How do Gmail tabs affect political and advocacy emails, and what are potential solutions?

Summary

Gmail's tabbed inbox categorizes emails using AI, sorting them into Primary, Social, Promotions, Updates, and Forums. While intended for deals and offers, the 'Promotions' tab can inadvertently filter political and advocacy emails, reducing their visibility and impacting engagement (fundraising, recruitment). This occurs because the algorithm learns from user behavior and may not recognize the importance of non-commercial content. Potential solutions include user education on tab management and filters, the creation of separate tabs for non-marketing bulk emails, improving email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), focusing on engaging and valuable content, and ensuring double opt-in subscriptions. User interaction (moving emails between tabs) trains the AI, making engagement a key factor. Administrators can also manage settings to ensure correct delivery. The ultimate goal is to send wanted, relevant emails and maintain a good sender reputation.

Key findings

  • AI Driven Categorization: Gmail uses AI to automatically sort emails, which can misclassify political and advocacy content.
  • User Influence: User behavior (moving emails, setting filters) trains Gmail's AI, impacting future categorization.
  • Promotions Tab Impact: The 'Promotions' tab can negatively affect political and advocacy emails by reducing visibility and engagement.
  • Engagement is Key: Engagement (opens, clicks) and relevance are important signals for Gmail's AI.
  • Authentication Matters: Proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) improves deliverability.
  • Wanted Content is Crucial: Sending emails only to those who want to receive them will improve open rates and keep the IP address reputation high.

Key considerations

  • User Education: Educate users on managing Gmail tabs and filters to ensure they see important emails.
  • New Tab Potential: Explore the possibility of creating a separate tab for non-marketing bulk emails.
  • Content Strategy: Create engaging and valuable content to encourage user interaction and signal importance to Gmail.
  • Subscription Practices: Use double opt-in to ensure recipients genuinely want to receive emails.
  • Workspace Controls: Google Workspace admins should leverage settings to whitelist senders and ensure proper delivery.
  • Monitor and adapt: Regularly monitor email engagement metrics and adjust strategies based on performance.
  • Review Category Definitions: Review the Google definitions for categories to ensure content isn't accidentally triggering the AI to mark it as promotions.

What email marketers say
10Marketer opinions

Gmail's tabbed inbox system, designed to categorize emails, can negatively impact political and advocacy emails. The algorithm often misclassifies these emails as 'promotional,' leading to reduced visibility and engagement. While users can manually adjust settings and filters, many lack the technical knowledge to do so. Potential solutions involve creating separate tabs for non-marketing bulk emails, educating users on tab management, improving email authentication, creating engaging content, and using double opt-in subscription confirmations.

Key opinions

  • Misclassification: Gmail's algorithm often incorrectly categorizes political and advocacy emails as promotional, reducing their visibility.
  • User Awareness: Many users are unaware of how to manage Gmail tabs or set up filters to ensure important emails are seen.
  • Engagement Impact: Placement in the promotions tab can negatively impact open rates, fundraising, and volunteer recruitment for political campaigns and advocacy groups.
  • Authentication Importance: Proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) is crucial for improving deliverability to the primary inbox.
  • Content Quality: Engaging and valuable content encourages users to move emails to the primary tab, signaling their importance to Gmail.

Key considerations

  • User Education: Educating users on how to manage Gmail tabs and filters is essential for ensuring important emails are seen.
  • Alternative Tabs: Creating a separate tab for non-marketing bulk emails could provide a solution for political and advocacy organizations.
  • Algorithm Bias: The potential for algorithmic bias in Gmail's tab sorting should be addressed to ensure fair delivery of all email types.
  • Sender Reputation: Maintaining a good sender reputation by avoiding spam triggers and list bombing, as well as having good IP address management is key for improved deliverability.
  • Engagement Tracking: Monitoring email engagement metrics can provide insights into whether emails are being properly categorized and delivered.
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Geeks suggests creating another tab for "non-marketing" bulk emails or helping Gmail users understand how the tabs work. Providing on-email guidance could empower users to manage their inbox preferences.

March 2023 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Geeks explains that Google's "promotions" tab was built for "deals and offers," but the algorithm marks most bulk, non-transactional mail as promotional, even if it isn't. This forces advocacy and political content to compete against retail marketing, undermining political messaging.

January 2022 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from Technology & Marketing Law Blog suggests that Gmail tab sorting might be discriminatory but notes that the only solution is to change user behavior by encouraging users to manually move emails or disable tabs. Another suggestion is litigation, but he doesn't rate this approach.

November 2023 - Technology & Marketing Law Blog
Marketer view

Email marketer from Quora suggests that the single best thing to do is to make sure the email is wanted and not spam, by using double opt-in subscription confirmation to verify the users email address is correct. This also limits the likelihood of being flagged as spam.

December 2021 - Quora
Marketer view

Email marketer from Reddit suggests users should focus on creating engaging and valuable content. u/EmailExpert explains that if the content is engaging, subscribers are more likely to move emails to the primary tab, signaling to Gmail that the emails are important.

August 2021 - Reddit
Marketer view

Email marketer from Mailjet shares advice on improving Gmail deliverability by ensuring proper authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), maintaining a clean email list, and avoiding spam triggers to help ensure emails land in the primary inbox.

May 2024 - Mailjet
Marketer view

Email marketer from EmailOversight shares that the best way to avoid the spam folder or promotion tab is to first verify that you are authenticated to the mailbox provider, then ensure a high sender reputation by not spamming or getting your IP address blacklisted. Finally, focus on engagement by making sure emails are opened and read.

April 2023 - EmailOversight
Marketer view

Email marketer from CMDI explains that Gmail tabs can hurt political campaigns, especially when important emails are filtered to the Updates or Promotions tab. This can impact fundraising and volunteer recruitment and they suggest strategies like testing subject lines and calls to action.

April 2024 - CMDI
Marketer view

Email marketer from Contently explains that Gmail's algorithm learns what you consider promotional over time. This means political campaigns are at a disadvantage because people may not flag political emails as important, leading them to be filtered into the promotions tab.

May 2021 - Contently
Marketer view

Email marketer from Forbes shares that it's up to the user to decide how they want their email sorted in Gmail and what is the best way is to set up filters. This will ensure that the email lands in the correct folder.

July 2021 - Forbes

What the experts say
3Expert opinions

Gmail uses tabs to categorize emails, with the Promotions tab intended for deals, offers, newsletters, and call-to-action emails, and this sorting is separate from spam filtering. Email placement in the Promotions tab is influenced by user engagement; emails that aren't opened or acted upon are more likely to be placed there. To improve email placement, senders should focus on sending wanted, relevant emails, building relationships with subscribers, authenticating their mail, avoiding spam practices, and ensuring easy subscription and unsubscription options. Positive engagement signals to Gmail's AI that messages are valuable, improving placement.

Key opinions

  • Promotions Tab Definition: Gmail's Promotions tab is designed for commercial and promotional content, not spam.
  • Engagement Matters: User engagement (opens, clicks, replies) significantly impacts email placement in Gmail tabs.
  • Relationship Building: Sending relevant, wanted emails and building relationships with subscribers improves engagement and deliverability.
  • AI Learning: Gmail's AI learns from user interactions to improve email categorization.

Key considerations

  • Relevance is Key: Prioritize sending highly relevant and wanted content to encourage engagement.
  • Engagement Tracking: Monitor engagement metrics to understand how your emails are being received and adjust strategies accordingly.
  • Authentication: Implement proper email authentication to improve deliverability and sender reputation.
  • Subscription Management: Ensure easy opt-in and opt-out processes to maintain a healthy subscriber list and avoid spam complaints.
Expert view

Expert from Word to the Wise shares that you should make sure people who want to receive your mail can easily do so, and make it easy for those who don't, to unsubscribe. They suggest you should authenticate your mail and that you need to ensure you’re not sending spam. If people are engaging, the AI will learn and place your messages correctly.

September 2024 - Word to the Wise
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks shares a link to Google's blog stating the Promotions tab is for “Deals, offers, newsletters and other “call to action” emails” and explains that the tab sorting is not related to spam filtering.

November 2022 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Word to the Wise says if your email is not opened/acted on, it's more likely to be sorted into the Promotions tab. They recommend sending wanted, relevant emails and to focus on building a relationship with subscribers.

October 2023 - Word to the Wise

What the documentation says
3Technical articles

Gmail automatically sorts emails into categories such as Primary, Social, Promotions, Updates, and Forums. This categorization is driven by AI and machine learning algorithms that analyze user interactions to improve accuracy over time. Users have the ability to customize these categories and move emails between them, which helps train the algorithm. Google Workspace administrators can also manage Gmail settings for their organization, including whitelisting senders and setting up routing rules to ensure important emails are delivered to users' inboxes.

Key findings

  • Automated Categorization: Gmail uses AI to automatically sort emails into predefined categories.
  • User Customization: Users can customize categories and move emails, influencing the AI's learning.
  • Admin Control: Google Workspace admins can manage settings to ensure important emails are delivered correctly.
  • AI Driven: AI and machine learning is what drives the email categorisation.

Key considerations

  • User Training: Encourage users to customize their categories to improve the accuracy of Gmail's sorting.
  • Admin Whitelisting: Workspace admins should use whitelisting and routing rules to ensure critical communications are delivered.
  • Understanding AI: Knowing that the AI uses user interactions means that if enough people were to make the same changes, the AI would learn.
  • Category Definitions: Understanding the definitions Google applies to each category helps you to not trigger the category with the content you send.
Technical article

Documentation from Google AI Blog share that Gmail uses AI and machine learning to filter spam and categorise emails. The algorithm improves over time by analysing user interactions, such as moving emails between tabs.

November 2021 - Google AI Blog
Technical article

Documentation from Google Support explains how Gmail automatically sorts emails into categories like Primary, Social, Promotions, Updates, and Forums. Users can customize these categories and move emails between them to train Gmail's algorithm.

March 2024 - Google Support
Technical article

Documentation from Google Workspace Admin help describes how administrators can manage Gmail settings for their organization, including whitelisting senders and setting up routing rules to ensure important emails are delivered to users' inboxes.

August 2023 - Google Workspace Admin Help