stick with one provider and/or
export your list of valid addresses if you plan to change providers.

6.) Engagement – Several ESPs keep track of the way their
users interact with their email. Factors include what messages are
opened, what messages are moved between folders, and how quickly mail is
deleted.

7.) Sending Server Configuration – Rate limiting will occur
for high complaints and poor reputation. Servers should be configured to
allow for simultaneous connections with throughput set at 20 emails per
connection. Authenticating email with SPF and DKIM is recommended.

In the end, our system can only test the reputation of the sender address, subject lines and content using the default spam settings that come standard within email clients and popular spam filters.

The post Why did my email pass my spam filter and not yours? appeared first on Email on Acid.

• Sender Email Address
• Email Content and Subject Line

To run a spam test via Email on Acid:

1. Click on Spam Testing from the left-hand navigation.

2. Click the radial button in from of Spam Only and click Next.

3. Click Let Email on Acid send my Spam Test emails, fill in the email address and click Next.

4. Copy and paste your HTML into the box, and click Next.

5. Enter your subject line, and click Run Test.

Once sent, results will begin to display immediately. It can, however, take some spam filters a bit longer to return a response. Give it up to 10 minutes.

If you fail a spam filter, these articles may help you better understand your results:

• Why did my email fail in certain spam filters?
• Why are my spam analysis results so vague?
• Why did my email pass my spam filter but not yours?
• How email spam tests work and what you can do to pass them.

If you are looking to also test email server reputation, sender email address, and sender IP address check out How to Run a Spam Test Via Seed List.

The post How do I run a spam test via Email on Acid? appeared first on Email on Acid.

• If you will be sending your email blast through an email service provider (ESP), we recommend seed list testing.
• If you will be sending your email blast from your own account or server, we recommend seed list or “Use my SMTP email server to send this test.”
• If you do not have access to your ESP or sending server info, we recommend “Send my test via Email on Acid.”
  Using this option we can only test #1a and #3 from the list below. This
  is because you’ll be using our sender IP, configuration and so on.

The post Which spam testing option should I use? appeared first on Email on Acid.

• To run a stand-alone spam test, click on the “Spam Test” link in the left navigation bar.
• To run a spam and email test, click “Email Test” in the left navigation bar and then select the “Manual” tab. On step 2, select “Yes” and then fill out the form.

We offer three ways to spam test your email. Click on any of the links below for more info on that testing method.

Test via Seed List (most accurate)
Send the emails directly from your ESP to our system. We give you a “seed list” of email addresses to send to.

Test via Your SMTP Server
Give us your settings and we send from your server.

Test via Email on Acid
We send the emails from our server. This is not an effective test of reputation.

The post How do I perform a spam filter test? appeared first on Email on Acid.