How to Find Someone's Work Email Address (and Know It Is Real)
A practical way to find a person's work email from just their name and company website, and know it is confirmed rather than guessed.
Read articleSpam filters and busy readers react to the same things: pressure, hype and anything that sounds like a mass promotion. The fix is rarely clever wording. It is usually plainer, more specific wording.
Why certain words hurt
Filters learn from billions of emails that people mark as spam. Phrases that show up again and again in unwanted promotions become warning signs, and a few of them together can tip a legitimate cold email into the spam folder.
One mild word rarely sinks an email on its own. Several signals together, especially in the subject line, are what cause problems.
The five groups to watch
| Group | Examples to avoid | Write this instead |
|---|---|---|
| Urgency pressure | act now, limited time, last chance, expires today | A real date, and only if one exists |
| Money and freebies | 100% free, save big, lowest price, no cost | The problem you solve. Leave price for a later email |
| Overpromising | guaranteed, risk-free, proven results, skyrocket | One specific result the reader can verify |
| Pushy calls to action | click here, buy now, sign up now, claim your | One low-effort question, such as "Worth a quick chat?" |
| Classic spam phrases | this is not spam, dear friend, you have been selected | Nothing. Delete them |
Formatting matters as much as words
- Keep the subject line under 50 characters, in sentence case, with no exclamation marks
- Avoid words in capitals and use one exclamation mark at most
- Use one link at most, and never a shortened link such as bit.ly
- Greet the person by first name, not "Dear Sir/Madam"
- Send plain text, with no images or attachments in the first email
- Check every merge tag is filled in before sending
A quick before and after
BeforeURGENT: Double your sales in 30 days - 100% GUARANTEED!!!
AfterQuestion about your Q4 outbound list
Check before you send
Paste your draft into the Free Cold Email Spam Checker to see every flagged word marked up with a suggested fix and a score from 0 to 100. Then send only to verified addresses, because bounces damage your sender reputation as quickly as spammy wording does.
Test your next draft in the Free Cold Email Spam Checker, and verify your recipients with Domailfix so bounces do not undo the good work. Our cold email deliverability guide covers the technical side.
Frequently asked questions
Is "free" a spam word?
On its own it is only a mild signal. Phrases like "100% free" or "free bonus", or several money words together, are what raise the risk.
Do spam words matter more in the subject line?
Yes. The checker counts a phrase in the subject line 1.5 times as much as the same phrase in the body, because filters weigh subjects heavily.
How long should a cold email be?
Aim for 50 to 125 words in the body: long enough to be specific, short enough to read in seconds.
Will avoiding these words guarantee the inbox?
No. Your domain reputation, authentication and bounce rate matter too. Clean wording just removes one common reason for filtering.
Free tool
Free Cold Email Spam Checker
Paste your subject line and body to get a spam score from 0 to 100 and see exactly which words and patterns to fix. Free, no sign-up, and your email never leaves your browser.
