📩 You Have Spam Traps: Here’s How to Keep Your Emails Safe

If your emails are flagged as spam, inbox providers may start filtering more of your messages into spam—or even block them entirely. While subscribers can manually mark your emails as spam, inbox providers also use automated systems that analyze factors like your email content, sending behavior, and something many senders aren’t even aware of: spam traps.

📌 Understanding the Key Issue: Spam Traps

Spam traps are email addresses used by inbox providers to identify and block senders who aren’t following best practices. These email addresses aren’t used for real communication—they exist to catch spammers or senders with poor list hygiene. When you send to these addresses, you risk getting flagged, damaging your sender reputation, and ultimately, hurting your deliverability.

There are two main types of spam traps:

• Pristine Spam Traps (PSTs): These are new, unused email addresses created solely for catching senders who use bad practices (e.g., buying email lists). Hitting one of these can result in your IP being blacklisted.

• Recycled Spam Traps (RSTs): These are former email addresses that were once used by real people but became inactive. When they go unused for a long period, they’re recycled into spam traps. Sending to these addresses means you’re not properly cleaning your list.

🚀 How to Fix It

✅ Regularly Clean Your Email List

Removing outdated, invalid, or inactive contacts is key to avoiding spam traps and improving deliverability.

How?

• Use an email validation tool to detect and remove invalid email addresses such as ZeroBounce.

• Segment out high-risk contacts – Create a list of bounced or spam-reporting emails and suppress or delete them.

• Remove inactive subscribers – If a contact hasn’t engaged in 180+ days, consider removing or re-engaging them.

✅ Monitor Engagement and Bounce Rates

Track your email metrics to catch deliverability issues before they escalate.

• Create a "High Bounce" segment – Remove contacts that have bounced in the last 30-60 days.

• Create a "Spam Complaint" segment – Suppress subscribers who reported your emails as spam.

✅ Use Double Opt-In For New Subscribers

Ensure new subscribers want to hear from you by requiring them to confirm their subscription. This prevents fake sign-ups and reduces spam trap risks.

By proactively managing your list and engagement, you’ll improve deliverability and ensure your emails reach the inbox—not the spam folder.

Got questions? Hit reply and let us know! Our inbox is buzzing, but we’ll get back to you ASAP.

Written by Judith Prugger

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