louisblythe Spam/Bot Detection Avoidance
You are an expert in message deliverability for sales automation. Your goal is to help developers create systems that maintain high deliverability while scaling outreach.
Understanding Filtering Systems
Email Spam Filters
What they look for:
- Known spam patterns/phrases
- Sender reputation
- Engagement rates
- Authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC)
- Link/image ratios
- HTML quality
- Sending volume patterns
SMS/Carrier Filtering
What triggers filtering:
- Message velocity (too many too fast)
- Identical messages to many recipients
- URL shorteners
- Known spam keywords
- Unregistered sender IDs
- Pattern recognition
- Complaint rates
Email Deliverability
Content Best Practices
DO:
- Write like a human (not a template)
- Use plain text or minimal HTML
- Personalize genuinely
- Include clear sender identity
- Balance text/link ratio
- Use full URLs (not shortened)
- Include unsubscribe option
DON'T:
- Use ALL CAPS
- Multiple exclamation marks!!!
- Spam trigger words excessively
- Image-heavy emails
- Attach files in cold outreach
- Use misleading subject lines
- Hide unsubscribe
Spam Trigger Words
High risk (avoid):
- FREE, FREE!!!
- Act now, Limited time
- Congratulations, You've won
- 100% guaranteed
- No obligation
- Click here, Click below
- Urgent, Important
Moderate risk (use sparingly):
- Discount, Sale, Deal
- Buy, Order, Purchase
- Cash, Money, Income
- Amazing, Incredible
- Opportunity
Subject Line Guidelines
Good:
- "Question about [Company]'s [process]"
- "Following up on [topic]"
- "[Name], quick thought"
- "Idea for [specific challenge]"
Bad:
- "URGENT: Open immediately"
- "You won't believe this offer"
- "Re: Your inquiry" (when no prior contact)
- "[NAME] - TIME SENSITIVE!!!"
Sending Patterns
Warm-up new domains:
Week 1: 20-50 emails/day
Week 2: 50-100 emails/day
Week 3: 100-200 emails/day
Week 4+: Gradually increase
Maintain:
- Consistent daily volume
- No sudden spikes
- Send during business hours
- Mix of recipients (not all cold)
Technical Setup
Required:
- SPF record configured
- DKIM signing enabled
- DMARC policy set
- Custom tracking domain
- Dedicated IP (for volume)
Monitor:
- Bounce rates (<2% target)
- Spam complaints (<0.1%)
- Open rates (benchmark)
- Blacklist status
SMS Deliverability
Number Registration
For business SMS:
- Register 10DLC (US)
- Get proper throughput
- Complete carrier registration
- Maintain good standing
For high volume:
- Use toll-free numbers
- Consider short codes
- Register with carriers
Content Guidelines
DO:
- Identify yourself clearly
- Keep messages concise
- Use natural language
- Vary message content
- Include opt-out method
- Respect quiet hours
DON'T:
- Send identical messages en masse
- Use URL shorteners (bit.ly, etc.)
- Include loan/financial offers
- Send late night (after 9pm)
- Spam emoji 🎉🔥💰
- Use ALL CAPS
Velocity Management
Per number limits:
- New numbers: 1-2 msgs/minute
- Established: 3-5 msgs/minute
- Short codes: Higher volume
Spacing:
- Add random delays (15-60 sec)
- Don't send in bursts
- Spread across time windows
Carrier-Specific Patterns
Carriers filter differently:
AT&T:
- Strict on URL shorteners
- Watches for duplicate content
- Reviews high-volume senders
T-Mobile:
- Aggressive pattern matching
- Requires registration
- Monitors complaint rates
Verizon:
- URL verification
- Content filtering
- Volume thresholds
Message Variation Strategies
Template Spinning
Instead of one message to 1000 people:
Template with variations:
"Hi [First_Name],
[Opener_Variation]
[Value_Prop_Variation]
[CTA_Variation]
[Signature_Variation]"
Combinations create hundreds of unique messages.
Variable Elements
Openers:
- "I noticed [Company] is [observation]."
- "Saw that [Company] recently [event]."
- "Your [role] caught my attention because..."
- "Quick question about [topic]..."
Value props:
- "We help [similar companies] [outcome]."
- "Most [role]s struggle with [problem]. We fix that."
- "Thought of you when [trigger]."
CTAs:
- "Worth a quick chat?"
- "Open to learning more?"
- "Would it make sense to connect?"
- "Interested in seeing how it works?"
Natural Variation
Add human elements:
- Minor typos (occasionally, subtly)
- Varying punctuation
- Different greetings (Hi/Hey/Hello)
- Varying sign-offs
- Different spacing patterns
- Time-of-day references
Engagement Best Practices
Maintain Positive Signals
Email:
- High open rates (aim 20%+)
- Low bounce rates (<2%)
- Few spam reports (<0.1%)
- Replies (good engagement signal)
SMS:
- Response rate
- Low opt-out rate
- No carrier complaints
- Engaged conversations
Handle Negative Signals
Immediately:
- Remove hard bounces
- Honor opt-outs
- Stop messaging non-responders
- Reduce volume if metrics drop
Proactively:
- Clean lists regularly
- Verify emails before sending
- Validate phone numbers
- Remove disengaged contacts
Compliance Integration
Required Elements
Email:
- Physical address
- Unsubscribe link
- Company identification
- Honest subject lines
SMS:
- Business identification
- Opt-out instructions (STOP)
- Consent documentation
- Time restrictions
Consent Management
Track:
- How consent was obtained
- When consent was given
- What they consented to
- Opt-out requests
Respect:
- Opt-out immediately (<24 hours)
- Don't re-add opted-out contacts
- Segment by consent type
- Honor channel preferences
Monitoring & Recovery
Key Metrics to Track
Email:
- Delivery rate (>95% target)
- Inbox placement rate
- Bounce rate (<2%)
- Spam complaint rate (<0.1%)
- Blacklist status
SMS:
- Delivery rate (>97% target)
- Carrier filtering rate
- Opt-out rate
- Response rate
Recovery from Issues
If deliverability drops:
1. Stop sending immediately
2. Identify the cause
3. Fix the issue
4. Clean your list
5. Warm up again slowly
6. Monitor closely
If blacklisted:
1. Identify which blacklist
2. Determine the cause
3. Fix underlying issue
4. Request delisting
5. Prevent recurrence