How To Bypass The Newsletter Condom: Word Triggers Of The Microsoft Outlook Junk E-Mail Filter

"Beginning with Outlook 98, you get built-in junk mail processing, using either the Organize pane or Rules Wizard. However, results can be less than satisfactory, often putting wanted senders into the Junk Mail folder." (Source: "Rules and Tools to Filter Junk e-Mail")

Many email newsletter publishers have been experiencing a major drop to newsletter subscriptions caused by the ever increasing quantity of spam and junk email we are all bombarded with.

In fear of freely offering their private emails to unscrupulous marketers, many individuals are refraining from subscribing to email-based newsletters, as they all require for you to submit your email to a company with no guarantee that this will not be sold or abused by others.

To add insult to injury, the newsletters sent to many of those trusting Internet users that have indeed chosen to share their email with you, may be easily blocked, and auto-deleted or trashed by the "standard" Microsoft Outlook email junk filter.

As Outlook is more ubiquitous than water, at least when it comes to email applications, this list of flagged junk words may be something that can be extremely useful for any independent newsletter publisher.

Microsoft's own list of "junk" words is automatically flagged by the Outlook junk filter (for those who keep this feature active). But if you can keep these words out of your email-based newsletter you won't be considered a spammer from Outlook anymore.

The Microsoft Junk E-Mail Filter
The Junk and Adult Content filters of Microsoft Outlook work by looking for key words inside the text of incoming emails.

This list is a description of exactly which words the filter looks for and where the filter looks for them.

• First 8 characters of From are digits
• Subject contains "advertisement"
• Body contains "money back "


• Body contains "cards accepted"


• Body contains "removal instructions"


• Body contains "extra income"
• Subject contains "!" AND Subject contains "$"


• Subject contains "!" AND Subject contains "free"
• Body contains ",000" AND Body contains "!!" AND Body contains "$"


• Body contains "Dear friend"


• Body contains "for free?"


• Body contains "for free!"


• Body contains "Guarantee" AND (Body contains "satisfaction" OR Body contains "absolute")


• Body contains "more info " AND Body contains "visit " AND Body contains "$"


• Body contains "SPECIAL PROMOTION"


• Body contains "one-time mail"
• Subject contains "$$"
• Body contains "


• Body contains "order today"


• Body contains "order now!"


• Body contains "money-back guarantee"


• Body contains "100% satisfied"
• To contains "friend@"


• To contains "public@"


• To contains "success@"
• From contains "sales@"


• From contains "success."


• From contains "success@"


• From contains "mail@"


• From contains "@public"


• From contains "@savvy"


• From contains "profits@"


• From contains "hello@"
• Body contains " mlm"


• Body contains "@mlm"


• Body contains "///////////////"


• Body contains "check or money order"

Adult Content Filter

• Subject contains " xxx"


• Subject contains "over 18"


• Subject contains "over 21"


• Subject contains "adult s"


• Subject contains "adults only"


• Subject contains "be 18"


• Subject contains "18+"
• Body contains "over 18"


• Body contains "over 21"


• Body contains "must be 18"
  
• Body contains "adults only"


• Body contains "adult web"


• Body contains "must be 21"


• Body contains "adult en"


• Body contains "18+"
• Subject contains "erotic"


• Subject contains "adult en"


• Subject contains " sex"
• Body contains " xxx "


• Body contains " xxx!"
• Subject contains "free" AND Subject contains "adult"


• Subject contains "free" AND Subject contains "sex"

More info:
OL2002 How to Filter Junk and Adult Content E-mail Messages
OL2000: How to Filter Junk and Adult Content E-Mail

OL98: How to Filter Junk and Adult Content E-Mail

Rule Your E-Mail
Detailed article, with screen shots, on creating Rules Wizard rules in Outlook 2002, including rules to handle spam

Thanks to Ellen Finkelstein for kindly pointing this resource.