How to improve Gmail inbox placement for promotional emails?
Summary
What email marketers say13Marketer opinions
Email marketer from Email Marketing Forum recommends maintaining a consistent sending volume. Sudden spikes or drops in email volume can trigger spam filters, so it's important to establish a regular sending pattern.
Email marketer from Hubspot recommends regularly cleaning your email list to remove inactive subscribers. Sending emails to unengaged users can negatively impact your sender reputation and lead to poorer inbox placement.
Email marketer from Sendinblue suggests warming up your IP address gradually when starting to send emails. They explain that slowly increasing volume helps establish a positive sender reputation with mailbox providers like Gmail.
Email marketer from Mailchimp recommends segmenting your audience to send more targeted emails. They explain that segmented campaigns see higher open rates and fewer unsubscribes, which can improve inbox placement.
Email marketer from Email Geeks shares that subject lines was the cause of the email going to spam. Changing the subject line caused it to go straight to spam. Also, testing the original webinar email message with a salesy subject line resulted in 33% of the emails going to spam.
Email marketer from Reddit suggests monitoring your sender reputation using Google Postmaster Tools. Tracking metrics such as spam rate and feedback loop complaints can help you identify and address deliverability issues.
Email marketer from Email Geeks shares a tactic to identify problematic content by replacing content in an inboxed email with content from a spam email to find the paragraph, CTA, link or just template that triggers the spam filter.
Email marketer from Email Geeks notes that Gmail is becoming more sensitive to email content than it used to be, and that ChatGPT can be used for creative rewrites to improve inbox placement.
Email marketer from Campaign Monitor advises focusing on providing value to recipients. They explain that creating relevant and engaging content increases the likelihood of recipients interacting with your emails, which improves your sender reputation.
Email marketer from Email on Acid suggests avoiding spam trigger words in your subject lines and email body. They explain that using words commonly associated with spam can cause your emails to be filtered.
Email marketer from Litmus emphasizes the importance of mobile optimization. They explain that providing a good experience on mobile devices increases engagement, which can improve inbox placement.
Email marketer from Reddit shares that A/B testing subject lines and content can help identify what resonates best with your audience. Improved engagement can signal to Gmail that your emails are valuable and should be delivered to the inbox.
Email marketer from Email Geeks asks about complaint rates and engagement differences between webinar and sales emails, suggesting Gmail might be reacting to subscriber preferences.
What the experts say4Expert opinions
Expert from Word to the Wise shares that proper authentication is key for deliverability. They explain how to ensure SPF, DKIM and DMARC are configured properly. It also highlights common mistakes in implementing these protocols and how to avoid them, ensuring optimal authentication and deliverability.
Expert from Spam Resource suggests that avoiding common spam trigger words is important for evading content filters. They list examples of words and phrases that are likely to trigger spam filters and recommend using alternative language.
Expert from Word to the Wise, Laura Atkins, emphasizes the importance of building good relationships with ISPs and maintaining a positive sender reputation. She explains that good relationships allow senders to have open communications with ISPs to resolve issues quickly. She also explains how to build positive reputation.
Expert from Email Geeks suggests that Google might be reacting to how recipients react to sales emails versus webinar emails.
What the documentation says5Technical articles
Documentation from DKIM.org explains the importance of using DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) to sign your emails. DKIM provides a way for receiving mail servers to verify that an email message was authorized by the domain owner, which helps to combat spoofing and improve deliverability.
Documentation from RFC details how to implement Sender Policy Framework (SPF) records. It specifies the syntax and semantics of SPF records used to authorize which mail servers are permitted to send mail on behalf of your domain, helping to prevent spoofing and improve deliverability.
Documentation from Microsoft suggests ensuring that your sending domain and IP address are not listed on any major blocklists. Being on a blocklist can severely impact your ability to reach the inbox. Use online tools to check your domain's status.
Documentation from Google Workspace Admin Help advises administrators to authenticate their email with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. They also suggest monitoring your sender reputation with Postmaster Tools, avoid sending unwanted email, and provide easy unsubscription options.
Documentation from DMARC.org explains the process of implementing DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance). It highlights how DMARC builds upon SPF and DKIM to provide a policy for handling unauthenticated emails, reducing phishing and improving inbox placement.