The Promotions tab isn't your enemy

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Today's Email: The Promotions tab isn't your enemy

Consumers know exactly how tabs work. They know how to move emails between tabs. And they check their Promotions tab more often than most marketers give them credit for. They even peek at spam more than you'd expect.

Primary Tab Isn't Magic

Based on what I've seen over the years, the only real lift from landing in Primary is in opens. That's it. Down-funnel actions like clicks, conversions, and revenue stay largely the same regardless of tab placement.

And let's be honest. Gmail's tab sorting has been glitchy for years. Emails bounce between tabs with no clear logic. Spending energy trying to game that system is time you'll never get back.

The Bigger Shift You Should Be Paying Attention To

While everyone is worrying about tabs, something much more significant is happening. AI is changing how people interact with their inbox entirely.

Gmail's AI summaries are condensing your emails before anyone opens them. Gemini is helping users triage, sort, and yes, unsubscribe from emails they don't find valuable. Apple Intelligence is doing similar things on the other side.

This means the bar for relevance just got higher. If your emails consistently get ignored, AI won't just let them sit there quietly in Promotions. It will actively help people clean you out.

What Actually Matters Now

The old game was about inbox placement. The new game is about earning attention in a world where AI is filtering on behalf of your subscribers.

• Send emails people genuinely want to read

• Deliver real value, not just promotions wrapped in clever subject lines

• Make the experience seamless from subject line to landing page

• Respect frequency and timing so AI doesn't flag you as noise

Do that and the things that truly matter, engagement, retention, revenue, will follow. Regardless of which tab you land in.

Best,
Alec

P.S. Have a topic you’d like us to cover in the next edition? Reply to this email and let us know! We're always eager to address.