Should I avoid emailing Gmail users based on growth hack advice?
Summary
What email marketers say9Marketer opinions
Marketer from Email Geeks explains that the advice might be saying that Gmail's algorithms are sensitive to mailers who send too much mail, so you should only send to Gmail when it makes sense. Assumes Gmail users are 'knowledge workers'.
Email marketer from Email Marketing Forum shares that avoid generalized "growth hack" advice. Instead, segment your email list and tailor your messages to specific groups of subscribers based on their interests and behavior. User42 mentions that relevant and personalized emails are more likely to be well-received, regardless of the email provider.
Email marketer from HubSpot Blog advises against avoiding sending emails to certain email addresses. It's mentioned that focusing on best practices that are used by deliverability experts is more important than avoiding certain email addresses. Building your sender reputation should be the key focus.
Email marketer from G2 responds that instead of avoiding Gmail addresses, focus on creating content that subscribers find valuable and engaging. Focus on creating emails that people actually want to read. Focus on providing value in the form of tutorials, tips, and resources, rather than solely promotional messages.
Email marketer from Neil Patel's Blog explains that focusing on deliverability best practices is essential regardless of whether the email recipient uses Gmail or another provider. Avoiding Gmail users is not a sustainable growth strategy. Prioritize building a clean email list, using authentication protocols, and creating engaging content.
Marketer from Email Geeks shares that most of his friends and colleagues use Gmail across various industries and that it is more of an under-40 demographic thing, refuting the idea that Gmail is solely for knowledge workers.
Email marketer from Reddit responds that instead of avoiding Gmail users, focus on cleaning your email list regularly to remove inactive or unengaged subscribers. u/EmailExpert123 mentions that a high-quality list with engaged subscribers will improve your sender reputation and deliverability rates across all email providers.
Email marketer from Litmus responds with importance of building and protecting your sender reputation. Consistently sending high-quality emails to engaged subscribers is more effective than attempting to game the system by avoiding certain email providers. Litmus continues with that focus on deliverability is vital for email marketing success.
Email marketer from Sendinblue Blog responds that focusing on creating valuable and engaging content for your subscribers is more effective than avoiding Gmail users. Sendinblue mentions that segmenting your audience and tailoring your messages can improve engagement and sender reputation, regardless of the email provider.
What the experts say4Expert opinions
Expert from Spamresource explains that deliverability best practices are key when emailing Gmail users, noting that these change regularly. Sticking to email best practices will help you reach your intended audience.
Expert from Email Geeks states the growth hacker is pulling stuff out of his, you should email where your audience is. Shares their top 10 domains (active audience, rolling six months) noting that Gmail makes up 58% of the audience and that mailing less to Gmail impacts growth.
Expert from Word to the Wise explains that building and maintaining a positive sender reputation is crucial for reaching Gmail users. Avoidance isn't a strategy; focus on sending wanted mail to engaged recipients and following best practices. Ignoring your sender reputation will hurt deliverability regardless of the email provider.
Expert from Email Geeks explains that the growth marketer is implying that only abnormal people use Gmail and that those in the 40-55 demographic use AOL. He also says growth marketers pitch snake oil to failing marketers, so connection with reality is optional.
What the documentation says5Technical articles
Documentation from Google Support explains that Gmail has specific sender guidelines to ensure a positive user experience. Focus on adhering to Google's best practices, such as authenticating your emails with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, and providing easy unsubscribe options, to maintain a good sender reputation with Gmail users.
Documentation from SparkPost states that improving email deliverability requires a multi-faceted approach. Using suppression lists, where emails that are known to not work are actively removed, is an effective solution. Authenticating emails and segmenting target audience are also helpful for improving deliverability.
Documentation from RFC explains the technical specifications of DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance), an email authentication protocol. Implementing DMARC helps protect your domain from email spoofing and phishing attacks, improving deliverability to Gmail users and other email providers. DMARC builds on SPF and DKIM.
Documentation from Mailchimp Knowledge Base explains the importance of email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) for improving email deliverability. Properly authenticating your emails helps establish trust with email providers like Gmail, reducing the likelihood of your messages being marked as spam or blocked.
Documentation from Microsoft Support explains that Outlook has sender guidelines to prevent spam and abuse. Following Microsoft's recommendations, such as using the Junk Email Reporting Program (JMRP) and Complaint Feedback Loop (CFL), can help improve your deliverability to Outlook users.