E-mail blasting: get whitelisted or you're blast is wasted!

It looks like you can't count on people opting-in to your list as enough permission these days. The latest anti-spam tactics can prevent your mail from getting through because you are not known to the recipient.

Here's our latest tip on how to ensure your e-mail gets through:

Ask subscribers to put your address in their address books. Some e-mail client programs such as AOL 8.0 and Hotmail recently changed their interface to let users sort mail into preferred folders. As people subscribe, ask them to place you in their address book (AOL), safe list (Hotmail) or white list (some spam filters). That way your e-mail goes directly into their inbox.

Asking may be a little trouble, but it may make the difference in recipients seeing your e-mail. You might want to alert new subscribers on your confirmation page (one you display after they sign up) asking them to add your publication/company's email address to their address book. Repeat these instructions in any confirmation email you send as well.

But there's more to whitelisting that is going to control what mail AOL users receive. The enhanced whitelist, which AOL plans to introduce in a few weeks, would turn off a feature in the new AOL 9.0 that does not display HTML graphics and links in e-mails from senders not in a user's address book. E-mail marketers complain the feature makes their HTML messages unreadable and hinders their ability to track open rates.

MSN 8.5 blocks e-mails from unknown senders, and its new version of Outlook blocks HTML images in the preview panel.

How Not to Spam

Want to understand what is right kind of relationship you should have not be considered a spammer? What are the best practices? Read this anti-spam pledge put together by the Email Service Provider Coalition (ESPC)

http://www.networkadvertising.org/espc/pledge.asp