Why are my information emails landing in the promotions tab and causing a drop in open rates?
Michael Ko
Co-founder & CEO, Suped
Published 17 Jul 2025
Updated 19 Aug 2025
8 min read
It can be incredibly frustrating to see your carefully crafted information emails land in the Gmail Promotions tab, especially when you notice a corresponding drop in open rates. You expect your valuable content, whether it's an important update, a newsletter with expert advice, or educational material, to reach your subscribers' primary inboxes.
Gmail's tab system, introduced over a decade ago, was designed to help users manage their inboxes by categorizing emails. The Promotions tab is intended for marketing messages, deals, and commercial content, while the Primary tab is for personal conversations. Other tabs include Social and Updates.
However, even emails you consider purely informational can inadvertently trigger Gmail's classification algorithms. The real challenge is determining why this happens and if the Promotions tab placement is indeed the sole reason for a decline in engagement, or if there are deeper deliverability issues at play that might also be contributing to the drop in your open rates.
How Gmail classifies emails
Google's filtering mechanisms
Gmail employs sophisticated algorithms, powered by artificial intelligence and machine learning, to analyze incoming emails. These algorithms scrutinize numerous signals to decide where an email should be placed. It is not simply about looking for explicit sales language, but rather a holistic assessment of the email's characteristics and the sender's reputation.
Intent versus appearance
While you might intend for your emails to be purely informational, Gmail's filters look at the email's design, the number of links, the presence of images or buttons, and even its historical engagement patterns to determine its nature. An email that visually resembles a marketing newsletter, even if its content is educational, can be automatically routed to the Promotions tab. If you want to learn more, read our guide, Why are my emails going to the Promotions tab in Gmail?
The role of sender reputation
Sender reputation is paramount in email deliverability. Gmail assigns a reputation score to your sending domain and IP address based on your past sending behavior, spam complaint rates, and recipient engagement. A strong reputation increases the likelihood of reaching the primary inbox, while a low or declining reputation can result in poorer placement, including the Promotions tab, or even the spam folder. Understanding this is key to figuring out what causes a sudden drop in email open rates.
Common triggers for promotions tab placement
Content and formatting triggers
Several elements within your email's content and formatting can signal to Gmail that it's promotional. These include: a high image-to-text ratio, an abundance of links (especially external ones), the presence of call-to-action buttons, or a heavily templated design. Even if your email provides valuable information, if it looks like a typical marketing email, it will likely be treated as one. MailerLite provides a good overview of why emails get delivered to Gmail's promotions tab.
Keywords and subject lines
While less impactful than overall design, certain keywords or phrases commonly found in marketing emails can contribute to Promotions tab placement. These might include terms like "offer," "deal," "free," or phrases that promise a benefit, even if framed within an informational context. Gmail's filters are smart enough to pick up on these nuances.
Sending patterns and engagement
The way you send your emails also plays a role. High volume sending, inconsistent sending frequency, or a sudden change in email volume can alert Gmail's filters. Crucially, how your subscribers engage with your emails is a major factor. Low open rates, low click-through rates, or a high number of spam complaints signal to Gmail that your emails might be less desired, leading to poorer inbox placement.
Content-related triggers
Visual elements: Too many images, large images, or an image-to-text ratio that favors graphics over written content.
Call to actions: Prominent buttons or multiple clear calls to action (e.g., "Shop Now," "Learn More").
Link density: An excessive number of links, especially to external websites.
Promotional language: Use of terms commonly associated with sales, discounts, or offers, even subtly.
Structured templates: Highly structured HTML templates often used by marketing platforms.
Sender behavior triggers
Sending volume: Sending large batches of emails at once, particularly to new or unengaged lists.
Engagement metrics: Low open rates, low click-through rates, and high unsubscribe rates.
Spam complaints: Even a small number of recipients marking your email as spam can negatively impact placement.
List hygiene: Sending to outdated or unengaged lists can hurt your sender reputation and lead to poorer placement.
Understanding the open rate impact
The promotions tab myth
Many senders believe that emails landing in the Promotions tab are inherently doomed to lower open rates, similar to the spam folder. However, this is largely a misconception. Engaged subscribers often check the Promotions tab for content they signed up for. Research by Email on Acid and others indicates that the Promotions tab has a minimal impact on overall open rates. For many users, it is a convenient way to separate their marketing content from personal communications.
Other factors driving open rate drops
If you are experiencing a significant drop in open rates, the Promotions tab placement might be a symptom, not the root cause. A sudden decline is often indicative of broader deliverability problems. These could include a deteriorating sender reputation, being added to an email blocklist (or blacklist), or sending to an increasingly unengaged or low-quality subscriber list. These issues can lead to emails going directly to spam or being blocked entirely, far more damaging than landing in the Promotions tab. Learn more about this in our article why your email open rate has dropped.
The importance of Google Postmaster Tools
To truly diagnose deliverability issues, relying on perceived open rate drops alone is insufficient. Google Postmaster Tools (GPT) provides invaluable insights into your sender reputation, spam complaint rates, and delivery errors directly from Google. A sudden spike in your spam rate, even a seemingly small one, can be a major red flag indicating a deeper problem. We have a detailed guide on the ultimate guide to Google Postmaster Tools.
Audience behavior and list hygiene
Ultimately, email deliverability is a two-way street that heavily relies on how your audience interacts with your emails. If your subscribers are not opening, clicking, or even marking your emails as important, Gmail will note this lack of engagement. Regularly cleaning your email list to remove inactive or unengaged subscribers is crucial for maintaining a healthy sender reputation and improving your overall open rates, regardless of tab placement.
Factor
Impact on deliverability and open rates
Monitoring
Sender reputation
A low reputation can lead to spam folder placement or blocks, significantly reducing open rates.
Engaging, relevant content leads to higher opens and less spam complaints.
Email analytics (open/click rates), A/B testing
List hygiene
Sending to active, opted-in users improves engagement and sender reputation.
Bounce rates, unsubscribe rates, list cleaning tools
Email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC)
Essential for proving legitimacy and preventing spoofing, directly impacting inboxing.
DMARC reports, authentication checkers
Strategies for better inboxing
Content and design refinement
If your primary goal is for informational emails to reach the Primary tab, consider adjusting your content and design to appear less promotional. This means prioritizing plain text over heavy HTML, reducing the number of images and large banners, and limiting embedded links and overt calls to action. Focus on delivering value through text. You can also review our guide how to prevent emails from landing in promotions.
Foster engagement and list hygiene
Encourage subscribers to engage positively with your emails. This includes asking them to add your email address to their contacts, star your emails, or move them to the Primary tab. Regularly clean your email list by removing inactive subscribers or those who haven't engaged in a long time. This signals to mailbox providers that your list is healthy and engaged, improving your sender reputation and overall deliverability.
Authenticating your emails
Ensuring proper email authentication is fundamental. Setting up and maintaining SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records helps mailbox providers verify your identity as a legitimate sender, building trust and improving your inbox placement. This is particularly important with new sender requirements from Google and Yahoo. Read our simple guide to DMARC, SPF, and DKIM.
Best practices for content and engagement
Plain text first: Prioritize clear, concise text over heavily designed templates, especially for crucial informational updates.
Minimal imagery: Reduce the number and size of images to avoid triggering promotional filters.
Thoughtful linking: Use links sparingly and only when essential to the informational value of the email.
Direct calls to action (CTAs): If a CTA is necessary, make it subtle or integrate it naturally into the text rather than as a prominent button.
Encourage primary placement: Politely ask subscribers to move your emails to their Primary tab or add your address to their contacts.
Navigating your inbox placement
While landing in the Promotions tab can be unsettling, it is often not the primary reason for a significant drop in open rates, especially for informational emails. Gmail's categorization aims to help users organize their inboxes, and engaged subscribers will still find your content. A sudden decline in open rates is more likely linked to broader issues like sender reputation, list quality, or a recent change in your sending practices. By focusing on maintaining a healthy sender reputation, ensuring proper authentication, and continuously optimizing your content for genuine engagement, you can improve your overall deliverability and ensure your information reaches its intended audience effectively.
Views from the trenches
Best practices
Actively monitor your sender reputation using tools like Google Postmaster Tools for any shifts.
Segment your audience based on engagement levels to avoid sending to inactive or unengaged users.
Prioritize plain text emails for informational content, minimizing images and heavy HTML.
Regularly clean your email lists to remove inactive or bouncing addresses.
Implement strong email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) to build trust with mailbox providers.
Common pitfalls
Assuming personal inbox placement reflects deliverability for your entire audience.
Over-optimizing emails to avoid the Promotions tab, making them look suspicious to filters.
Ignoring small increases in spam complaint rates in Google Postmaster Tools.
Sending to unengaged segments of your list, which can harm your overall sender reputation.
Neglecting email authentication, which is crucial for proving sender legitimacy.
Expert tips
If your email content is truly informational, aim for clarity and directness, not marketing flair.
Encourage subscribers to drag your emails to their primary tab if that is their preference.
A small spam complaint rate can indicate a larger problem that needs immediate attention.
Test different email formats and content types to see what resonates best with your audience.
Focus on consistent, high-quality engagement rather than fighting tab placement.
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks says my emails have been landing in promotions instead of primary for the past week, causing a significant drop in open rates from a steady 35%.
2020-05-30 - Email Geeks
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks says these are information emails, such as workout and nutrition content, not promotional material, which makes their placement in the promotions tab confusing.
