Mastering Gmail Promotions with Braze: A Guide for Black Friday Success

When Gmail introduced its Promotions tab in 2013, marketers feared it might relegate promotional messages to a "digital purgatory." But over time, these concerns have proved largely unfounded. According to sources like Return Path and Mailgun, 30-40% of Gmail users actively use tabbed inboxes, and nearly half check their Promotions tab daily. Instead of being a limitation, this feature has become a prime opportunity for brand visibility—especially during major shopping events like Black Friday.

The Evolution of Gmail Promotions

Over the years, the Promotions tab has evolved significantly, especially with Google’s addition of "email annotations." These features enable marketers to create engaging previews for their promotions, including:

• Visual previews of product offers.

• Highlighting discount details.

• Displaying prominent promo codes.

• Adding product carousels (swipeable views for multiple products).

With these tools, marketers can deliver attention-grabbing emails that are more likely to stand out in crowded Black Friday inboxes.

Best Practices for Success

Before jumping right in, ensure you make the most of Gmail Promotions by a following a few easy steps. Here are some recommended best practices to ensure deliverability, engagement, and visual appeal:

• Boost Your Deliverability

  • Request Gmail Allowlisting: Contact Google’s outreach team at p-promo-outreach@google.com. Include your domain and subdomains in your email to request allowlisting, which can help improve deliverability.

  • Authenticate Your Domain: Make sure you have a valid DMARC record in addition to SPF and DKIM authentication (pro tips here). This adds credibility to your emails and reduces the chance of them landing in spam.

• Choose the Right Imagery

  • Avoid Dynamic Images: Gmail does not support dynamic images in Promotions previews, so use high-quality static images instead.

  • Use High-Quality Images with Minimal Text: Gmail prefers images that are visually clear and free from heavy text overlay. Choose a brand logo of at least 96x96 px and a deal image of at least 538x138 px for a professional look.

• Send to a Bulk Audience: For Gmail to recognize your email as promotional, send it to at least 100 recipients.

  
  

Gmail Promotions Options in Braze

Setting up Gmail Promotions in Braze is both straightforward and flexible. Their HTML editor fully supports Gmail's promotional features. Alternatively, if you prefer using Braze’s drag-and-drop editor, you can still incorporate these elements by downloading the email code and then editing it directly in the HTML editor.

Braze supports several Gmail Promotion formats to help you tailor your Black Friday strategy including:

• Single Image Preview

  • Highlights one high-quality image.

  • Perfect for featuring a headline product or main offer.

• Product Carousel

  • Displays up to 10 products in a scrollable format.

  • Ideal for showcasing multiple Black Friday deals.

• Discount Only

  • Emphasizes promo codes or discounts.

  • Creates urgency for time-sensitive offers.

• Combined Promotions

  • Pairs images or carousels with discount codes.

  • Maximizes visual and promotional impact.

Promote Black Friday: A Step-by-Step Guide

Now that you’re comfortable with the Gmail Promotions options and general best practices, it’s time to get hands-on and set up your first promotion in Braze. Below are detailed steps to help guide you through the process.

1. Configure Basic Information

   1. Click Gmail Promotion in the HTML Editor.

   2. Add the URL of your company logo (96x96 px minimum), your subject line, and the URL of a featured image that represents your main Black Friday offer.

2. Enable the Discount Offer Section

   1. To promote a discount, activate the Discount Offer section. Add promo code details and define offer dates to display them in the Promotions preview.

3. (Optional) Add a Product Carousel

   1. If you’re featuring multiple deals, create a product carousel. For each item, enter an image URL and target URL for the product page. You can also include optional details like headline, currency, price, and discount.

   2. Up to 10 promotion cards can be created.

4. Generate the JSON Script and Insert into Your HTML

   1. Click Generate HTML code in the message preview to generate the JSON script to ensure Gmail recognizes and applies your promotional setup.

   2. Copy generated JSON code.

   3. Insert JSON into the <head> section of the message HTML.

5. Test Your Campaign and Understand the Algorithm

   1. Send a Test Email to Gmail: Send your promotional email to a test Gmail account to see how it displays in the Promotions tab. Check that the images, discount details, and product carousel appear as intended.

   2. Device and Layout Testing: Preview your email across multiple devices (e.g. desktop, mobile, tablet) to confirm the visual quality and layout. Gmail may resize images or adjust formatting based on device and screen size, so make sure each element remains clear and well-aligned.

   3. Algorithm Insights: Gmail’s algorithm ultimately controls how your email displays in the Promotions tab. It prioritizes concise, visually engaging elements and may selectively highlight certain content (like discount codes) based on user engagement trends. Be aware that even optimized emails may look slightly different due to these adjustments.

Embrace the Promotions Tab for Black Friday Success

With Braze and Gmail Promotions working together, you now have the tools to cut through the Black Friday inbox noise. Deliver engaging, visually striking emails that convert, leveraging the Promotions tab to reach your audience when they’re most eager to shop. Don’t let your campaigns get lost—use this powerful feature to make an impact this holiday season.

For more Black Friday email tips check out this past post: Four Braze Features You Shouldn’t Sleep On