Summary
To prevent transactional emails (like account verification links) from landing in Gmail's promotions tab, marketers, experts, and documentation suggest a multi-faceted approach. It's crucial to avoid promotional language and suggestive words, segment your email lists, and use a separate IP address/domain for transactional emails. Employ plain-text email designs with minimal images. Properly authenticate your emails with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, maintain a good sender reputation, and maintain consistent sending practices. Craft preview text carefully and avoid URL shorteners, and use a recognizable 'From' name. Utilize a separate sending infrastructure for transactional emails and authenticate correctly. Understand marking an email as transactional only impacts ESP unsubscribe requirements. Finally, since complete control is impossible, consider educating users on how to create Gmail filters to ensure important emails reach their primary inbox.
Key findings
- Avoid Promotional Language: Refrain from using words commonly associated with marketing (e.g., 'deals,' 'discount,' 'free') in transactional emails.
- Segment and Separate: Segment email lists and use a distinct IP address or domain for transactional emails.
- Keep it Simple: Employ a plain-text email design with minimal HTML and images.
- Authenticate: Implement SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records for email authentication.
- Maintain Reputation: Sustain a good sender reputation by avoiding unsolicited emails and maintaining consistent sending volumes.
- Careful Preview Text: Craft preview text carefully, avoiding any promotional language and ensuring clarity.
- No Shortened URLs: Avoid using URL shorteners in transactional emails.
- Recognizable Sender: Use a recognizable 'From' name for your transactional emails.
- Transactional Tag Impact: The 'transactional' tag affects ESP unsubscribe rules, not mailbox provider filtering.
- Authentication is Key: Email messages need to be correctly authenticated using SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records.
Key considerations
- Separate Infrastructure: A separate and consistently maintained sending infrastructure specifically for transactional emails can improve the reputation of those emails.
- User Education: Consider educating users about creating Gmail filters for critical transactional emails.
- Testing: Continuously test and monitor deliverability rates.
- Incomplete Control: Understand that even with best practices, you can't perfectly control Gmail tab placement.
What email marketers say
10 marketer opinions
To prevent transactional emails like account verification links from landing in the Gmail promotions tab, email marketers and experts recommend several key strategies. These include avoiding promotional language and focusing on clear, concise communication, segmenting email lists and using dedicated IP addresses for transactional emails, employing simple plain-text designs, ensuring proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), maintaining a good sender reputation, carefully crafting preview text, maintaining consistent sending practices, avoiding URL shorteners, and using recognizable 'From' names. These practices aim to distinguish transactional emails from promotional content, improving their deliverability to the primary inbox.
Key opinions
- Language: Avoid promotional language (e.g., 'deals,' 'discount,' 'free') in transactional emails. Focus on clear, concise language related to the transaction.
- Segmentation: Segment email lists and use a separate IP address/domain for transactional emails to build a dedicated reputation.
- Design: Use simple, plain-text email designs. Avoid excessive images, colors, and promotional banners.
- Authentication: Implement SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records for your sending domain to verify email legitimacy.
- Reputation: Maintain a good sender reputation by avoiding unsolicited emails and spam complaints.
- Sending Practices: Maintain consistent sending practices, avoiding sudden spikes in sending volume.
- Links: Avoid using URL shorteners in transactional emails; use full, direct links.
- From Name: Use a recognizable 'From' name for transactional emails (e.g., company name or specific department).
Key considerations
- Dedicated Infrastructure: Consider using a completely separate sending infrastructure (IP address, domain) for transactional emails to isolate their reputation.
- User Filters: While not directly controllable, consider that users can create Gmail filters to ensure transactional emails are delivered to the primary inbox. Provide instructions to your customers if appropriate.
- Preview Text: Carefully craft preview text to avoid triggering promotions filters. Make it informative and relevant to the transaction.
- Domain Authenticity: Ensure your sending domain is properly authenticated to prove the legitimacy of the source.
Marketer view
Email marketer from Email On Acid Blog suggests carefully crafting the preview text of your transactional emails. Avoid promotional language or offers in the preview text, and focus on providing clear information about the transaction.
1 Dec 2022 - Email On Acid Blog
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks suggests that the word "deals" would likely be a keyword used in a promotions tab filter.
5 Oct 2024 - Email Geeks
What the experts say
5 expert opinions
To prevent transactional emails, such as account verification links, from landing in the Gmail promotions tab, several expert insights can be combined. Firstly, it's crucial to understand that marking an email as 'transactional' primarily affects ESP requirements for unsubscribe links and doesn't inherently influence Gmail's filtering. Employing plain-looking emails with minimal HTML and images can increase the likelihood of emails landing in the primary or updates tab. Utilizing a separate, consistently maintained sending infrastructure specifically for transactional emails can foster a positive sending reputation. Proper email authentication with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC is essential for deliverability. Since there is no perfect method of controlling Gmail tab placement, educating users to check their promotions tab becomes essential.
Key opinions
- Transactional Tag: Marking an email as 'transactional' affects unsubscribe link requirements, not Gmail filtering.
- Email Design: Plain-looking emails with minimal HTML and images are more likely to land in the primary or updates tab.
- Infrastructure: Using a separate and maintained infrastructure for transactional emails improves reputation.
- Authentication: Proper authentication using SPF, DKIM, and DMARC is critical for email deliverability.
- Limited Control: There is no foolproof method of controlling Gmail tab placement.
Key considerations
- User Education: Educate users to check their promotions tab in case the transactional email lands there.
- Dedicated IP: Consider dedicating an IP specifically for transaction email to separate your transactional traffic from any promotional email traffic.
- Content Testing: Test content before widespread distribution to ensure that the content isn't landing in the promotions tab.
- Domain and IP Reputation: Prioritize maintaining a strong sender reputation through proper authentication and consistent sending practices.
Expert view
Expert from Word to the Wise emphasizes the importance of using a separate and consistently maintained sending infrastructure specifically for transactional emails. This helps build a positive reputation for transactional mail, distinct from marketing campaigns.
14 Feb 2022 - Word to the Wise
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks explains that there's no real way to control Gmail tab placement on a per-email basis, and suggests focusing on user education, so users know to look in the promotions tab.
19 Dec 2021 - Email Geeks
What the documentation says
3 technical articles
To help prevent transactional emails (like account verification links) from landing in Gmail's promotions tab, several documentation sources offer advice. Google Support suggests users create Gmail filters to ensure emails from a specific domain land in the primary inbox. While not directly preventing promotion tab placement, RFC documentation emphasizes the importance of including a List-Unsubscribe header to increase user satisfaction, which indirectly improves domain reputation. SparkPost documentation advocates for using a dedicated IP address for transactional emails to help build a positive sender reputation, thus reducing the likelihood of promotional filtering.
Key findings
- User Filters: Users can create Gmail filters to bypass the promotions tab.
- List-Unsubscribe: Including a List-Unsubscribe header improves user satisfaction.
- Dedicated IP: Using a dedicated IP for transactional emails builds positive sender reputation.
Key considerations
- User Action Required: Relying on user-created filters requires users to take action; provide clear instructions if you pursue this.
- Reputation Impact: Understand that List-Unsubscribe, dedicated IPs, and other best practices indirectly influence deliverability by improving domain reputation.
- IP Warm-Up: If implementing a dedicated IP, properly warm it up to establish a sending reputation.
- Dedicated IP Cost: Take into account the cost of implementing and maintaining a dedicated IP.
Technical article
Documentation from SparkPost suggests using a dedicated IP address for sending transactional emails. A dedicated IP helps build a positive sending reputation, making it less likely that transactional emails will be filtered as promotional.
3 Dec 2021 - SparkPost
Technical article
Documentation from RFC explains that you must still implement a List-Unsubscribe header for transactional emails. Although this doesn't directly prevent emails landing in the promotions tab, it can improve user satisfaction which in turn improves the user rating of your domain and lowers the chance of being put into the promotions tab.
4 Aug 2021 - RFC
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