What Do the Error Messages in a Spam Test Mean?

You can check out some of the most common error messages that can appear in a spam test below.

1) TRACKER_ID

There is a number at the end of your campaign that looks like a suspicious tracking number. If you have a telephone number or zip code at the end of your campaign, try changing its format and/or location and re-run the test.

2) REMOVE_BEFORE_LINK

This error message indicates that there is too much text before an important link, such as an unsubscribe link. Check to make sure that terms like "unsubscribe here," "no thanks," or "not interested" are located no more than five characters away from a URL. Occasionally this can also occur if you use a personalized unsubscribe link.

3) Invalid Sender ID or DKIM entry

We use an external service to run our spam test. This means that occasionally, it can happen that the data in the external database has not been verified quickly enough. If you receive this error and you HAVE NOT set up Sender ID and a DKIM record, then you should definitely do so. To check if you've set it up in your account, go to Email Settings under your profile drop-down menu. If you see a green checkmark next to SPF, Sender ID and DKIM, then you can ignore this error message.

4) URI_TRY_3LD

This error indicates that you are using a suspicious hostname as a link in your text. The error message title stands for "Try it" URL. If you have any URLs in your campaign with odd domains, such as http(s)://try* or http(s)//act*, then this is what's triggering this error message.

5) INSPHISH_BODY

Spam filters regularly look for vocabulary patterns in emails known to be spam, and then they use these patterns to determine if other email is spam as well. If you have a minimum of three "spammy" words in one email, this may be something that could cause your email to be flagged as spam. Typical spammy words include financial terminology (invoice, cash, pay now, free, quote, refinance, claims); bank names; words associated with the "Nigerian prince scam," such as "Nigerian," "World Bank," and "United Nations"; and terminology that is of a sexual nature.