Ensure your students receive your email notifications in their Inbox and not in their Junk box.
Emails are an effective way for you and your students to keep connected — from automated notifications to email automation, they keep everyone informed and engaged. This article provides tips on how to optimize your email content for better delivery and student engagement.
What is spam?
Spam refers to any type of unsolicited or unwanted communication, and could often contain malicious content that could infect a user's computer with viruses and or other malware. To protect user digital safety, Email Service Providers (ESPs) use spam filters to keep unwanted emails out of user inboxes.
Spam filters are designed to identify emails that attackers or marketers use to send unwanted or dangerous content. There are different types of spam filters and each uses different filtering methods and criteria (e.g. sender, subject line, header, etc.) to flag emails to protect users from potential risks.
Email Content Best Practices
There are many ways to optimize your email to ensure your students are getting updates in a timely matter. Follow these best practices to improve accessibility and engagement while avoiding spam filters that could send your emails straight to your students' email Junk folder.
Email Practices to Incorporate
- Establish an appropriate email frequency and timing
- Personalize your email to each recipient with email variables
- Use the curiosity gap in your subject lines to garner attention
- Write engaging email copy with a consistent brand voice and tone
- Add a professional email signature
- Optimize your email for accessibility
- Double-check your grammar and spelling
- Include an unsubscribe link to allow recipients to unsubscribe from your mailing list
- Ensure your emails compile with anti-spam laws in your country or region (e.g. CASL and CAN-SPAM Act)
When using Thinkific's Email Marketing feature, you can leverage AI to generate and test optimized copy, email subject lines, and calls to action, ensuring your emails resonate with your audience.
Email Practices to Limit
- Limit the excessive use of links, images, attachments, and files to avoid trigging spam filters
- Limit the use of multiple font sizes and colors in your email body
Email Practices to Avoid
- Avoid HTML-only emails
- Avoid spam-triggering words
- Avoid using Caps Lock (e.g. ENROLL IN THE COURSE TODAY!)
- Avoid excessive use of special symbols (e.g. !!! and $$$)
- Avoid using URL shorteners
Before You Send
Email Testing
Once you've drafted your email, make sure to preview it to see how it renders across various ESPs and browsers. You can send preview customized emails by following the instructions here: Preview Customized Student Email Notifications. Platforms such as Email On Acid can help you see exactly what your students see, prior to sending, to avoid the extra work of sending an "oops" email.
Thinkific's Email Automation
Email Automation is the built-in Thinkific feature that allows you to send email sequences to your contacts who fit certain criteria. Set up powerful and effective email sequences with the help of AI that can help you connect and convert your contacts.
This means you can focus more on creating and teaching, while we streamline your path to business growth. All the tools you need for effective email marketing are integrated in one place, simplifying your process and freeing up your time—no expertise required.
Learn more: Engage Your Audience with Email Automation.
Apps & Integrations
Don't forget to check out the Email and Marketing Apps in our Thinkific App Store. You will find apps for email marketing, lead captures, and referrals to help you further engage with your students to grow your business.
If you are already using other apps to manage your email and marketing, and would like to connect them to your Thinkific account, or want more customized connections and automated workflow solutions, look into integrating with Zapier.