How to Reduce Unwanted Email

You’ve followed all possible best practices to prevent unwanted email, but your inbox is still flooded with unsolicited messages. We feel your pain. 

No matter how many email filters you create, it doesn’t seem to fix the problem. Although email providers are getting smarter, companies and spammers are always one step ahead in trying to reach you. 

In fact, 73% of people report getting too much unsolicited email, according to the 2022 Inbox Intelligence Report.

This can especially seem pervasive if you’ve tried to set up a separate email address for marketing emails. In the realm of online communication, all it takes is one person to get hold of your personal email address to receive unwanted email. You can’t hide. 

So how to get rid of unsolicited emails? People have tried everything from filters and folders, to creating a backup email address, to unsubscribing. But even trying all of those strategies, the flood of email overload continues.

Email filters don't always help reduce unwanted email

In theory, email filters built into providers like Gmail and Outlook are supposed to fix the problem by sifting out unwanted email. However, these features are often based on an automated algorithm, and don’t always get it right. 

Unfortunately, for you, this usually means manually flagging emails or setting up folders manually so your provider can “learn.” Although you may eventually have a better email experience, this process can be time consuming. It’s also a large mental load to plan and keep up with this, in the middle of your busy work week. 

You might have seen the extreme example: people setting aside an entire Saturday/Sunday afternoon to clean up their inbox. 

This burden of inbox overload shouldn’t be on your shoulders to clean up! You’ve got much better ways to spend your time. 

Non-stop email notifications

A key problem with unwanted email is the non-stop flow of distracting notifications. Emails pop in at all times of day. It can feel  especially daunting if your email accounts are set up on all devices. The perpetual “dinging” sound can seem like it’s never going to go away.

Did you know that on average, it takes people  23 minutes to recover their focus after seeing unwanted emails pop up.

Gated CEO, Andy Mowat discusses this idea further, when he explores how “context switching steals your valuable time”:

Of course, you can manually set your notifications based on your device’s OS. Or you can also hit the ‘Sound Off’ button. But these are all equivalent to simply sticking your fingers in your ears and ignoring the problem. We’ve set out to address the problem at the point of origin. 

Gated: getting to the root of the problem

The best way to stop receiving unwanted email is to start thinking differently. Right now, it costs companies and individuals next to nothing to send messages to your account, so the risk is low. And the burden is entirely on you.  It’s your job to deal with all of the unwanted messages that flood your inbox. 

Gated is here to prevent unwanted emails from reaching you in the first place. By implementing a marginal cost for email senders, Gated makes senders prove that they are worth of your valuable attention.  

It’s a lot like direct mail. If everyone could send you mail for free, your front porch would be littered with envelopes.  By simply adding a small cost, we’re changing the incentives in email. 

Learn more about how Gated’s approach helps people tackle the problem of unwanted email  in a completely different way.

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