Reported Spam

Addresses that flagged your emails as spam. Automatically suppressed to protect sender reputation.

What is Reported Spam?

Reported spam occurs when a recipient marks your email as spam in their mailbox provider (e.g., Gmail, Outlook). This is one of the most damaging signals to your reputation, as ISPs treat complaints as a strong indicator of unwanted mail.

Why it matters

High spam complaint rates are a direct path to poor Deliverability. If too many users report your emails as spam, providers may throttle your sends, filter your campaigns to junk folders, or even block your domain entirely. Even a small percentage of spam reports can have outsized consequences.

How it works

When a user clicks "Report Spam," the mailbox provider may send feedback to your ESP through a Feedback Loop (FBL). AutoSend automatically suppresses these addresses to protect your reputation. However, not all providers offer FBLs, so some complaints may go unreported—but they still affect your sender score.

Examples

A recipient marking a promotional email as spam instead of unsubscribing.
An irrelevant campaign sent to the wrong segment generating a spike in spam complaints.
Purchased email lists producing very high complaint rates.

Best practices

Make unsubscribe options obvious to reduce frustration.
Use segmentation and personalization to ensure relevance.
Avoid deceptive subject lines and “clickbait” tactics.
Monitor complaint rates closely (keep them under 0.1%).

FAQs

What’s an acceptable spam complaint rate?
Industry standards recommend staying under 0.1% (1 complaint per 1,000 emails sent). Anything higher signals serious problems with targeting, content, or permission.

What happens if too many users report my emails as spam?
Mailbox providers will throttle or block your campaigns. Your domain and IP reputation may take months to recover, during which your emails could be filtered to spam regardless of quality.

How can I reduce spam complaints?
The best defense is relevance. Send only to users who opted in, make content valuable, and give clear unsubscribe options. Setting expectations during signup (e.g., “We’ll send 2 emails a week”) also helps reduce complaints.