The 89-Word Long, Exhaustive List Of Spam Triggering Words (And Alternative Words To Use Instead)
Nobody wants their emails to end up in spam. Yet, companies frequently use spam triggering words that increase the chances their emails land in spam. (AKA email purgatory.)
This is usually because they don’t realize they’re using spam triggering words.
Unfortunately, we have to realize we’re battling an algorithm here. (Kinda like LeBron James in the new Space Jam movie…) So, sometimes we have to use other words and phrases that might not be the best from a copywriting standpoint, but help you avoid the spam folder like the plague.
So I’ll list a huge, exhaustive list of spam triggering words (and alternative words and phrases you can use).
But before I do that, let me make something clear:
You shouldn’t over optimize your emails. It’s better to send out an email with a spam triggering word than to not send one out at all.
Why?
Because Your Primary Focus With Email Marketing Is Building The Relationship With Your List
And you do this by sending more emails in the way I’ve described on this blog.
When you have a loyal, engaged, and rabid audience who LOVES you and your emails, it won’t matter if you occasionally land in spam.
Your biggest fans will still find your email, open it, and read it.
They’ll even report it as “Not Spam” for you without you asking. (Which is huge because it tells the algorithm not to send your stuff to spam any longer.)
And some might even write back and tell you it landed in spam. (Which, again, is another crucial part for your future emails to not end in spam.)
Best part?
The Counterintuitive Reason To Celebrate Your Emails Landing In Spam
Here’s what I mean:
Junk mail fills spam folders to the brim. With actual spam.
For example, in my spam inbox, I have Nigerian princes offering me billions of dollars almost every day in exchange for my social security number.
Meaning, there’s ZERO competition if you land in spam. Your email sticks out like a cold water fountain in the middle of the desert.
So, just sumtin’ to think about.
Alright, let’s get into this exhaustive list now:
Money — instead use slang words like moolah, cheddar cheese, cashola, etc.
Free — instead use words and phrases like “won’t cost you a penny.”
Act Now — instead use “this won’t last forever.”
Buy — instead use “grab this product below:”
Click here — instead use “more info about the product below:,” “Grab this product by clicking below:,” etc.
Lose weight — instead say “burn fat,” “lose lbs,” or “shed fat.”
Weight loss — instead use “burn fat,” “melt fat,” “get skinnier,” etc.
Removes wrinkles — instead use “smoothes wrinkles,” “look like you did in your 20s,” etc.
Reverses aging — instead use “look (and feel) younger,” “turn back the clocks of aging,” or “look younger than you did 10 years ago”
Stop snoring — instead use “snoring?,” “can’t stop snoring?,” or “sleep without snoring”
Cures baldness — instead say “make your hair grow like LeBron’s has” or “fuller head of hair”
All-natural — instead use “natural ingredients,” “no fillers,” or “ingredients nature approves of”
Miracle — instead tell a story about the miraculous benefits
Amazing — instead use “life-altering,” “life-changing,” or “try it for yourself and see.”
Do it today — instead use “don’t dilly-dally around” or “don’t procrastinate.”
Don’t delete — instead use “keep this for your records.”
Drastically reduced — instead use “hefty savings.”
Exclusive/fantastic/incredible deal — instead use “we don’t usually offer deals like this”
Expire — instead use “ends soon.”
Get started now — instead use “access your course/product now.”
Instant — instead use “in a jiffy,” “quickfast,” or “in a hurry.”
Limited time — instead use “only available until [date].”
New customers only — just don’t send these emails to your buyer list
Now only — instead use “ends today,” “don’t dilly-dally,” etc.
Offer expires — instead say “deal vanishes tomorrow” or “offer disappears soon”
Once in a lifetime — instead use “we won’t offer another deal like this anytime soon.”
Order now/today — instead say “don’t procrastinate,” etc.
Please read — just avoid using this at all (it makes you look needy)
Special promotion — instead say “we won’t offer this again.”
Take action — instead say “hop on down to the link below”
This won’t last — instead use “this ain’t gonna last forever.”
While stocks last — instead say “we run out of this frequently”
100% — avoid using
All-new — instead say “brand-spanking-new.”
Bargain — instead say “costs less than a cup of coffee,” etc.
Best price — avoid using (conditions your customers to buy your brand only because of price)
Bonus — instead say “and you also get…” or “plus, [then talk about the bonuses]
For instant access — instead use “available as soon as you click” or “available faster than the speed of light”
Free gift — instead say “plus, a cool gift.”
Free trial — instead use “get started without risk” or “don’t pay a penny your first two weeks.”
Great offer — instead say “my team thinks I’m insane for offering you this…”
Join millions of Americans — instead use “thousands of customers changed their lives with this product.”
Prize — instead say “we’ll send you something worth 20 smackers,” etc.
Satisfaction guaranteed — instead say “if you’re not happy, I’ll send you a crisp Benjamin Franklin” or “if you’re not happy, we’ll give you a full refund.”
Will not believe your eyes — instead use “your eyes won’t believe you” or “you might think I’m crazy…”
As seen on — instead use real proof from your customers
Click below — instead say “scroll your mouse to the link and jump on it” or “hop over to it below:”
Unlimited — instead use “limitless,” “incalculable,” or “boundless”
What are you waiting for? — instead say “you still there?,” “you still interested?,” etc.
Visit our website — instead say “check out our site,” “more info here:,” etc.
Avoid bankruptcy — instead say “avoid going belly up”
Cheap — instead use “won’t cost you an arm and leg”
Congratulations — instead use “congrats”
Cures — instead say “helps with” or “studies suggest”
Dear [personalization]/friend — instead use “hi,” “hey,” “howdy,” or “greetings”
Free info — avoid using and just tell them the info instead
Free membership — instead use “doesn’t cost you a penny to join.”
Friend — instead use “pal,” “reader,” etc.
Giving away — instead say “it’s yours with no questions asked.”
Guarantee/Guaranteed — instead use “if you don’t love it, we’ll send you a Benjamin Franklin”
Hello — instead use “hi,” “hey,” “howdy,” or “greetings”
Information you requested — instead use “here’s your [ebook/product/case study]”
Join millions — instead use “join a growing community of [X],” etc.
No catch — instead use “no hoops”
No questions asked — instead use “no extra hassles” or “no unnecessary hassles”
No strings attached — instead use “strings attached (just kidding!)” or “no extra hurdles”
Opportunity — instead use “chance”
Save big — instead use “fat savings”
Cash — instead use “cashola,” “smackers,” “Benjamin Franklin(s),” or “moolah”
Money back — instead use “moolah back,” “we’ll send you an extra Benjamin Franklin if you don’t love it,” or “get every penny back.”
Human growth hormone — again, don’t use
Medicine — instead use “remedy”
This isn’t spam — never use
US dollars — use “cheddar cheese,” “shrekels,” or “coinage”
Valium — don’t use
Viagra — don’t use
Vicodin — don’t use
Xanax — don’t use
Message contains — don’t use just say what the message contains
#1 — instead use “single best,” “single greatest,” or “#2”
Pennies a day — instead use “less than a cup of coffee” or “less than you pay for Netflix”
No medical exams — instead say “you don’t need to see your doctor”
50% off — instead use “half off” or “save oodles of cashola”
Can't live without — instead say “you’ll use it every day”
While supplies last — instead say “we run out often” or “we’re always running out”
Cancel at any time — instead say “cancelling is painless” or “cancelling is easy”
$$$ — instead use “smackers,” “moolah,” or “Benjamin Franklin(s)”
It’s effective — instead use proof about why it’s effective (from customers, case studies, or research studies)
And of course there are more trigger words.
But these are the big ones.
Feel free to inject your own personality into the alternative words and phrases as well.
And again, don’t over optimize this to the point that you’re scared to send emails.
Emails in spam are better than not sending emails at all.
If you need help avoiding the spam folder and making more moolah every time you hit “send,” I offer consulting services and a done-for-you ghostwriting system I call Profit First Emails.
You can set up a Discovery Call with me here: https://calendly.com/johndbrandt/discovery-call
But the link might be inactive. If so, I’m not accepting clients. But you can join my waitlist and be the first to know about new openings in my schedule here: https://www.johnbrandtcopy.com/waitlist
John Brandt