Should I avoid emailing Gmail users based on growth hack advice?
Michael Ko
Co-founder & CEO, Suped
Published 27 Jul 2025
Updated 15 Aug 2025
5 min read
The notion that you should avoid emailing Gmail users is a piece of email growth hack advice that I've encountered, and it's fundamentally misguided. This advice suggests that because Gmail's filtering algorithms are so sophisticated, it's better to focus your email efforts elsewhere to avoid potential deliverability issues.
While it might seem appealing to try to game the system or find an easy loophole for growth, ignoring Gmail users is a strategy that severely limits your reach. Gmail is a dominant email provider, serving billions of users across virtually all demographics and industries. To intentionally exclude such a large segment of potential recipients is to cripple your email marketing efforts from the outset.
The truth is, sustainable email marketing success, especially with major providers like Gmail, comes not from avoidance but from adherence to best practices. This article will explain why avoiding Gmail users is counterproductive and outline the strategies that actually lead to healthy, long-term email deliverability.
The misunderstanding of growth hacking in email
The term growth hack can sometimes imply quick, unconventional tactics that prioritize rapid expansion over long-term stability. While some growth hacking approaches can be innovative and effective, in email, they often lead to short-sighted decisions that damage your sender reputation. For instance, the idea of sidestepping Gmail users out of fear of their filters reflects a misunderstanding of how modern email systems, particularly those run by major internet service providers (ISPs), truly operate.
The core issue with this advice is that it fails to acknowledge the pervasive presence of Gmail. It's not just for 'knowledge workers' or a specific age group. My own experience, and what I see across many clients, confirms that Gmail accounts are ubiquitous. Ignoring such a massive segment of the internet's population is akin to limiting your advertising to a niche newspaper when your audience is global.
The flawed premise
Ignoring a major audience: Gmail is a dominant email provider, reaching a vast number of users across demographics and industries.
Misinterpreting filtering: Yahoo and Gmail's filtering are sophisticated and based on engagement, not simply avoiding certain recipient domains.
Short-term vs. long-term: Quick hacks often lead to long-term damage to your sender reputation.
How Gmail evaluates senders
Gmail's algorithms are incredibly advanced and are designed to prioritize the user experience. They analyze countless signals to determine whether an email belongs in the inbox, promotions tab, or spam folder. This means that simply avoiding Gmail won't solve underlying issues if your email practices are subpar. Instead, you need to understand and align with their expectations.
A key factor in Gmail's evaluation is engagement. When recipients open, click, reply to, or forward your emails, these are strong positive signals. Conversely, if users mark your emails as spam, delete them without opening, or simply ignore them, these are negative signals that tell Gmail your messages may not be welcome. This feedback directly influences your sender reputation. A poor reputation means your emails are less likely to reach the inbox for any recipient, not just Gmail users. To manage unwanted messages, Google provides clear guidance on their support pages.
Signal
Impact on deliverability
Positive: Opens
High deliverability
Positive: Clicks
Improved inbox placement
Positive: Replies
Strong sender reputation
Negative: Spam complaints
Risk of blocklisting (blacklist)
Negative: Low engagement
Poor inbox placement
Negative: High bounce rates
Reputation damage
The dangers of short-sighted email tactics
Relying on growth hacks that suggest avoiding certain domains or trying to trick the system is a dangerous game. Such short-sighted approaches can lead to severe long-term consequences, the most critical of which is being placed on an email blocklist (also called a blacklist). Once your sending IP or domain is on a blocklist, it becomes incredibly difficult to reach any inbox, not just Gmail's.
Understanding how email blocklists work is crucial. They are designed to prevent spam and protect users, and getting on one means your sender reputation has plummeted. This can impact your entire email program, affecting transactional emails, marketing campaigns, and even internal communications if your main domain is affected. To learn more, read what happens when your domain is on an email blacklist.
Short-term "hacks"
These methods often focus on aggressive tactics for rapid user acquisition, frequently disregarding established email best practices. While they may offer temporary spikes, they ultimately harm your sending infrastructure and reputation.
Poor list hygiene: Neglecting to regularly remove unengaged or invalid subscribers.
Ignoring feedback loops: Failing to act on spam complaints or bounces from mailbox providers.
Volume over quality: Sending large email volumes without proper segmentation or targeting.
Sustainable email growth
This strategy centers on building and maintaining a positive sender reputation through consistent, valuable engagement and strict adherence to mailbox provider guidelines. It ensures long-term deliverability and success.
Consent-based lists: Acquiring subscribers through explicit opt-ins and clear expectations.
Engaged segmentation: Targeting emails to interested segments of your audience based on their behavior.
Monitoring and optimization: Continuously monitoring deliverability metrics and adjusting strategies as needed.
A better path forward for Gmail deliverability
Instead of avoiding Gmail users, the better path forward is to optimize your email program for all recipients, including those on Gmail. This involves a multi-faceted approach focused on genuine value and technical compliance. It's about building trust with mailbox providers and subscribers alike.
Key components of a robust email strategy include maintaining excellent list quality by regularly cleaning your lists, providing relevant and engaging content, and implementing strong email authentication. This includes DMARC, SPF, and DKIM records, which are crucial for verifying your legitimacy and avoiding Gmail security warnings. Regular monitoring through tools like Google Postmaster Tools will also help you identify and address issues proactively.
yourdomain.com IN TXT "v=spf1 include:_spf.example.com ~all"
Example DKIM record (TXT)TXT
s1._domainkey.yourdomain.com IN TXT "v=DKIM1; k=rsa; p=MIGfMA0GCSqGSIb3DQEBAQUAA4GNADCBiQKBgQDGMx99/q"
Views from the trenches
Best practices
Prioritize user preferences and engagement over attempting to game system algorithms.
Maintain robust email authentication, including DMARC, SPF, and DKIM, for all sending domains.
Continuously monitor your sender reputation across all major mailbox providers, including Gmail.
Focus on building a high-quality, engaged subscriber list through ethical means and consistent value.
Common pitfalls
Implementing short-sighted "growth hacks" that promise quick results but damage long-term reputation.
Making broad generalizations about user demographics based solely on their email provider.
Ignoring the significant market share of major email providers like Gmail.
Attempting to bypass or trick sophisticated email filtering systems, leading to blocklists or blacklists.
Expert tips
Always align your email sending strategy with where your audience actively engages, regardless of the domain.
Invest in proper list hygiene and segmentation to ensure relevance for every single email you send.
Understand that modern mailbox providers use dynamic algorithms that adapt to sender behavior in real time.
Real growth in email comes from consistent value, strong sender trust, and a commitment to best practices, not quick fixes.
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks says: A client sent over a 'growth hack' idea that involved altering email sending practices, which seemed odd and potentially problematic.
2020-06-09 - Email Geeks
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks says: The goal of such an approach isn't always clear, sometimes it's just about throwing ideas at a startup in an effort to grow.
2020-06-09 - Email Geeks
Embracing a sustainable email strategy
The advice to avoid emailing Gmail users based on growth hack strategies is not only outdated but actively detrimental to your email marketing success. Gmail represents a vast and diverse audience that no sender can afford to ignore. Attempting to bypass or outsmart its sophisticated filtering systems is a losing battle that can severely harm your sender reputation and overall deliverability.
True email growth stems from a commitment to best practices: building engaged lists, sending relevant content, maintaining proper authentication, and continuously monitoring your performance. Focusing on these fundamentals ensures your messages reach the inbox, whether it's a Gmail address or any other. This approach fosters long-term relationships with your subscribers and builds a robust email program.
Gmail is a dominant email provider, reaching a vast number of users across demographics and industries.
Yahoo and Gmail's filtering are sophisticated and based on engagement, not simply avoiding certain recipient domains.
