---
title: "Emails landing in spam — the checklist | FirstSales"
description: "Low opens and replies going quiet usually mean the spam folder. Work this checklist: authenticate your domain, add a tracking domain, warm up, and fix the content."
canonical: "https://firstsales.io/tutorial/fix-emails-going-to-spam/"
---

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Deliverability

# Emails landing in spam — the checklist

Low opens and replies going quiet usually mean the spam folder. Work this checklist: authenticate your domain, add a tracking domain, warm up, and fix the content.

9 min read·Advanced·8 steps

1. 1  
## Read the symptom: opens near zero, replies silent  
If opens are near zero and replies have dried up, your mail likely isn’t reaching the inbox — it’s landing in spam. The fix is a reputation stack, and each layer depends on the one before it: **authentication → tracking domain → warmup → content**. Work them in that order.
2. 2  
## Check domain authentication first  
Open Mailbox/Domain → **Email Authentication**. **SPF**, **DKIM**, and **DMARC** all need to show verified. Unauthenticated mail is the single biggest spam trigger, and nothing downstream can fix it. See _Domain authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC)_ for the full setup.  
![Check domain authentication first](/tutorials/warmup-02-email-auth.webp)
3. 3  
## Apply DNS fast with the Cloudflare one-click (if applicable)  
If your domain is on Cloudflare nameservers, FirstSales offers a one-click modal: paste a scoped **Zone › DNS › Edit** API token and it writes your SPF/DKIM/DMARC records for you. The token is used once for that single request and is never stored or logged. On other registrars, add the records by hand — see _DNS across registrars_.
4. 4  
## Add a custom tracking domain  
Go to Deliverability → **Tracking Domain** and create a CNAME so your open/click tracking runs on your own subdomain instead of a shared host. Wait for the status to move through **pending → CNAME OK → SSL OK → Verified**. A shared tracking host that other senders have burned is a known placement drag.
5. 5  
## Confirm warmup is healthy  
Each sending mailbox’s **Warmup** tab should show a **Healthy** score (80+) or be in Maintenance. A cold mailbox with no warmup history lands in spam regardless of how clean your DNS is.  
![Confirm warmup is healthy](/tutorials/warmup-03-warmup-toggle.webp)
6. 6  
## Fix the content  
Spammy subject lines, image-heavy bodies, link-stuffing, and misleading copy get filtered even with perfect authentication. Keep it plain, personal, and to one clear link or ask. There’s no in-app content scanner — this is a manual review.
7. 7  
## Watch the spam-complaint guardrail  
Campaign → Settings → **Delivery Protection** shows the **Spam complaint threshold (%)** (default **0.1**). If you’re tripping it, recipients are actively marking you as spam — that’s a content or targeting problem, not a DNS one.
8. 8  
## Verify externally, then ramp back up  
FirstSales has no built-in blacklist lookup or seed-inbox test. Use an external seed/placement service to confirm you’re now landing in the inbox, then slowly increase volume rather than jumping straight back to full send.

## Pro tips

Hard-won shortcuts that keep warm-up on track.

1

### Authenticate before anything else

A tracking domain and warmup can't rescue mail that fails SPF, DKIM, or DMARC. Fix authentication first.

2

### Cloudflare users: use the one-click

The one-click modal writes all three records in seconds with a scoped, single-use token — far fewer typos than hand-editing DNS.

3

### Don’t underrate the tracking domain

A custom tracking domain quietly moves your links off a shared host that other senders may have already burned — one of the biggest placement levers.

4

### There’s no spam-test button by design

Use an external seed test to confirm placement, then trust your open-rate trend over any single tool's one-time score.

## Frequently asked questions

Why are my emails going to spam?

Almost always one of: unverified SPF/DKIM/DMARC, a cold un-warmed mailbox, a shared tracking host, or spam-triggering content. Work through them in that order.

Does FirstSales have a blacklist or spam-test tool?

No. There’s no in-app RBL lookup or seed-inbox test. Use an external service for that; inside FirstSales, focus on authentication, tracking domain, warmup, and content.

Do I need a custom tracking domain?

Strongly recommended. It moves open/click tracking to your own verified subdomain instead of a shared host, which meaningfully helps placement.

I’m on Cloudflare — is the one-click safe?

Yes. You paste a narrowly-scoped Zone › DNS › Edit token; it’s used for a single request to write your records and is never stored or logged.

My auth is green but I’m still in spam — why?

Then it’s warmup or content. A perfectly authenticated but cold mailbox still lands in spam, and so does salesy, link-heavy copy.

How do I know I’ve actually fixed it?

Watch your open-rate trend recover and confirm with an external seed/placement test. There isn’t a single in-app “fixed” indicator.

Will the spam-complaint threshold auto-pause me?

Yes, if you cross it (default 0.1%). That means recipients are actively marking you spam — revisit targeting and content, not DNS.

## Ready to put this into practice?

Start your FirstSales trial and launch a warmed, authenticated mailbox in minutes.

[Start for $1](https://app.firstsales.io)

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