How does starring a promo email in Gmail affect deliverability and inbox placement?

Summary

The impact of starring a promotional email in Gmail on deliverability and inbox placement is multifaceted and not entirely conclusive. A prevalent viewpoint suggests starring acts as a positive engagement signal, potentially improving sender reputation and increasing the likelihood of future emails landing in the primary tab. While Google's documentation indicates starring helps users manage emails, the explicit link to deliverability is absent. The effect is likely more pronounced with widespread starring, as a single instance may not significantly alter deliverability. Experts also note that engagement, in general, plays a pivotal role in inbox placement and sender reputation. However, some believe starring's influence is minimal, primarily serving personal organizational needs, and that Gmail might not pay attention to it. Ultimately, sender reputation, derived from multiple engagement metrics, remains the most significant factor in determining inbox placement.

Key findings

  • Engagement Signal: Starring is widely regarded as a positive engagement signal that may influence deliverability.
  • Sender Reputation: Improved sender reputation, driven by engagement, is crucial for higher deliverability.
  • Potential Primary Tab Placement: Starring may increase the chances of future emails landing in the primary tab.
  • Collective Action Matters: The impact is amplified when many users star emails from the same sender.
  • User Managment: Starring allows users to mark important emails.

Key considerations

  • Inconclusive Evidence: The direct impact of starring on deliverability is not definitively proven and may be part of a broader engagement analysis.
  • Engagement Variety: Deliverability relies on diverse engagement metrics, not solely on starring.
  • Alternative Actions: Other engagement actions, like replying or marking as important, might have a stronger impact.
  • Variable Inbox Placement: Inbox placement evolves and is subject to continuous changes in algorithms.
  • Personal Use: Some experts believe that Google may not use this feature to change your inbox placement.

What email marketers say
12Marketer opinions

Starring a promo email in Gmail is generally considered a positive engagement signal. While the exact impact is debated, most sources agree that engagement metrics influence deliverability and inbox placement. Starring may indicate to Gmail that the user finds the email important or valuable, potentially improving sender reputation and increasing the likelihood of future emails landing in the primary tab. The effect of a single user starring an email is likely minimal, but widespread starring could significantly influence Gmail's algorithms.

Key opinions

  • Engagement Signal: Starring acts as a positive engagement signal to Gmail.
  • Sender Reputation: Positive engagement, including starring, can improve sender reputation, a key factor in deliverability.
  • Inbox Placement: Starring may influence Gmail to place future emails in the primary tab.
  • Collective Impact: Widespread starring is more likely to have a noticeable impact than a single instance.
  • Overall Deliverability: By increasing engagement, Starring can contribute to improved overall deliverability.

Key considerations

  • Debated Impact: The specific impact of starring alone is not definitively proven and may be part of a broader engagement analysis.
  • Engagement as a Whole: Deliverability is influenced by a range of engagement metrics, not just starring.
  • User Behavior: Encouraging valuable and relevant emails is important to increase stars, which in turn may increase deliverability.
  • Starring vs. Other Actions: Other actions, such as marking as important with the Importance Marker, or replying may send stronger signals.
Marketer view

Email marketer from Mailjet Blog mentions that engagement signals like starring are used by mailbox providers to assess email quality and relevance, potentially influencing inbox placement.

October 2022 - Mailjet Blog
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Geeks shares that a single subscriber starring an email won't change much. However, many subscribers doing so might tell Gmail that subscribers like emails from the sender, potentially causing messages to be sent to the primary tab for those users and others.

October 2021 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Marketing Forum thinks that the precise effect of starring is hard to pin down, but users should always encourage actions, such as starring, that make email valuable. This will increase overall user engagement, increasing deliverability and inbox placement.

August 2023 - Email Marketing Forum
Marketer view

Email marketer from EmailOctopus Blog notes that positive engagement, like marking emails as important, contributes to a positive sender reputation, which impacts deliverability over time.

November 2023 - EmailOctopus Blog
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Geeks shares anytime users provide positive signals, like starring, indicating they want the email, it's a good signal that can influence deliverability.

December 2022 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from Gmass states that interactions like starring and marking messages as important may send positive signals to Gmail, potentially improving the placement of future emails.

February 2023 - Gmass
Marketer view

Email marketer from Reddit explains that while not definitively proven, user interaction such as starring may have a small positive effect on deliverability due to engagement signaling.

April 2023 - Reddit
Marketer view

Email marketer from Litmus says that email engagement metrics like opens, clicks and replies do impact deliverability, however Starring is not directly mentioned as a key factor.

December 2021 - Litmus
Marketer view

Email marketer from ActiveCampaign shares that sender reputation is the top aspect in determining inbox placement. Good engagement increases sender reputation and deliverability.

May 2021 - ActiveCampaign
Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks explains that starring a promo email is an engagement signal and likely puts the message at the top of the web interface, suggesting it's not a bad idea.

August 2023 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks shares that starring a message can result in it being displayed in the Primary tab of the inbox.

February 2023 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from Neil Patel's Blog shares that Gmail uses engagement metrics to determine placement. Starring could signal importance, positively influencing future deliverability to the primary tab.

November 2021 - Neil Patel's Blog

What the experts say
4Expert opinions

The impact of starring a promo email in Gmail on deliverability and inbox placement is debated. Some sources, including Google's official documentation, indicate that starring marks an email as important for the user's personal use, signaling the sender's importance. Others believe it sends positive engagement signals to mailbox providers, potentially improving inbox placement. However, one expert believes Gmail may not pay attention to stars, suggesting they are solely for personal organization. Overall, engagement is acknowledged as a factor in inbox placement.

Key opinions

  • Marks Importance: Starring emails marks them as important to the user within Gmail.
  • Engagement Signal: Starring is considered a potential engagement signal to mailbox providers.
  • Inbox Placement Factor: Engagement is a factor that influences inbox placement.

Key considerations

  • Uncertainty of Impact: The direct influence of starring on deliverability is not definitively established.
  • Personal Use: Stars might primarily serve personal organizational purposes within Gmail.
  • Engagement Importance: Engagement in general influences inbox placement.
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks shares a quote from Google explaining that starring emails marks them as important and helps users remember to look at them later, signaling to Google that the sender is important.

April 2024 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks believes that Gmail probably doesn't pay attention to stars but they are there for personal use.

November 2022 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Spam Resource states that user engagement, such as starring messages, sends positive signals to mailbox providers, which can improve inbox placement over time.

December 2021 - Spam Resource
Expert view

Expert from Word to the Wise, Laura Atkins, states in an article that engagement is one factor in how inbox placement works. She states that inbox placement changes over time.

March 2021 - Word to the Wise

What the documentation says
4Technical articles

Documentation from Google Support indicates starring helps users manage emails but doesn't confirm a direct impact on deliverability. Microsoft Support's information pertains to Outlook and not Gmail deliverability. Sendgrid highlights sender reputation's importance, with engagement being key, but doesn't specifically mention starring. SparkPost's documentation notes that engagement, which includes actions like starring, is observed by ISPs to determine sender reputation, indirectly influencing inbox placement.

Key findings

  • User Organization: Starring primarily aids users in organizing and prioritizing emails within Gmail (Google Support).
  • Sender Reputation Key: Positive sender reputation is critical for email deliverability (Sendgrid).
  • Engagement is Factor: Engagement, including actions like starring, contributes to sender reputation (SparkPost).

Key considerations

  • Indirect Impact: The connection between starring and improved deliverability is indirect, primarily through engagement's influence on sender reputation.
  • No Direct Link: No documentation directly confirms starring as a definitive factor in Gmail's deliverability algorithm.
  • Context Matters: The overall engagement strategy and sender reputation are more significant than any single action like starring.
Technical article

Documentation from Sendgrid states positive sender reputation is the core of getting emails delivered. It mentions engagement is the core aspect to this but does not explicitly state starring an email.

June 2023 - Sendgrid
Technical article

Documentation from Google Support explains that starring emails in Gmail marks them as important, helping users remember to look at them later. This does not explicitly state it affects deliverability for future emails.

July 2023 - Google Support
Technical article

Documentation from SparkPost explains the various elements of email deliverability. Engagement, such as starring a message, are elements that ISP's will look at to decide your sender reputation. A positive sender reputation will increase chances of landing in the inbox.

June 2022 - SparkPost
Technical article

Documentation from Microsoft Support explains how flagging messages as important affects the display in Outlook but does not discuss the impact on deliverability.

October 2022 - Microsoft Support