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If your Engage emails are landing in spam instead of the inbox, a few common issues are usually responsible. This guide walks through each cause and how to fix it.

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Possible causes

  • Your sending domain hasn’t been authenticated (missing SPF, DKIM, or DMARC records)
  • You’re sending too many emails too quickly
  • Your email content contains spam triggers
  • Your sending account has accumulated a poor reputation
  • You’re sending to contacts with invalid or low-quality email addresses

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Fix 1: Make sure your sending domain is properly authenticated

Lusha Sequences sends email through your connected Gmail or Outlook account, so your deliverability depends on how your own domain is set up, not Lusha’s. Have your IT or DNS administrator confirm that your domain has the following records in place:
  • SPF - authorizes your email provider’s servers to send on behalf of your domain
  • DKIM - adds a digital signature that receiving servers use to verify the email’s integrity
  • DMARC - tells providers what to do when SPF or DKIM checks fail
For Google Workspace, these are configured in the Google Admin Console under Apps → Google Workspace → Gmail → Authenticate email. For Microsoft 365, they’re managed through your DNS provider or the Microsoft 365 Admin Center.
DNS changes can take up to 48 hours to propagate. Allow time before testing again.

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Fix 2: Reduce your daily sending volume

Sending large volumes of emails from a new or low-activity mailbox triggers spam filters. Email providers expect ramp-up over time.
  • Start with no more than 20–30 emails per day from a new mailbox
  • Increase volume gradually over 2–4 weeks
  • Spread sends throughout the day rather than sending in one burst
For provider-specific daily limits, see the Engage sending limits by email provider & Email limits best practices articles.

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Fix 3: Review your email content

Spam filters score email content for known trigger patterns. Common causes:
  • Spam trigger words - avoid phrases like “Free”, “Guaranteed”, “Act now”, “No obligation”, “Click here”
  • All-caps subject lines - these are a strong spam signal
  • Too many links - keep links to 1–2 per email
  • Image-heavy emails - plain text or low-image-to-text ratio performs better in deliverability
  • Missing unsubscribe link - legally required in many countries and expected by spam filters

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Fix 4: Clean your contact table

High bounce rates damage your sender reputation quickly. Before launching a sequence:
  1. Use Lusha’s email confidence score to filter out low-confidence addresses
  2. Remove contacts with generic mailboxes (info@, support@, contact@) - these rarely convert and often cause spam complaints
  3. Remove contacts who have previously bounced or unsubscribed

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Fix 5: Warm up a new mailbox

If you recently connected a new Gmail or Outlook account to Engage, it needs time to build a sending reputation. Use a mailbox warm-up tool before sending high volumes, or use an existing mailbox with a track record of regular sending.

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Fix 6: Check your sender reputation

You can check your domain and IP reputation using free tools like Google Postmaster Tools (for Gmail) or MX Toolbox. A poor score means past sends have been marked as spam by recipients - address the content and volume issues above before sending again.
If you believe your domain has been blacklisted, contact Lusha Support immediately - continued sending from a blacklisted domain makes recovery harder.