Why are my emails going to the promotions tab in Gmail? - Knowledge Base

Summary

Achieving email whitelisting involves a multi-faceted approach, combining technical authentication with user-driven actions and responsible sending practices. Experts recommend prioritizing proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) as the foundational step to ensure inbox placement and minimize the need for whitelisting. Simultaneously, educating recipients on how to add your sending address to their address book or Safe Senders list in email clients like Outlook, Gmail, and macOS Mail is vital. Marketers emphasize the importance of building trust through valuable, relevant content, consistent sending schedules, and good list hygiene. Actively participating in feedback loops with ISPs can further enhance deliverability and reduce reliance on whitelisting. While whitelisting can improve engagement, relying solely on it is not a scalable solution; a strong sender reputation, built through responsible practices, is essential. It is also crucial to consider the potential security risks of whitelisting without proper authentication. Email administrators are aware of how to handle whitelisting requests from employees, emphasizing the need for businesses to prioritize these factors to foster successful, sustainable email deliverability.

Key findings

Authentication Primacy: Strong email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) is paramount for bypassing spam filters and improving deliverability.
User Empowerment: Guiding recipients on how to add senders to Safe Senders lists or contact lists is a direct way to improve deliverability.
Content and Value: Delivering valuable and relevant content fosters a positive sender reputation and reduces spam complaints.
Whitelisting Limitations: Whitelisting is a supplementary measure, not a primary solution, and should be complemented by robust sending practices.
Security Concerns: Whitelisting without proper authentication can introduce security vulnerabilities.
Reputation Matters: A strong sender reputation is crucial for sustained email deliverability.

Key considerations

Comprehensive Strategy: Implement a holistic strategy encompassing technical authentication, user education, and responsible sending practices.
Scalability and Sustainability: Focus on scalable solutions that build a positive sender reputation for the long term.
Recipient Engagement: Create engaging content that resonates with recipients to minimize spam complaints and increase positive engagement.
Security Awareness: Ensure whitelisting practices do not compromise recipient security.
Proactive Monitoring: Actively monitor deliverability metrics and feedback loops to identify and resolve issues promptly.
Admin Awareness: Remember most email administrators will know how to handle requests for whitelisting emails from legitimate senders.

What email marketers say

10 marketer opinions

To get emails whitelisted by a recipient's email admin, a multi-faceted approach is required. Educating recipients on how to add your address to their address book or safe sender list is a direct method. However, it's crucial to prioritize proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) to avoid spam filters in the first place, as whitelisting is more of a workaround. Sending valuable, relevant content, maintaining consistent sending schedules, and practicing good list hygiene are essential for building a positive sender reputation. Participating in feedback loops with ISPs can also help identify and resolve deliverability issues. While whitelisting may improve engagement, focusing on earning trust through content and consistent delivery is a better long-term strategy. It's also important to be aware of the security implications of whitelisting specific email addresses without proper authentication.

Key opinions

Authentication is Key: Proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) is crucial for avoiding spam filters and reducing the need for whitelisting.
Recipient Education: Educating recipients on how to add your email address to their address book or safe sender list can improve deliverability.
Content Matters: Sending valuable and relevant content is essential for building a positive sender reputation and reducing spam complaints.
Whitelisting Limitations: Whitelisting is a workaround, not a primary solution, and focusing on earning trust through content and consistent delivery is more effective long-term.
Security Risks: Whitelisting specific email addresses without proper authentication can introduce security flaws.

Key considerations

Sender Reputation: Prioritize building a positive sender reputation through consistent sending schedules, good list hygiene, and valuable content.
Feedback Loops: Consider participating in feedback loops with major ISPs to identify and address deliverability issues.
Scalability: Whitelisting is not a scalable solution, so focus on practices that improve deliverability for all recipients.
Security: Ensure that any whitelisting practices do not compromise the recipient's email security.
Long-Term Strategy: Focus on building trust and providing value rather than relying solely on whitelisting as a deliverability strategy.

Marketer view

Email marketer from EmailVendorSelection advises that participating in feedback loops with major ISPs can help identify and address deliverability issues, potentially reducing the need for whitelisting.

22 Aug 2022 - EmailVendorSelection

Marketer view

Email marketer from Quora responds by saying it is important to maintain a consistent sending schedule and volume to establish a reliable sender reputation, which can reduce the need for whitelisting.

1 Mar 2023 - Quora

What the experts say

4 expert opinions

Experts agree that focusing on good sending practices and proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) is the most effective approach to ensure inbox placement and avoid the need for whitelisting. It's better to whitelist mail based on authentication than relying on untrusted shared IP addresses. If an employee requests mail from a business-relevant entity, the email administrator will know how to handle the request. In general, relying on whitelisting is not a scalable or reliable long-term solution; building a strong sender reputation and providing wanted content are essential for sustained deliverability.

Key opinions

Authentication is Crucial: Prioritize proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) for reliable inbox placement.
Whitelisting Limitations: Relying solely on whitelisting is not a scalable or reliable long-term solution.
Content and Reputation Matter: Building a strong sender reputation and providing wanted content are essential for sustained deliverability.
Admin Discretion: Email administrators understand how to handle requests for whitelisting business-relevant senders.
IP vs. Authentication: It's better to whitelist based on authentication rather than relying on untrusted shared IP addresses.

Key considerations

Focus on Best Practices: Concentrate on implementing good sending practices and maintaining a clean sending reputation.
Scalability: Adopt deliverability strategies that scale effectively rather than relying on individual whitelisting requests.
Admin Knowledge: Trust that email administrators have the expertise to handle valid whitelisting requests from employees.
Long-Term Strategy: Build a sustainable deliverability strategy based on authentication, content quality, and reputation management rather than relying on whitelisting as a primary solution.
Wanted Content: Provide wanted content to avoid being marked as spam.

Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks explains it is better to whitelist mail from a particular sender (based on authentication) rather than an untrusted shared IP address.

2 Nov 2023 - Email Geeks

Expert view

Expert from Spam Resource, John Levine, explains that the focus should be on good sending practices and authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) to ensure inbox placement. Relying on whitelisting is not a scalable or reliable solution.

6 Mar 2023 - Spam Resource

What the documentation says

5 technical articles

Email client documentation from Microsoft, Google, and Apple outline methods for users to whitelist senders. In Outlook, users can add senders to the Safe Senders list. Gmail allows users to create filters to mark emails as 'Never send to spam'. macOS Mail provides options to manage blocked senders, effectively whitelisting desired senders. Additionally, RFC and DKIM documentation highlight the importance of SPF records and DKIM signatures for email authentication, which influence how emails are filtered or whitelisted by receiving servers.

Key findings

User-Controlled Whitelisting: Major email clients (Outlook, Gmail, macOS Mail) provide users with features to explicitly whitelist senders.
Authentication Influence: SPF records and DKIM signatures, documented in RFC and DKIM standards, are crucial for email authentication and impact deliverability and filtering decisions.
Multiple Whitelisting Methods: Users have various methods to whitelist senders, including safe sender lists, filters, and managing blocked senders.

Key considerations

User Education: Educating users on how to utilize whitelisting features in their email clients can improve deliverability.
Authentication Implementation: Properly implementing SPF and DKIM is crucial for improving email authentication and reducing the likelihood of being filtered or marked as spam.
Client-Specific Instructions: Provide clear, client-specific instructions to recipients on how to whitelist your emails based on their email provider.
Proactive Measures: Implement strong authentication practices to minimize the need for end-users to manually whitelist your emails.

Technical article

Documentation from Microsoft explains how users can add senders to their Safe Senders list in Outlook to ensure that emails from those senders are not treated as junk.

8 Feb 2022 - Microsoft

Technical article

Documentation from Apple explains how to manage blocked senders in Mail on macOS, which can be used to ensure that specific senders are always allowed.

28 Mar 2023 - Apple