Why Your Kajabi Emails Land In Gmail’s Promotions (And What to Do About It)

Gmail doesn’t make inbox decisions globally.
It makes them per person, based on behaviour.

That means the fastest way to improve Primary placement is through how your members interact with your emails.

Encourage them to:

• Drag your email from Promotions to Primary

• Reply to you, even with a quick “Thanks”

• Add your sender address to their contacts

These actions tell Gmail:
“This is a real relationship, not just marketing.”

Simple Kajabi win:
Add a short line to your onboarding or welcome email:

“If you want to make sure you never miss updates, drag this email into Primary and hit reply once.”

It feels small. It works more than most technical tweaks.

2. Write Like a Person, Not a Platform

Gmail’s Primary tab is designed for conversations.

If all your emails look like newsletters, announcements, or polished broadcasts, Gmail treats them like promotions. That’s not wrong. It’s just how the system is designed.

To increase Primary placement for your most engaged members:

• Send from a real person’s name, not just a brand

• Use simple formatting for updates and check-ins

• Ask questions and genuinely invite replies

Some of your Kajabi emails should feel like:

“Hey, quick update for you…”

Not:

“Dear subscriber, here is our latest announcement.”

Replies matter.
Gmail tracks them.
And it adjusts inbox placement accordingly.

3. Segment More, Broadcast Less

One of the biggest hidden deliverability killers is relevance.

If everyone gets everything, engagement drops.
When engagement drops, inbox placement follows.

Kajabi gives you powerful segmentation tools. Use them.

Send important updates to:

• Active members

• Recent purchasers

• People who clicked last week

• People in a specific product or programme

Smaller, more relevant sends often outperform big broadcasts.

High engagement trains Gmail to trust your emails over time.

That trust compounds.

4. Set Expectations With Your Audience

Deliverability isn’t just technical.
It’s relational.

If people know what to expect from you, they’re more likely to engage when your email arrives.

On Kajabi, this means:

• Being clear about what your emails are for

• Sending consistently, not in random bursts

• Not surprising people with content they didn’t sign up for

When expectations are clear, engagement becomes predictable.
When engagement is predictable, Gmail rewards you.

5. Don’t Try to “Outsmart” Gmail

There’s no Kajabi setting.
No magic checkbox.
No subject line trick that forces Primary placement.

Trying to game Gmail usually backfires and risks deliverability altogether.

What actually works:

• Consistent sending patterns

• Real engagement over time

• Clear value in every email

• Respecting your audience’s attention

Many strong Kajabi businesses accept Promotions for broad announcements and focus on earning Primary for their most engaged members.

That’s a healthy strategy.

The Real Goal Isn’t Primary. It’s Being Read.

Primary is nice.
Opens matter more.
Replies matter most.

If the right people are reading your emails, clicking your links, and replying to you, you’re winning. Even if Gmail files you under Promotions.

Build real relationships.
Use Kajabi’s segmentation properly.
Write emails that people want to interact with.

Gmail will follow the behaviour of your audience.

Looking for Kajabi Expert services? Navigate here.