What is Gmail’s Promotions tab?

No. Landing in Promotions is not a deliverability problem. It's a categorization choice by Gmail, and it's actually appropriate for marketing email.

The common misconception: Many senders treat Promotions placement as failure, equivalent to spam. This misunderstands what's happening.

The reality:

Promotions is the inbox. Your email was delivered successfully to the inbox. Gmail simply organized it into a subcategory.

Spam is different. Spam folder means Gmail thinks your email is unwanted or suspicious. That's a real problem.

User behavior varies. Some users disable tabs entirely. Others actively browse Promotions when ready to shop or deal-hunt. Your "lost" opens may be users who weren't in buying mode anyway.

What actually matters:

Are you reaching the inbox at all? (Spam vs. not spam)
Are engaged subscribers finding your emails?
Are your overall metrics healthy?

Obsessing over Primary placement can backfire. Trying to trick Gmail into Primary with deceptive formatting damages trust when users feel misled. Send appropriate promotional content to Promotions. Send genuinely personal content to Primary.

Landing in Promotions is like docking at the commercial pier instead of the passenger terminal. You're still in port. You're just where commercial traffic belongs.