Ever feel like running a business is just putting out one fire after another? Well, my latest fire is people marking my emails as spam instead of unsubscribing and I’d like to talk about that. 

I started my online business, The Grateful VA, in June 2023. Before that, I had no idea how to write a newsletter or even what an email platform was. It was all brand new to me!

Thankfully, my amazing coach at The VA Connection walked me through everything step by step, teaching me how to set up and use an email platform.

At first, I was terrified. What could I possibly write about that people would want to read? But I was encouraged to start, and soon, the ideas began to flow.

Since starting a business was a whole new experience, I figured others might be interested in learning from my journey. That was my hope, at least.

My coach recommended sending only two newsletters a month—just enough to stay connected without overwhelming people, especially the friends and family who were kind enough to let me practice on them.

With their support, I signed up for Mailchimp, uploaded my small list of subscribers, and started writing.

Growing My Email List—The Strange Spike

Initially, I had about 200 subscribers, mostly friends and family. Then, I decided to upgrade to a paid plan on Mailchimp to unlock extra features. That’s when something strange happened—suddenly, my subscriber count skyrocketed from 200 to 1,600 in just a few weeks!

I had created a freebie to attract new subscribers, but oddly, none of these new sign-ups came from that freebie. They were all coming directly from my website.

When I asked Mailchimp about it, they confirmed that people manually signed up through my site. But when I talked to other virtual assistants, they weren’t experiencing the same growth. It was a mystery!

The Downside—Spam Complaints

Then came my first “abuse” warning from Mailchimp. This happens when many people mark your email as spam instead of unsubscribing. The email in question was a simple Father’s Day message wishing all the dads a happy Father’s Day.

A friend suggested that some people don’t like receiving emails about Mother’s or Father’s Day, especially if they’ve had a painful experience with a parent or recently lost one. So, I decided to stop sending holiday emails altogether.

When I contacted Mailchimp, they explained that some people hit “spam” because it’s easier than scrolling down to unsubscribe. They advised me to clean my list, add reCAPTCHA, and require double opt-in to prevent fake email sign-ups. So I did as I was told!

Trying to Fix the Problem

Mailchimp suggested I add a “Forward to a Friend” section to my emails. Apparently, some people get annoyed when a friend forwards them an email they didn’t sign up for, so instead of telling their friend, they mark it as spam. By adding this section, I could avoid getting penalized for something outside my control.

A few months later, I got another abuse warning for an email about Trello, a project management tool. It wasn’t a sales pitch, just an informational email explaining how Trello could help businesses. But again, someone marked it as spam.

I contacted Mailchimp again; this time, they told me to remove the “Forward to a Friend” section.

Wait… what?

At this point, I was beyond confused and frustrated. I went through my entire email list and deleted most of my subscribers. Sounds crazy, right? The goal of email marketing is to grow your list, but if people keep marking my emails as spam, what’s the point? So I deleted most and started from scratch with my original 200. 

Why Spam Complaints Matter

Why does it matter if people mark an email as spam?

Here’s why:
 

• When too many people do this, email providers flag your account.
• Your email platform (like Mailchimp) is required to investigate and may even suspend your account while they look into it.
• If your account is suspended, you lose access to your list, but you’re still paying for the service.
• Worst case? Too many spam reports can put your business at risk.

What I’ve Learned

💡 Always keep a backup of your email list outside your email platform!

After my second abuse warning, I added a huge pink banner at the top of my emails, reminding people to unsubscribe by scrolling to the bottom of the email.

Still, after my most recent newsletter offering fresh start tips for the new year, I received yet another warning from Mailchimp. 

Being a business owner is not for the faint of heart. 

So, I did some research and found out:

• People Don’t Realize that Clicking “Spam” Hurts a Business: Some think it’s just an easy way to unsubscribe. I even spoke to a friend who admitted she used to do this—until she learned better!
• Spam Filters & Deliverability Issues: Too many spam complaints can cause email platforms to flag your account, reducing email deliverability. Your emails might land in spam folders, even for people who want them.
• Competitors or Malicious Attacks: While I don’t think this is happening to me, it’s worth noting that unethical businesses sometimes use bots to subscribe and then mark emails as spam to hurt a competitor.
• ISPs track spam reports: Internet service providers (ISPs) like Gmail, Yahoo, and Outlook track spam complaints. If a sender gets too many, their emails could be automatically filtered as junk or blocked entirely.
• Shared IP Reputation: Many email marketing platforms send emails using shared IP addresses. If other users on the same IP send spammy content, it could also affect your deliverability.
• Purchased Email Lists Increase Risk: Using or buying email lists (even if legally obtained) can lead to high spam complaints because the recipients didn’t explicitly opt-in to receive emails from you.
• Bots & Fake Emails: Automated bots can sign up for your newsletter using fake or malicious emails, leading to spam complaints. Using CAPTCHA, double opt-in, and list cleaning tools can help reduce this.
• Content Triggers Spam Filters: Certain words, phrases, or excessive use of capital letters, symbols, and images can trigger spam filters, increasing the chances of emails being flagged as spam.
• No Personalization or Engagement: Emails that feel generic or impersonal can cause recipients to disengage, making them more likely to delete or mark them as spam. Engaging subject lines and personalized content can help maintain interest.

What’s Next?

I contacted Mailchimp a third time and explained my situation, including all the steps I’d taken to fix the problem. They promised to investigate—but I’m still waiting.

In the meantime, I decided to turn this challenge into a newsletter topic because I want people to know the following:
 

• PLEASE Unsubscribe, Don’t Spam: Use the unsubscribe link instead of marking emails as spam. This helps businesses stay in good standing.
• Adjust Preferences: Choose how often you receive emails instead of unsubscribing completely.
• Whitelist & Move to Inbox: To support small businesses, add the sender to your contacts or move emails from spam to your inbox.
• Reply Instead of Reporting: If you don’t want emails, reply and ask to be removed instead of clicking spam.
• Spread Awareness: Let others know that marking emails as spam can harm small businesses. Encourage them to unsubscribe instead.
   

Stay tuned for Part 2. I’ll contact Mailchimp soon to uncover their findings and will let you know what I find out.

If you’re on my list and want to unsubscribe, no problem! I’ve made it as easy as possible. I now have an unsubscribe button in the huge pink banner at the top of my newsletter. But if you ever find that you’re still receiving emails after unsubscribing, just let me know—I’ll remove you manually.

For those of you still here, reading my emails—thank you! You are truly kind, and I appreciate you.




 

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