Gmail delivers your newsletters to tabbed inboxes based on their own algorithms that consider everything including the content of the email, subscriber engagement and sender information.
It is expected that some of your newsletters will be placed in the promotions tab by Gmail. While there are no proven methods to control the placement of your emails, you can use the tips in this article to support your members, and increase the chances of your emails landing in the Primary tab.
Gmail tabbed inboxes
Gmail introduced tabbed inboxes to improve deliverability, increase open rates and reduce spam complaints, by giving users the ability to understand the nature of the emails in their inbox at a glance. If your newsletter ends up in the promotions folder, it's not deemed as Spam, and studies have shown that Gmail users actually do use the tabbed folders.
Plus — this doesn't apply to all Gmail users, since many people turn the tabbed inbox feature off within their account.
Sending emails to the Primary tab
Although there is no way to guarantee all emails will end up in the promotions tab, these tips can help maximise your email delivery if your members email you about your newsletters landing in the Promotions tab.
1. Ask your member to add your newsletter from address to their Google contacts. This will increase the chances of your newsletters appearing in the inbox.
2. Ask your member to move any emails that appeared in promotions to their inbox. This sends a signal to Gmail that the recipient wants to receive these emails in their inbox.
3. Use a free spam checker tool like this one to check your email content before hitting send. The content of your email plays a huge role in how any email client (not just Gmail) decides to filter your emails. You can use tools like this to prevent newsletters from being flagged as spam.