This month we delve into one of the most frustrating pain points for modern marketers: how to prevent your marketing emails from being banished to Gmail’s dreaded (and largely unopened) ‘Promotions’ tab.
If you’ve only just realised this is even a problem, don’t worry – you’re not alone. Gmail, ever the gatekeeper of the modern inbox, has taken it upon itself to automatically categorise incoming emails into tabs such as Primary, Social and Promotions. While this system is helpful for users trying to manage an onslaught of daily emails, it can be a thorn in the side of businesses and marketeers trying to get our messages seen.
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Why is landing in Gmail’s Promotions tab a bad thing?
If you’re in the world of email marketing, chances are you’ve battled with the ‘Promotions’ tab already. Emails that once landed front and centre in the inbox are now being shuffled into a section that many recipients rarely check, if ever. The result? Lower open rates, weaker engagement, and missed opportunities. So, what can be done to boost your chances of landing in the coveted Primary inbox?
Does email marketing still work in 2025?
Let’s address the elephant in the room: is email marketing still worth it in 2025?
The answer is a resounding ‘yes’. Despite the continued rise of social media, AI chatbots and SMS marketing, email remains one of the most effective and direct forms of communication between brands and their audiences. It’s personal, relatively low-cost, and offers measurable returns. In fact, many businesses – particularly in retail, e-commerce, professional services and beyond – still see strong conversion rates from well-executed email campaigns. However, effectiveness depends on visibility. If your carefully crafted campaign is immediately hidden away in the Promotions tab, it won’t matter how compelling your message is – it won’t be read. That’s why understanding and applying best practices to dodge the Promotions trap is so crucial.
What steps can you take to avoid the Promotions tab?
We’ve pulled together some actionable tips to help your emails reach the velvety goodness of your audience’s primary inbox:
Are there any formatting tips to maximise email deliverability?
Send personalised, plain-text style emails. Emails that look too much like advertisements – loaded with graphics, bold calls-to-action, and heavy promotional language – are more likely to be filtered into Promotions. Gmail’s algorithm scans not only your wording but the structure and formatting of your email.
To stay under the radar, try writing in a personal tone, as if you’re addressing a friend or colleague. Use plain text formatting where possible and avoid flashy designs. While imagery and buttons may look appealing, they often signal ‘sales pitch’ to Gmail’s algo.
Personalisation is also key. Using your recipient’s name, tailoring content based on previous behaviour and writing in a warm, conversational tone can all help your email feel more like a genuine message and less like a bulk marketing blast.
What should you avoid when sending marketing emails?
Avoid spammy email triggers – certain phrases and formatting styles are clear red flags to Gmail. These include:
- Overuse of exclamation marks!!!
- Excessive capital letters (BUY NOW!)
- Common sales phrases like “Limited time offer,” “Free trial,” “Click here,” or “Act fast.”
While these might seem like effective marketing language, they’re often picked up by spam filters or promotion classifiers. Instead, write subject lines and body content that feel natural and conversational. Be honest and transparent – you’re aiming for trust, not trickery.
How many links and images should you use in marketing emails?
It’s tempting to pack your email with links – to your homepage, a product page, your social media accounts, and so on. But every additional link increases the chance your email will be filed as promotional.
Ideally, limit your message to one primary call-to-action, supported by one or two links at most. Similarly, avoid overly image-heavy designs. A few well-placed visuals are fine, but if your email looks like a web page, Gmail will treat it as one.
A good rule of thumb: if you can achieve your goal with fewer links and minimal design elements, do it.
What’s the best email address to send marketing emails from?
Use a recognisable ‘From’ name and email address – recipients are more likely to open emails from senders they recognise and trust. Always use a consistent ‘From’ name and email address that clearly identifies your brand or organisation. For example, ‘Pete at Fenti’ is more personal and trustworthy than simply ‘Marketing Department.’
Avoid impersonal addresses like noreply@yourdomain.com, which can feel cold and discouraging to the recipient.
How do you encourage email engagement?
The more your recipients interact with your emails early on – opening, replying, clicking, or moving them to their Primary tab – the more likely Gmail will continue to place future emails in the Primary inbox.
You can help guide this behaviour early in your email journey. In your welcome email or onboarding series, ask new subscribers to move your email to their Primary tab, or to ‘star’ it, or mark it as ‘important’. It might seem like a small step, but it can have a big impact on deliverability going forward.
Should you remove people from your email marketing list?
One of the biggest factors in deliverability is the quality of your email list. Gmail tracks how users behave with your emails. If your messages are constantly being ignored, deleted without opening, or marked as spam, your sender reputation will take a hit.
To combat this, regularly clean your list by removing inactive subscribers. Focus on engaging users who actively want to hear from you – the ones who open, click and interact with your content. Not only does this improve your chances of reaching inboxes, it also boosts overall performance metrics.
How often should you send marketing emails?
Focus on email quality rather than quantity. There’s no surefire way to beat Gmail’s algorithms every single time. But by following these best practices, you significantly improve your chances of making it into the Primary tab, where your emails have a much better shot at being opened and acted upon.
Ultimately, it comes down to sending emails that people actually want to receive. When your content is relevant, personal and genuinely helpful, your audience is more likely to engage with it – and Gmail’s algorithms will take note.
So, ditch the over-designed, overly promotional templates. Speak like a human, write with purpose, and always keep the user experience front-of-mind.
Because in the end, it’s not just about deliverability – it’s about delivering value.
If you’ve made it this far you may be interested to know that Fenti offer a fully bespoke email marketing service, which rivals other big-name platforms such as Mailchimp, Brevo, Hubspot, Klaviyo etc. Unlike them, Fenti’s email management system is affordable and doesn’t come with scaling charges based on the number of email addresses you add. If you’re interested in finding out more, or any of our marketing services.
