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Question: Is it ever okay to send email content as a file attachment in a PDF? I get tired of having spam filters block my newsletter as spam. Plus, I send out special reports to new subscribers, and those are too long to put into a regular message.
Answer: Don't do it! Attaching any file to a bulk email message is much more likely to get your message blocked at more ISPs because it is a potential virus threat.
To protect your newsletter from spam filters, you'd be better off in the long run reviewing both the content and the text and HTML templates to make sure nothing in it unduly triggers a filter. Besides, you don't want to put an extra barrier between your content and your readers. Those who scan email in a preview pane or on a cell phone might neither see nor be able to open the link to get to the PDF, and others never download attachments.
On the other hand, when you need to distribute special reports, white papers, premium content or rich media that would consume a lot of bandwidth to download via email, you should house that material at your Web site. This protects it from anti-spam programs that could filter it for potential content or virus threats and also gives you another chance to sell your readers or visitors on the benefits of the information they requested.
If the content is an incentive for subscribing to your email program, just drop the link into the email confirmation and promote it with enticing copy that will send the reader racing to your site to download it.
For help in spotting potential weaknesses and spam traps in your email program, check out this article: "Your 10-Point Email Check-Up Plan" , available free in our online Resources center.
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