What is the Gmail Political Mail program and how does the opt-in process work?
Summary
What email marketers say9Marketer opinions
Email marketer from EmailToolTester covers the Political Email Program, highlighting that it helps prevent your political emails from going to the spam folder by following certain guidelines and requirements set by Google.
Email marketer from Campaign Monitor explains the significance of Gmail's new sender requirements for political emails, which require senders to meet authentication standards, avoid spam triggers, and provide easy unsubscribe options to ensure better deliverability.
Marketer from Email Geeks shares they have received at least one message with it and are working with some senders thinking of getting on there.
Email marketer from Litmus discusses Gmail's approach, noting that Gmail allows users to indicate whether they want to receive political emails, giving recipients more control over their inbox and helping to improve engagement for senders who follow best practices.
Email marketer from Mailchimp shares insights on political email marketing, stating that it involves sending emails to constituents to promote political candidates, campaigns, and initiatives, but requires careful adherence to regulations and best practices to ensure deliverability and compliance.
Marketer from Email Geeks states that the Gmail disclaimer header is the give away.
Email marketer from Reddit User u/EmailMarketingGuru suggests the Gmail Political Mail Program impacts email marketing by forcing political senders to be more transparent and accountable, potentially improving the user experience and reducing spam complaints.
Email marketer from StackExchange User Anonym advises to focus on building a good reputation and providing value to subscribers by only sending relevant and engaging content. To get whitelisted he highlights the need to be genuine and show real intent of being a real user who does not spam.
Marketer from Email Geeks mentions his wife got a DNC email with the topper.
What the experts say3Expert opinions
Expert from Spam Resource discusses the implications of the new Google political mail program and notes that Google has now inserted themselves in the opt-in process for registered senders.
Expert from Word to the Wise answers the question around Google's intent and how its political mail program is about letting voters opt-in to political mail, rather than making assumptions.
Expert from Email Geeks explains that Google has inserted themselves in the opt-in process for registered senders. Instead of guessing, Google is asking each recipient if they want mail from the sender, and if not, they can report it as spam.
What the documentation says4Technical articles
Documentation from Google Developers details sender requirements, explaining that participating senders must authenticate their emails, provide clear unsubscribe options, and transparently identify themselves as political mailers. They also need to register their sending domain with Google.
Documentation from Google Support explains that the Political Mail Program allows authorized US political committees and campaigns to send bulk emails to Gmail users, provided they meet specific requirements, including verification and adherence to Google's policies.
Documentation from Google says that users can unsubscribe or resubscribe to a verified sender's email, highlighting the importance of respecting user preferences and maintaining a clean subscriber list, as it helps prevent your emails being automatically filtered into the spam folder.
Documentation from Google Ads highlights political content policies, explaining what types of political advertising and content are permitted on the platform and the necessary disclosures and disclaimers that advertisers must include.