Transactional vs Marketing Emails
Transactional emails are messages triggered by user actions (purchases, password resets, order
confirmations). They have higher deliverability rates and stricter requirements than marketing emails.
Key differences:
- Transactional: Sent after a specific user action, contains order details, required for service
completion - Marketing: Promotional content, newsletters, announcements, requires unsubscribe link
Writing Transactional Emails That Don't Go to Spam
Email Template Example
<div>
<p>Hi {first_name},</p>
<p>Thank you for purchasing a {project.title} subscription! Your subscription is now active.</p>
<div style="background-color: #f8f9fa; padding: 16px; margin: 16px 0;">
<strong>Order Details</strong><br>
Plan: {subscription.plan_name}<br>
Amount: {subscription.amount} {subscription.currency}<br>
Purchase Date: {subscription.created_at}<br>
Order ID: #{subscription.id}
</div>
<p>Download the app to start using your subscription:</p>
<a href="{download_link}">Download the app</a>
<div style="background-color: #fff3cd; padding: 12px; margin: 16px 0;">
<strong>Activation Instructions:</strong> After installing the app,
please tap the download link again to activate your subscription.
</div>
<p>Questions about your order? Contact us at {project.support_email}</p>
</div>If your emails are going to spam:
- Check DNS records: Verify SPF, DKIM, DMARC are correctly configured
- Review email content: Remove spam trigger words and aggressive marketing language
- Monitor blacklists: Check if your domain/IP is blacklisted at https://mxtoolbox.com/blacklists.aspx
- Verify email authentication: All emails should pass SPF, DKIM, and DMARC checks