Spam score
A spam score for every email, before you send it.
MagpieCRM gives every campaign and sequence email a spam score. The score, out of 100, shows how likely it is to land in spam. It reads what the email says, who sends it and who it goes to, and lists each problem with what to change. At High, it asks before anything goes out.
- Score
- 0 to 100
- Levels
- Low under 25, Medium 25 to 59, High from 60
- Checks
- content, sender and recipients
- Shown in
- campaign editor, Preview & Test, Schedule, each sequence email
- Fix with AI
- hands the email's problems to the copilot
- Runs on
- Magpie Cloud and self-hosted copies
What it checks
What does the spam score check?
The spam score checks three things: what the email says, who sends it and who it goes to. Each problem found adds points, up to 100. Under 25 is Low risk and 60 or more is High. A few problems are serious enough to make the score High on their own.
| Part | What it looks at |
|---|---|
| Content | Subject lines in capitals, with several exclamation marks, a price up front, a fake "Re:" or "Fwd:", or phrases spam filters look for; missing preview text; emails that are mostly images or have almost no text; images without alt text; emails big enough for Gmail to clip; hidden text or scripts; a missing unsubscribe link; link shorteners, links to bare IP addresses and links whose text shows a different address |
| Cold email | When most recipients are cold: too many links, more than about 200 words, a newsletter-style design, no name or company in it, and open or click tracking |
| Sender | SPF and DMARC on the sending domain, domain blocklists for the sender and the sites it links to, a free-mail address sent through another server, this week's sender reputation from bounces, complaints and opens, little sending history, and how warmup is going |
| Recipients | The share who are cold, whose addresses weren't verified, or who are at catch-all companies that accept every address, and whether today's cold sending limit spreads the send over several days |
High on its own
Which problems make the spam score High on their own?
Four problems make the spam score High on their own, however the rest adds up, because a well-written email still lands in spam if the sender, or a site it links to, can't be trusted.
- The sending domain, or a site the email links to, is on a domain blocklist
- A Gmail, Outlook or other free-mail address sent through someone else's server
- Mail from the domain has been received badly this week
- On Magpie Cloud: the sending domain's DNS records aren't in place yet, or the sender's warmup is landing in spam
How it works
From a score to a fix.
The spam score lists each problem it finds with what to change, and updates as you edit.
Write
The score updates as you edit a campaign, or each email of a sequence. A sequence shows a score for every email, and its overall score is its worst one.
Read the findings
Each problem says what's wrong, why it matters and what to do, worst first. Problems in the email itself are marked as fixable.
Fix with AI
If the copilot is set up, Fix with AI hands it the fixable problems. It keeps your offer, facts and tone, then checks the new score.
Send
At Low or Medium, send as usual. At High, sending a campaign or starting a sequence asks you to confirm first.
Where you'll see it
In the places you decide to send.
The score is in the campaign editor, Preview & Test, the builder's preview, the Schedule drawer and a sequence's Emails tab. The copilot and the MCP server can check it too, so an AI app can score a draft before it asks you to send.
- Campaigns always go out with a plain text version alongside the HTML
- On Magpie Cloud, the warmup add-on adds a monthly sender check: one plain email to about 20 test inboxes, to see where it really lands
- Self-hosted, the sender checks use your own domain's SPF and DMARC, your provider and your sending history
Not yet
What it doesn't do yet.
MagpieCRM is early access software, at version 0.9.136. So you know before you start:
- It's an estimate. Gmail, Outlook and the rest decide for themselves, and the score can't see anyone's spam folder.
- There's no test send to seed inboxes for each campaign. The only placement test is the monthly sender check, which comes with Magpie Cloud's warmup add-on.
- Fix with AI changes only the email. Sender and recipient problems are explained, but you fix those yourself.
FAQ
Questions, answered.
What is a good spam score?
Lower is better. Under 25 is Low risk, 25 to 59 Medium, and 60 or more High. Some problems, such as a blocklisted sending domain, make it High on their own.
Does the spam score look for spam trigger words?
Yes, in the subject and the body, but only whole phrases spam filters look for. Single common words like "free" or "offer" appear in plenty of ordinary business email, so they aren't marked down on their own.
Why does a cold email score higher than a newsletter?
Mail to people who don't know you is judged most strictly. When most recipients are cold, the score also marks down extra links, long emails, newsletter-style designs, emails with no name or company in them, and tracking.
Is the spam score on self-hosted copies too?
Yes. Self-hosted, it checks your own domain's SPF and DMARC and your sending history. The warmup checks and the monthly sender check are part of Magpie Cloud's warmup add-on.
Can it guarantee my email reaches the inbox?
No. It's an estimate of the risk, from what's known before you send. What you send, and who to, matters most; the score tells you what's likely to count against you.
Keep exploring
Related
Find and email your next customers this week.
Start on Magpie Cloud from £10$15 a month, or run it yourself for free.