Ask Our Experts: Help, My Emails Are Landing in the Promotions Tab!

When it first landed in our inbox, many believed the promotions tab would ruin email marketing for good. Years after Gmail’s controversial update, it’s time to set the record straight for scared senders. 

In this episode, Alyssa and Melissa break down their take on the promotions tab while unpacking insights from ConvertKit’s team of email pros. 

When it comes to deliverability, there are plenty of email mishaps to worry about. But is landing in the promotions tab one of them? While this secondary tab can feel like a spam folder for senders, here’s why Gmail may actually be doing you a favor.

“Really, the goal isn’t to get out of the promotions tab, it’s just to do a better job within the promotions tab.” ~ @alyssa_dulin

Main Takeaways

• [06:27] Opens in the promotions tab are much stronger signals than opens in the primary tab. Users are in a much better headspace to respond or purchase when they’re not responding to emails from their grandmother, boss, or dentist.
• [06:53] If you’re really hoping to avoid the promotions tab, you can ask subscribers to drag your email into the primary inbox, encourage subscribers to reply, and regularly clean your list of unengaged subscribers.
• [12:00] The promotions tab is still the inbox. If you’re landing in the promotions tab, find ways to make your interactions with your audience feel one-to-one. 
• [21:05] To create more valuable content, know your audience, segment your subscribers and send personalized messages, create captivating subject lines, avoid link shorteners, and balance images with text. 

Links

• ConvertKit’s Deliverability 101 Guide
• Send us your episode ideas!
• Tags & Segments
• Turn off Gmail categories and tabs
• Bitly

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