Cold Emails Are Slipping Into Spam More Often, Especially on Gmail

If you’ve noticed your cold email open rates dropping, it might not be your content, it could be Gmail. Google’s recent updates are targeting unsolicited outreach more aggressively. Even personalized messages are ending up in spam folders.

This shift is affecting outbound teams across the board. Domains with weak records or high-volume sends are being flagged quicker. Gmail is prioritizing sender reputation more than ever, and your email’s first line now plays a big role. If it feels automated or generic, it gets filtered fast.

Cold Emails Are Slipping Into Spam More Often, Especially on Gmail

Why It’s Happening

Google wants to limit outreach that feels unsolicited, especially at scale. That includes emails that look templated, come from freshly set-up domains, or lack proper authentication. SPF and DKIM setups, domain warmups, and lower daily volumes are now essential if you want to land in inboxes.

Who This Affects

If you send cold outreach through Gmail without warming up your domain, you’re likely being flagged.If your sender volume is high or inconsistent, Gmail may be throttling your delivery.If your emails open with generic intros, you’re at a higher risk of hitting spam.

What You Should Do

• Warm up new domains gradually before launching campaigns
• Don’t send hundreds of emails a day from one sender
• Write natural subject lines and first lines that feel human
• Track bounce rates and tweak your schedule if something looks off

Where Slixta Helps

Slixta’s drip campaigns help you avoid bulk-sending issues by letting you limit daily sends, rotate across domains, and stagger delivery times. You can monitor open and reply rates in real-time, so if things drop, you can catch it early.

We’ve seen these changes impact teams recently. The ones doing better are warming up properly, writing like real people, and pacing their outreach. Slixta gives you the tools to keep your domain healthy and your emails visible.