An ongoing problem with Google’s Gmail is disrupting the normal operation of email newsletter services.
The issue causes many emails to be redirected to subscribers’ spam folders instead of their primary inboxes.
This issue came to light in Search Engine Journal in early June when our email newsletter open rates dropped below our usual average.
A MailChimp representative confirms that this is not an isolated incident.
The popular email marketing platform has been struggling with delivery issues specific to Gmail for an undisclosed number of customers.
“The issue is happening with Google and the Gmail platform. We are working directly with them to help our users get targeted campaigns to their inboxes,” said the MailChimp spokesperson.
However, MailChimp has had to admit the challenges of addressing this issue, as it occurs outside of their platform. “It’s hard to say when it will be fixed,” the spokesman admitted. However, it says it is working directly with Google on a solution.
What does this mean for publishers?
Although delivery reports show Gmail accepting MailChimp campaigns, it’s miscategorizing them as spam.
This unusual ranking is a thorn in the side for publishers, who rely on email newsletters to engage with their readers and distribute content.
MailChimp suggested a workaround. He advises publishers to contact their audience about the issue and ask them to manually move campaigns from the spam folder to their primary inbox.
So that’s exactly what we’re doing.
If this issue affects you as a subscriber, please consider following the steps below to ensure you don’t miss out on your favorite newsletters.
How to make sure you don’t miss email newsletters
From your inbox, click “More.”
After clicking, you will see the “Spam” folder at the bottom.
Click Spam. Look for emails from Search Engine Journal, Loren Baker (and all your favorite editors). If you want to move multiple emails, check them all and click “Not Spam”.
You can also do this by opening the email and clicking “Report as spam”.
There will be a message confirming moving it to your inbox.
Please note that the images will be downloaded once you check your inbox and you can view the entire email.
More details to come
While we confirmed the Gmail outage with MailChimp, it’s currently unclear if this issue affects other email newsletter platforms.
Although resolution seems to be in sight, it highlights the urgency of effective communication channels between technology platforms and their users.
Google and MailChimp have not provided a specific timeline for resolving the issue, but have reiterated their commitment to resolve it as soon as possible.
Featured image generated by the author via Midjourney.
