In the world of outbound sales, nothing stings more than crafting the perfect email campaign only to have your messages land in the dreaded Spam folder. But with Gmail’s new spam rules that took effect on October 15th, the game has changed yet again for sales teams trying to break through inbox clutter.
So, how do you beat the new Gmail Spam Filter and ensure your emails land in the primary inbox?
Let’s dive into understanding your placement score, how these new rules affect your email deliverability, and actionable tips to help your team maintain a competitive edge in outbound.
What is Gmail’s Placement Score?
Gmail’s placement score is essentially an internal rating that determines where your email lands: Inbox, Promotions, Spam, or Trash. With the latest changes, Gmail has tightened its spam detection algorithms, focusing more on identifying patterns like high-volume emails, engagement rates, and suspicious behaviors (like link stuffing or inconsistent sender identities).
Even legit sales emails can be marked as spam if Gmail detects certain red flags, which means that what worked last month might not work anymore.
Why Should Sales Teams Care?
For outbound sales, a low placement score means your emails aren’t being seen by your target audience. No visibility = no leads = no meetings.
Worse yet, a bad sender reputation could blacklist your domain, forcing you to switch accounts, IP addresses, or worse: Burning your sender credibility with your entire audience.
The New Gmail Spam Rules: What Changed?
On October 15th, Gmail introduced new criteria for filtering spam that directly affects how cold email campaigns are scored:
- Increased Scrutiny on IP/Domain Reputation
Gmail now monitors sender domains more rigorously. High-bounce rates, lack of engagement, and spam complaints will quickly flag your domain/IP, which can have a lasting negative impact. - Engagement Metrics
Low open rates and a lack of responses are red flags to Gmail’s algorithms. They now prioritize engagement metrics, so sales teams must ensure their emails are genuinely helpful and personalized to increase interaction. - AI-Based Content Filtering
With new AI spam-detection, Gmail looks at your email’s content for suspicious patterns like overused phrases, link-heavy emails, and “spammy” language. - Authentication Enforcement (SPF, DKIM, DMARC)
Gmail has tightened enforcement on proper email authentication. Misconfigured SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records can send your perfectly legitimate email straight to the spam folder.
How Can Sales Teams Overcome These Challenges?
Here’s where things get strategic! You need to be proactive with your email practices to keep your placement score high and ensure your emails end up in the inbox, not the spam bin.
1. Focus on Engagement to Build Sender Reputation
The better your emails perform (I mean, gets replied), the better your sender reputation will be. Focus on writing value-driven, hyper-personalized emails that trigger positive user interactions.
- Segment your lists based on persona or interest, so your emails are relevant to each group.
- Shorten your email sequences and A/B test subject lines to see which ones get better open rates.
- Avoid spammy phrases like “urgent,” “guarantee,” or “limited-time offer” that trigger Gmail’s filters.
2. Keep Your Domain and IP Clean
Maintaining a good sender reputation is crucial for inbox placement. Here’s how:
- Warm up new email accounts and domains. Start with low-volume sends before scaling up.
- Monitor your bounce rates (keep them below 3%). Too many hard bounces hurt your reputation.
- Clean your email lists regularly to remove invalid or unengaged contacts.
If you’re using shared IPs with an email automation tool, make sure you’re paired with reputable senders. A bad neighbor on your shared IP can tank your deliverability.
3. Authenticate Your Emails
Without proper email authentication, Gmail may not trust the origin of your emails.
- Ensure your SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records are correctly configured.
- If you’re using an email marketing tool, make sure they are aligned with Gmail’s standards and that your domain is authenticated properly.
4. Use Minimal Links and Attachments
Avoid overloading your emails with multiple links or attachments. Gmail’s new rules flag emails with too many links as potentially harmful or spammy. Try to:
- Limit your emails to 1-2 links and avoid unnecessary attachments.
- Use a personalized link in your signature to a company page, rather than sending multiple links within the body text.
5. Track Your Placement Score
Use tools like GlockApps, MxToolbox, or MailGenius to track your placement score and pinpoint why certain emails may be going to spam. This will help you adjust your strategy as needed.
6. Avoid Automation Abuse
We all love email automation, but over-relying on it can hurt your deliverability. Sales teams should focus on a balanced approach:
- Prioritize manual, high-quality outreach for top-tier prospects.
- Use automation tools carefully, monitoring performance and ensuring you don’t flood inboxes with cookie-cutter messages.
Gmail’s new rules might feel like yet another barrier, but they can also be an opportunity. An opportunity to sharpen your messaging, rethink how you build relationships, and put genuine value at the heart of your outreach.
By focusing on authentic engagement and clean, smart email practices, you’re respecting your prospects’ time and attention. The sales teams that succeed moving forward will be those that don’t just outsmart the system, they build trust, start conversations, and create meaningful interactions at every step of the way.
If you’re ready to shift your approach, why not start with the foundation? Techsho can help you build sales and customer service teams that understands the importance of these interactions.