If you’re using Flodesk for your email marketing strategy but your emails are landing in spam folders instead of inboxes, you’re not alone. Email deliverability issues can tank even the most brilliant email marketing campaigns, and many bloggers don’t realize they’re making simple Flodesk mistakes that could be fixed in minutes.
Here’s the thing: Flodesk is an incredible platform for growing your email list and creating gorgeous email marketing campaigns, but like any tool, it only works when you use it correctly. After helping hundreds of content creators optimize their email marketing for bloggers, I’ve noticed the same seven Flodesk mistakes happening over and over again.
Let’s dive into these email marketing mistakes and get your emails back in those precious inboxes where they belong.
What the Heck is Flodesk?
Never heard of Flodesk? Flodesk is an extremely popular email marketing software that helps users create beautiful emails effortlessly. With its intuitive design, it attracts many beginners eager to explore new email marketing strategies. However, common mistakes often arise, such as those who take a Flodesk template and barely customize it.
Some mistakes that I see beginners make include failing to manually email the people who sign up or relying solely on broadcast or a new email without engaging their audience. One of the mistakes is not utilizing sequences in Kit and Flodesk effectively.
When users decide to tweak the email, they often overlook the importance of personalization. A strong partnership with Flodesk can help users promote Flodesk and generate better results by understanding how to properly utilize templates and sequences to connect with their audience.
7 Flodesk Mistakes That Are Killing Your Email Deliverability
New email marketers often make crucial errors that hinder their success. One of the top Flodesk mistakes that beginners make is not properly integrating Flodesk on a WordPress website, which can lead to poor email deliverability. If you’ve switched over to Flodesk from another platform, like Kit, previously ConvertKit, or Mailchimp, be mindful of the differences in how Flodesk calls them workflows compared to sequences.
As a blogger, there are mistakes I see beginners make when it comes to Flodesk or any email marketing software you use.
01) You’re Not Authenticating Your Domain
This is the biggest email marketing mistake I see new Flodesk users make. When you don’t authenticate your domain, you’re essentially asking email providers to trust that you are who you say you are, without any proof. It’s like showing up to a VIP event without being on the list.
Domain authentication tells email providers like Gmail and Yahoo that your emails are legitimate. Without it, your emails are way more likely to end up in spam folders, no matter how amazing your content is.
How to fix it: Head to your Flodesk settings and follow their domain authentication setup. It takes about 10 minutes and involves adding some DNS records to your domain host. Yes, it sounds techy, but Flodesk’s support team walks you through it step by step.
Pro tip: Don’t skip this step thinking you’ll do it later. Your email deliverability depends on it, and it’s much harder to repair your sender reputation than to start with good practices from day one.
02) Your “From” Name Doesn’t Match Your Brand
Using generic sender names like “noreply@yourdomain.com” or constantly changing your “from” name confuses both email providers and your subscribers. Consistency builds trust, and trust improves deliverability.
Your subscribers signed up to hear from YOU, not some mysterious sender they don’t recognize. When they don’t recognize the sender, they’re more likely to mark your email as spam, and that’s a direct hit to your sender reputation.
How to fix it: Use a consistent “from” name that matches your brand. If you’re “The Blog Social,” use “Sarah from The Blog Social” or just “The Blog Social.” Keep it the same across all your email marketing campaigns so subscribers always know it’s you.
03) You’re Ignoring Your Email List Hygiene
Here’s what nobody talks about when they’re focused on email list-building tips: a bigger list isn’t always better if half your subscribers aren’t engaged. Sending emails to people who never open them hurts your deliverability rates across the board.
Email providers pay attention to engagement rates. If your emails consistently go unopened or get deleted without being read, they start assuming your content isn’t valuable, and they’ll start filtering you to spam folders.
How to fix it: Regularly clean your email list by removing subscribers who haven’t engaged in 6+ months. Flodesk makes this easy with its segmentation features. Create a segment of non-engaged subscribers and either send them a re-engagement campaign or remove them entirely.
Smart email marketing design tip: Before removing inactive subscribers, try a “we miss you” campaign. Sometimes people just need a gentle nudge to re-engage.
04) Your Subject Lines Are Too Salesy or Spam-Trigger Heavy
Using subject lines loaded with spam trigger words like “FREE,” “URGENT,” or excessive punctuation marks is like waving a red flag at email filters. Even if your content is valuable, these trigger words can land your emails in spam folders before your subscribers even see them.
The goal isn’t to trick people into opening your emails- it’s to clearly communicate value while avoiding the obvious spam signals that hurt your email marketing strategy.
How to fix it: Focus on curiosity and benefit-driven subject lines without the hype. Instead of “FREE AMAZING OFFER!!!” try “The one email template that doubled my opens.” Test different approaches and pay attention to your open rates.
05) You’re Not Using a Consistent Sending Schedule
Sporadic sending patterns confuse email algorithms. If you send daily for a week, then disappear for a month, then send five emails in two days, you’re training email providers to see your sending pattern as suspicious.
Consistency not just helps with deliverability also helps your subscribers know when to expect your emails, which improves engagement rates.
How to fix it: Choose a realistic sending schedule and stick to it. Whether it’s weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly, consistency trumps frequency every time. Your email marketing campaign will perform better with regular, expected touchpoints than with random email blasts.
06) Your Email Content Doesn’t Match Your Subject Line
This might seem obvious, but I see it constantly: subject lines that promise one thing and email content that delivers something completely different. This bait-and-switch approach increases unsubscribe rates and spam complaints, both of which hurt your sender reputation.
When subscribers feel misled, they’re more likely to mark your email as spam instead of just unsubscribing. Those spam reports are sender reputation killers.
How to fix it: Make sure your email content delivers on whatever your subject line promises. If your subject line teases “3 ways to grow your email list,” your email better include those three specific strategies.
07) You’re Not Monitoring Your Analytics
Flying blind is not a smart email marketing strategy. If you’re not regularly checking your open rates, click rates, and deliverability metrics, you won’t know when something’s wrong until it’s too late to fix easily.
Flodesk provides detailed analytics for every email marketing campaign you send. These numbers tell a story about what’s working and what isn’t, but only if you’re paying attention to them.
How to fix it: Set a monthly date to review your email analytics. Look for trends in your open rates, click rates, and unsubscribe rates. If you notice deliverability issues, address them immediately instead of hoping they’ll resolve themselves.
Red flags to watch for: Open rates consistently dropping, high unsubscribe rates, or emails taking longer than usual to send.
Your Email Marketing Comeback Strategy
The good news? Even if you’ve been making these Flodesk mistakes, you can turn things around. Start with domain authentication, the foundation of everything else. Then work through the other fixes systematically.
Remember, email marketing for bloggers isn’t just about collecting addresses. It’s about building relationships with people who genuinely want to hear from you. When you focus on providing value and following best practices, the technical stuff becomes much easier.
Your email list is one of your most valuable business assets. Treat it like the VIP section it is, and your deliverability, your business, will thank you.
Which Flodesk mistakes were you making? I’d love to know which tip you’ll try first. Comment below and share this post with a fellow creator who needs to see it!
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