35 Spam Trigger Words to Avoid (With Examples & Alternatives)

Remember back in school when a few kids would break the rules and then the entire class would suffer the consequences? This is exactly what happened with spam triggers. A few unscrupulous individuals used deceptive messages to mislead people, and now certain words and types of messages have become off-limits for everyone. 

In this post, we're going to cover what those spam words are, why it's important to avoid them, and what to use instead—so you can maximize delivery rates and keep customers engaged.

BUT

before we do, I want to note that this spam trigger word list isn't black and white. Whether or not you can use these words in your campaigns depends on your sender reputation, how well your recipients know you, and the overall context of the entire message. We'll cover this in depth, but I want you to know this off the bat so you can read the post through this lens.

Table of contents

• What are spam trigger words?
• How to avoid sounding spammy
• Important note on spam trigger words!
• Spam trigger words and alternatives
• List of spam trigger words only

What are spam trigger words?

Spam trigger words are terms or phrases that are commonly associated with spammy, promotional, or misleading messages. When used in emails or SMS marketing, these words can cause the message to be flagged by spam filters, reducing the likelihood of it reaching the recipient's inbox.

Or, if they do reach the recipient, they are likely to get mistaken as spam and result in the recipient deleting, ignoring, or opting out.

Speaking of opting out, learn 10 ways to reduce your opt out rates here.

Why is it important to avoid spam trigger words?

Both the TCPA and CAN-SPAM Act, which help regulate marketing communications, require that you use clear and honest language. But in addition to being a compliance requirement, there are other reasons why you should avoid spam trigger words:

Ensure deliverability

Messages with spam triggers can get blocked by carrier filters. If your messages don’t reach your recipients, you can’t effectively market to them or get solid returns on your communication platform investments.

Maintain solid standing with carriers

Email and SMS providers track sender behavior, and consistently using spam language can hurt your sender reputation. Poor reputation can mean higher likelihood of future messages being flagged as spam, even if they don’t contain trigger words. Read more about carriers blocking messages here.

Keep engagement rates strong

Messages that use natural, honest, and clear language are more likely to be perceived as valuable and relevant by your customers. Plus, they find overly promotional or deceptive messages to be annoying.

Avoiding spam trigger words helps ensure your messages are seen as helpful rather than bothersome. This increases engagement rates and improves the overall customer communication experience.

How to avoid sounding spammy in your texts and emails

In addition to spam trigger words, there are other characteristics of your messages that can make it appear spammy—to customers and/or carriers. Here are some tips to avoid being spammy:

• Use natural language: Write as if you’re having a conversation rather than using sales jargon.
• Don’t overhype. Avoid too many exclamation points. One, maybe two maximum per message.

• Test your messages: Run A/B tests to see which versions of your messages have better deliverability and engagement rates.
• Keep your messages short. Long messages are likely to get ignored by customers anyway.

• Personalize: Tailor messages to the recipient’s name and their specific engagement with your business.
• Avoid inconsistent capitalization. Only capitalize proper nouns. Random capitalization in different Parts of Your Messages is confusing and feels Phishy.

• Focus on value: Highlight the benefits and value of your products/services to the recipient, rather than making exaggerated claims.
• Be transparent: Be honest about what you’re offering and avoid language that sounds too good to be true.
• Avoid all caps. The only word that should be all-caps in your texts is the opt-out instruction in the first message. This is a requirement. Otherwise, do not put anything else in all caps.

• Avoid using spam trigger words. See the list below! But remember, it’s not black and white. It depends on how well you follow the above best practices and the overall context of your campaigns. A bit more on this first.
  

Important note on these spam words!

It's important to note that using one of these words in a text message or email doesn't guarantee it will get flagged as spam by a carrier or mistaken as spam by a customer. Whether or not this happens depends on:

• Your sender reputation (covered above)
• How well your recipients know you
• Your business reputation
• The volume of messages you're sending out
• The overall message (i.e. are there other spam triggers in the message)

For example, "free" is considered a spam trigger. Will a personalized, conversational text that says "I'd love to get you scheduled for a free estimate" get flagged as spam? Probably not.

But an impersonal, mass text that says "Book your FREE estimate NOW!" might. 

The bottom line is, spam trigger words aren't black and white. If you do need to use one of the below words (many of our clients offer free estimates or consultations, and money-back guarantees), you should be okay as long as you follow the best practices we covered above and the list of factors in this section.

And the best way to do this is by segmenting your contacts into specific audiences and creating smaller campaigns with highly personalized and relevant messaging.  We cover these points in more depth in our post on 10 ways to reduce your opt out rates.

Monitor your deliverability rates, response rates, and opt out rates. If something seems amiss, refer back to this list and these tips and see if you need to make an adjustment.

Financial gain spam trigger words to avoid

For those of you who skipped right to the list, please read the "Important note" section above, to understand how to interpret this list!

• Save up to
• Save big money
• Billions
• Money back
• $$$

Alternatives

• Enjoy
• Cost-effective
• Affordable options
• Special pricing
• Exclusive offers
• Discount
• % off
• Reduce your cost by

Examples

• Original: 100% money back guarantee!
  • Rephrased: We offer a full refund if you're not happy with our service.
• Original: Save up to 50% on all items! Limited time offer!
  • Rephrased: Enjoy 50% off on selected. Shop now and take advantage of this deal!
• Original: Earn $$$ fast with our new program!
  • Rephrased: Discover how you can quickly boost your earnings with our new program.

Freebie spam trigger words to avoid

For those of you who skipped right to the list, please read the "Important note" section above, to understand how to interpret this list!

• Free $$$
• Free preview
• Free access
• Free trial
• Free money

Alternatives

• Complimentary
• No-cost
• Cost-free
• At no charge

Examples

• Original: Get free $$$ just for signing up!
  • Rephrased: Receive a complimentary visit when you sign up today.
• Original: Sign up now for a free preview!
  • Rephrased: Get a sneak peek by signing up today. Experience it before anyone else!
• Original: Enjoy free access to our premium features!
  • Rephrased: Unlock premium features at no cost. Try them now! 
• Original: Claim your free money now!
  • Rephrased: Earn welcome perks when you join today!

Exaggerated claim spam trigger words to avoid

For those of you who skipped right to the list, please read the "Important note" section above, to understand how to interpret this list!

• Risk-free
• 100% satisfied
• 100% free
• 100% more

Alternatives

• No obligation
• Worry-free
• With confidence
• Completely satisfied
• Double
• 2x

Examples

• Original: Try our services risk-free!
  • Rephrased: Experience our services with no obligation.
• Original: We guarantee you'll be 100% satisfied!
  • Rephrased: We ensure your complete satisfaction with our services.
• Original: Get this 100% free!
  • Rephrased: Enjoy this at no cost to you.
• Original: Get 100% more with your purchase!
  • Rephrased: Double your benefits with every purchase. Shop today!

FOMO spam trigger words to avoid

For those of you who skipped right to the list, please read the "Important note" section above, to understand how to interpret this list!

• This won’t last
• Take action
• Limited time
• Time-sensitive
• Limited availability
• Short-term offer
• Available for a short period
• Don’t delete

Alternatives

• Hurry
• Ending soon
• Offer ends soon
• Get started today
• Make your move
• Secure your rate
• Save your spot
• Grab it before it’s gone!
• Only a few left

Examples

• Original: Limited time offer! Don’t miss out!
  • Rephrased: Valid only through [specific date]. Grab it before it’s gone!

Lottery spam trigger words to avoid

For those of you who skipped right to the list, please read the "Important note" section above, to understand how to interpret this list!

• You have been selected
• You have been chosen
• Winner
• Exclusive opportunity

Alternatives

• You're invited
• Just for you

Other SMS spam trigger words

For those of you who skipped right to the list, please read the "Important note" section above, to understand how to interpret this list!

• Important information regarding
• Information you requested
• Check or money order (Big no-no. All payments should be done through a secure link.)
• Social security number (Just, don’t.)

Alternatives

• Here are the details you asked for
• Following up on your inquiry about
• Here’s the information you were looking for

Spam trigger summary list

Note that this is not an exhaustive list, but it covers a lot of the common words that can trigger spam filters or turn customers off.

And one last time: For those of you who skipped right to the list, please read the "Important note" section above, to understand how to interpret this list!

Freebie spam trigger words

• Free $$$
• Free preview
• Free access
• Free trial
• Free money

Exaggerated claim spam trigger words 

• Risk-free
• 100% satisfied
• 100% free
• 100% more

FOMO spam trigger words 

• This won’t last
• Take action
• Limited time
• Time-sensitive
• Limited availability
• Short-term offer
• Available for a short period
• Don’t delete

Lottery spam trigger words

• You have been selected
• You have been chosen
• Winner
• Exclusive opportunity

Other spam trigger words

• Important information regarding
• Information you requested
• Check or money order (Big no-no. All payments should be done through a secure link.)
• Social security number (Just, don’t.)

Other ways to avoid being misperceived as spam:

• Focus on value
• Be transparent
• Use natural language
• Don’t overhype
• Keep messages short
• Segment your audience and personalize
• Avoid inconsistent capitalization
• Avoid all caps

Stay out of SMS and email spam filters

Again, spam triggers aren't black and white. The best way to use this word list is as a guide, not a rulebook. And in conjunction with regular reporting. Monitor your delivery rates, response rates, and opt out rates and if your performance is lacking, you may need to adjust some message verbiage.

Remember also that it's not just the words you use, but the overall context of the message. Segment out your database into specific audiences so you can create smaller, tailored campaigns that have clear, honest language with true personalization.

Follow these best practices and you can enhance your message's deliverability, protect your sender reputation, and improve customer engagement.