AI has significantly transformed marketing over the past year, and email marketing is no exception. Apple is one of the latest companies to introduce new AI features through Apple Intelligence, introduced this past June and set to roll out with an iOS 18 update as soon as this month. The Mail app specifically is set to undergo a series of updates using AI that will greatly affect the way users engage with their inboxes. Email marketers should pay special attention to these changes and start rethinking their strategies to align with these updates. Fortunately, email platforms like HubSpot offer their own AI email builder tools to help marketers stand out in crowded inboxes and maintain high-quality email content.
Matter’s Marketing Automation and CRM team has researched these important changes and their implications for email marketing. Check out our findings below and how your email marketing team should react before the updates take place!
Key Updates to iOS 18- An Enhanced User Experience
One of the most notable features in iOS 18 is Inbox Categorization, which will be available on every iPhone. Apple’s Mail app will now utilize AI and machine learning to sort emails into four main categories automatically:
- Primary: Your main inbox for messages from friends, family, colleagues, and time-sensitive emails.
- Transactions: Receipts and invoices will be neatly organized here.
- Promotions: This category will collect deals, sales notifications, and various marketing materials.
- Updates: Newsletters and other informative content will be housed in this tab.
Additionally, All Mail view will allow users to see all emails chronologically, making it easy to catch up on correspondence. Apple is currently the number one most used email client in the world, with over 57% of emails being viewed on the Mail app, so these changes are likely to affect a large percentage of your user base.
Inbox Summarization (available for only iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max through Apple Intelligence) will be AI-generated highlights and key takeaways from your email visible at the top, giving users a recap of their email without them having to open it. The introduction of Digest View will group messages from the same sender, helping users find related emails without sifting through their entire inbox.
Also available through Apple Intelligence will be Priority Messages, in which those emails deemed time-sensitive will be highlighted at the top of the inbox regardless of send time, so users can quickly identify what needs their immediate attention. Unread emails will remain at the top, while read ones will gradually float down, streamlining inbox management.
Implications for Email Marketing
With these updates, email marketers must adapt their strategies to ensure their emails are not only opened but also categorized favorably by Apple’s system. Here are some essential tips, including ways to utilize HubSpot’s world-class email builder:
1.) Target the Right Categories
Knowing that Apple will prioritize emails in the Primary and Updates categories in the inbox, it is essential to try to craft messages that will slate your emails into these buckets. To do this, focus on creating content that communicates timely updates and important information from your company. Consider avoiding typical sales language that might trigger the Promotions or Transactions filter.
Pro Tip: Consider using a personal name in the sender field rather than just your company’s name. Emails that appear to come from a real person may have a better chance of landing in the Primary category.
2.) Optimize Subject Lines and Preview Text
Both the subject line and preview text play a pivotal role in capturing attention—not just from human readers but also from the AI. Ensure they are engaging and accurately reflect the content of your email, which can help your email avoid the Promotions category that may hinder visibility.
Pro Tip: HubSpot offers its own AI feature to help generate sample subject lines based on your email’s copy. These can be a great starting point to add a human flair and get your contacts interested in opening the email!
3. Craft Compelling Copy
Your email’s copy will be crucial in determining its success in iOS 18. Making sure your message is clear and descriptive is essential in ensuring an accurate summary of your email will be generated that gets contacts interested in clicking into your email to learn more. AI will also be scanning your text to determine which emails deem priority, so don’t be afraid to use time-sensitive language.
Pro Tip: Avoid sending emails that rely solely on images, as AI may struggle to interpret them without accompanying text. Be sure to include alt-text for all images, increasing the likelihood that the AI will associate your content correctly.
4. Prioritize Testing
Lastly, always test your emails before sending them out. This will be especially important with this new update, as email layouts may change between devices. HubSpot’s email preview feature allows users to view the email in platform across more than eighty different email clients and across a number of different browsers, an incredibly useful feature to make sure emails are rendering appropriately.
Pro Tip: Pay particular attention to how your emails appear in both light and dark modes on iOS devices and viewing your email in different environments (like mobile vs. desktop) can prevent potential formatting issues.
Working With AI— Not Against
As Apple Intelligence launches soon with iOS 18, it’s essential to adapt your email marketing strategy to take full advantage of its new features. By implementing the tips we’ve shared above, you can elevate your email marketing efforts and strengthen your connection with your audience.
Is your email strategy ready for the next wave of changes? Reach out to Matter’s Marketing Automation team to request an evaluation today!