Why do my first emails to new Gmail recipients go to spam?

Email marketer from Neil Patel's Blog explains that Gmail's spam filters learn from user behavior. If users don't engage with your first emails, Gmail may filter future emails as spam. New subscribers haven't yet signaled their interest, so initial emails are more likely to be treated with suspicion.

Email marketer from Sender.net explains that proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) is essential to prove your legitimacy to Gmail. Without it, your emails are more likely to be flagged as spam, especially when sending to new recipients who haven't interacted with you before.

Email marketer from Litmus explains that previewing your emails with Litmus before sending will improve deliverability to Gmail recipients and check how an email will render in different email clients. This helps to ensure a good user experience from the start and avoid issues that might affect engagement and deliverability.

Email marketer from Email Marketing Forum explains that certain words, phrases, or formatting techniques in your email content can trigger spam filters. If your first emails to new recipients contain such triggers, they are more likely to be sent to spam. Avoiding spammy language and optimizing your email content is crucial.

Email marketer from Hubspot explains that building a positive sender reputation is crucial to avoiding the spam folder. Encouraging recipients to add you to their contacts and actively engaging with your emails can help improve your reputation with Gmail and ensure your emails reach the inbox.

Marketer from Email Geeks shares that this is expected behavior with new domains, low volume senders, and senders born under a full moon.

Email marketer from Mailjet shares that low engagement rates (opens, clicks) significantly impact deliverability. Gmail factors in how recipients interact with your emails. If new recipients don't engage, subsequent emails are more likely to be sent to spam. Highlighting the importance of encouraging interaction to build a good sender reputation.

Email marketer from EmailOctopus explains that when sending from a new IP address, your reputation is unknown. Gmail is cautious about emails from unverified sources and may initially place them in the spam folder until you establish a positive sending history with engaged recipients.

Marketer from Email Geeks shares they are actively investigating this behavior, reporting increased instances even for well-established, high-volume senders, especially with new subscribers experiencing plummeting click rates since mid-January without changes to sending patterns, content, or infrastructure.

Marketer from Email Geeks shares that they are seeing this issue even on very high-volume and consistent senders and that open rates on new list names can be as low as 1% while the rest of the list still opens at 30%+

Email marketer from Reddit shares that if your email list contains many inactive or invalid email addresses, Gmail is more likely to flag your emails as spam, especially when sending to new recipients. Clean and well-maintained email lists are essential for good deliverability.

Marketer from Email Geeks shares they are also seeing similar behavior across multiple assets, starting around February 2nd.

Email marketer from Gmass explains that gradually throttling sending emails, rather than blasting from a new IP at once, improves reputation with Gmail. Send in small batches for new recipients to avoid spam filters and get higher deliverability rates.

Expert from Word to the Wise explains that building a sender reputation with Gmail takes time. Gmail looks at factors like how long you've been sending, the volume of emails, and recipient engagement. Starting with a small volume and gradually increasing it as recipients engage positively can help avoid the spam folder, especially with new recipients.

Expert from Spam Resource highlights that Gmail heavily relies on user engagement to determine email placement. When you send emails to new recipients, Gmail observes how those recipients interact with your emails (opens, clicks, spam reports). Low engagement rates can negatively impact your sender reputation, causing future emails to be filtered as spam.

Documentation from DMARC.org explains that DMARC allows you to specify what Gmail should do with emails that fail SPF or DKIM checks. Implementing a DMARC policy can help protect your domain from spoofing and improve your deliverability by ensuring that only authorized emails are delivered to recipients' inboxes, reducing the likelihood of spam placement.

Documentation from Google Support explains that Gmail uses sophisticated algorithms to identify spam. These algorithms analyze various factors, including sender reputation, email content, and user feedback. Emails from unknown senders to new recipients are more likely to be flagged until a positive engagement history is established.

Documentation from DKIM explains that DKIM adds a digital signature to your emails, which verifies that the email was sent by you and hasn't been tampered with. Implementing DKIM helps build trust with Gmail and reduces the chances of your emails being marked as spam, particularly for new recipients who haven't engaged with you before.

Documentation from SparkPost explains that IP warming involves gradually increasing sending volume to establish a reputation with ISPs like Gmail. Sending a large volume of emails to new recipients from a new IP address can trigger spam filters, so a gradual warm-up process is crucial.

Documentation from RFC Editor explains that SPF records specify which mail servers are authorized to send emails on behalf of your domain. This helps prevent spammers from forging your email address and improves your sender reputation with Gmail, reducing the likelihood of emails going to spam.