Gmail open rates are dropping. Is it time to panic???

In this episode of Email After Hours, Guy Hanson sits down with Laura Christensen, Senior Director of Professional Services and Customer Success at Validity, to unpack how Gmail’s latest inbox changes are shifting the way marketers think about email performance.

Gmail is reshaping the inbox experience in ways that directly impact how open rates are measured, interpreted, and valued. Laura explains why many marketers are panicking over the wrong metrics and why declining open rates are pushing towards healthier measurement practices, rather than papering over weaker engagement.

If you’re at an inflection point with your Gmail performance, this episode will help get you back on track..

What you’ll learn:

How Gmail’s inbox innovations are changing subscriber behavior and engagement tracking
Why low-engagement subscribers can actively hurt inbox visibility in Gmail
How Gmail’s compliance enforcement impacts authentication, bounce handling, and sender reputation
Why first-party identity resolution matters more as address-change tools evolve
How to evaluate performance holistically instead of relying on vanity metrics

…and more!

About Laura Christensen

Laura Christensen is Senior Director of Professional Services and Customer Success at Validity, where she helps brands improve email performance, deliverability, and customer engagement strategies. With years of experience guiding senders through evolving mailbox provider requirements and inbox innovations, Laura specializes in helping organizations turn complex deliverability and compliance challenges into practical, actionable improvements.

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Episode Highlights

[03:12] Why Gmail open rates are suddenly dropping
[05:37] AI summaries, promotions tabs, and subscriber behavior shifts
[08:17] Subscription management, message clipping, and list decay
[10:44] Compliance, deliverability, and smarter email strategy
[14:50] Why marketers need to move beyond open rates
[17:33] New email KPIs and the future of inbox engagement

Episode Resources:

Laura Christensen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurachristensen1/