Have you ever opened an email from a brand you don’t recognise and been presented with a series of poorly designed pop-ups, often with images of cats dressed in tiny clothing and cartoon characters with big eyes?
You might have encountered this jarring opening approach when you receive emails from various brands. But did you know that this is now a common tactic used by spammers, and it’s one that worked when pop-ups were popularised on the web?
Let’s face it: unless you’re a marketer or in sales, you probably don’t need to be reading an email from a brand that you didn’t ask to receive in the first place. But since you did, here’s what you can do to minimise the damage.
Check Spam Folders First
Before you click on any email that comes in, open your spam folder. Chances are, you’ll see a tonne of those annoying emails there.
According to Gmail, about half of all emails get sucked into people’s spam folders because the emails look suspicious. So if you ever wonder why your spam folder is so big, it’s because all those messages look the same, and Gmail’s algorithm can’t tell the difference between the junk and the real deal.
Add’spam’ To Your Email Address
If you’ve opened an email from a brand you don’t recognise but want to continue receiving their messages, you can add the word’spam’ to your email address. That way, you’ll be certain it’s not another spammer trying to trick you. (And if it is, you can always put a stop to it right away.)
If you use Gmail, you can add the word’spam’ to your email address by going to Settings, then clicking on the ‘Spam’ tab. Alternatively, you can add the word’spam’ to the end of your email address — for example, [email protected] If you use another email client, get your IT department to help you set up a filter so you can easily identify spam.
Ignorance Is Bliss
Let’s be honest — if you weren’t expecting to receive emails from a brand you don’t recognise, you probably wouldn’t have opened the email in the first place. So in a way, you’re kind of partially to blame for the poor pop-up experience.
This is why it’s important to educate yourself on email marketing. If you’re receiving a tonne of spam, that’s obviously not what you want. But did you know that it’s also possible to get caught in the crossfire and find yourself on the receiving end of spam?
Since you have no control over which email clients your friends and colleagues use, you might wonder if it’s possible to prevent your email address from being used by spammers. (You can learn more about how to stop spam messages here.)
The answer is yes, although it depends on what email service you use. If you use Gmail, you can ask the company to remove your email address from the’spam’ list. If you use another email client, you can use a different email address or set up a filter so you can easily identify spam.
With these tips, you can make your pop-ups as annoying as possible to the point where your friends and family ask you to stop opening the emails. But that’s your choice. It’s a bold strategy for sure, but since you didn’t ask to receive these kinds of emails, you can always go back to being annoyed.