Email deliverability is complex, with many factors that providers use to filter messages. HoneyBook supports deliverability through authentication and tools, but your sending practices also play a major role.

Common causes for emails landing in spam include:

Poor sender reputation or low engagement
Missing or misconfigured domain authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC)
Spam-triggering subject lines or content formatting
No unsubscribe option in marketing emails
Reputation issues tied to your domain or blacklisted IP addresses

Step 1: Improve your email reputation

A strong sender reputation makes it more likely your emails reach inboxes instead of spam folders:

Encourage client engagement: Ask clients to open, reply to, and save your emails. Higher engagement signals to providers that your messages are trustworthy.
Ask clients to add you as a contact: When clients add your email to their contact list, it boosts engagement and directs future messages to their primary inbox
- Google: Add or move contacts
- Yahoo: Add, edit, or delete contacts in New Yahoo Mail
- Outlook: Create, view, and edit contacts and contact lists in Outlook
Whitelist your email address: Share instructions for whitelisting so clients keep your emails out of spam
Change subject lines when you resend: If you resend an email, update the subject line. Reusing identical content raises red flags for spam filters.
Have clients mark messages as “Not spam”: If your email lands in a spam folder, clients can move it back to the inbox and mark it safe, helping improve future deliverability
- Google: Report spam in Gmail

Step 2: Verify your domain settings

If you use a custom domain with HoneyBook email integration, domain authentication is critical:

Define DKIM, SPF, and DMARC: These authentication records confirm your identity as a sender. Missing or incorrect records are a common reason emails go to spam.
Check with HoneyBook’s domain tester: Use the built-in tool to confirm your SPF and DKIM settings. If authentication fails, follow the steps provided to update your DNS records.
- After verifying your DKIM and SPF, you can also check your DMARC settings to make sure it’s set properly as well
Check your domain with Google Postmaster: Google Postmaster can help you spot reputation issues and monitor if your domain is flagged
Watch for blacklisted IP addresses: If your sending IP is blacklisted, emails may be blocked or flagged as spam. You can use online blacklist checkers to confirm.

Step 3: Follow email content best practices

Your message formatting also impacts whether it’s flagged as spam:

Limit the number of links, symbols, emoji, and exclamation marks
Avoid impersonal greetings like “Dear friend”—instead, use the first client first name smart field for personalization
Don’t use all caps in subject lines or body text
Proofread for typos and grammar errors, which may look unprofessional and spam-like

Even small content changes can help improve deliverability.

Step 4: Add unsubscribe links to marketing emails

Marketing emails without an unsubscribe option are more likely to get flagged by spam filters. HoneyBook automatically adds unsubscribe links to bulk emails labeled as marketing.

Look for the marketing email (Insert unsubscribe link) icon when composing your message
Clients who unsubscribe will stop receiving marketing emails, but will still receive project-related messages
You’ll see unsubscribed status in:
- “Not delivered” status in the project activity feed
- “Unsubscribed from marketing” tag in the contact workspace