How AI Summaries Are Changing Email Marketing (& How to Leverage Them)

You’ve probably noticed that some inboxes (especially Gmail and Outlook) are now showing AI-generated summaries of emails instead of the usual preview text. 

This means your carefully crafted first sentence might not be what your subscribers see when deciding whether to open your email.

So, what does this mean for email marketing? And more importantly… how can you use it to your advantage?

What Are AI-Generated Email Summaries?

Email providers are “experimenting” with AI-generated summaries (because of course… what software isn’t trying to add AI to their suite these days?!) which means instead of displaying the first few lines of your email or your designated preview text, they generate a short, digestible summary to help users decide whether to open it.

Unlike traditional previews that simply pull text from the beginning of your email, or the ones we have the option to set on platforms like Flodesk or Kit (formerly Convertkit), AI scans the content and extracts what it deems most important. 

This means the way you structure your emails now matters more than ever.

Why This Matters for Your Open Rates

AI-generated summaries basically are pulling key insights from your email instead of just displaying the first few lines. 

And for you, that means:

• You have less control over the first impression. AI might prioritize different parts of your email than you expected.
• Summaries could help (or hurt) open rates depending on whether they highlight an intriguing or relevant takeaway.
• The hook or first sentence isn’t as super duper important anymore — your entire email structure plays a role in what gets surfaced.

How AI Might Summarize Your Email

Let’s make this a practical example! Let’s say you send this email (which by the way it’s a REAL email from inside my MoneyMaking weekly newsletter!):

Subject: What’s Blocking Your Shop’s Sales?
Opening: Ever feel like your shop should be selling more, but something’s just… off? One of my clients had this exact issue. They had great products, a solid brand, and a beautiful website—but sales weren’t reflecting all that effort. After auditing their shop, I found a few areas quietly blocking conversions. Here’s what we fixed…

AI might then generate a summary like this:

“A case study on how a shop increased sales by 400% through smart CRO tweaks—brand consistency, navigation, product page optimization, and checkout improvements.”

See the difference?

 Instead of the conversational hook, AI pulls out the “meat” of the email.

Common Pitfalls with AI Summaries

While AI-generated summaries can be helpful, they also come with some risks:

• Misinterpretation of YOUR Intent. AI may pull details that change the meaning of your message.
• Lack of Emotional Human Impact. A well-crafted hook might be ignored in favor of dry facts. Ugh…
• Missed Context. If your email builds up to a key insight or you like to give a personal little story before the actual center point, AI might skip the lead-in and lessen the impact.

This is why structuring your emails with AI in mind is crucial to ensuring your message lands the way you intend.

How to Optimize Your Emails for AI Summaries

Now for the good part…

Start With the Impact 

Instead of easing into a case study, start with the key result. So going with the example from above:

Make Your Structure “AI-Friendly” 

This is the time to make it SO clear it can’t be missed (obvs, don’t over do it, you are still writing for real humans!!!). Use bullet points, bolding, and clear section headers so AI picks up valuable details.

Ensure the Subject & Preheader Work Together 

These still influence AI summaries, so craft them with context and a little curiosity. 

Test & Adjust Based on Open Rates 

If you notice changes in open rates, tweak your email layout and content focus! This is going to be your indicator, so look at the data!!

Advanced Strategies for Leveraging AI Summaries

Beyond just changing a couple of points or bullets, you can actually use AI summaries to your advantage:

• Place Your Key Takeaways at the Forefront – Place your high-impact information near the top of the email to increase the chances AI grabs it. And yes, this means your storytelling might shift, but if your data shows you need, just give it a test drive!
  
• Use Clear(er) Section Headers – I’m not saying you’re not doing clear headings right now, but AI looks for structured information, so clearly label sections like “The Problem,” “The Fix,” and “The Results.”
  
• Emphasize Data & Outcomes – AI often prioritizes numbers and results, so lean into them. Besides, we humans are almost always more drawn to feel impacted with numbers in business conversations.
  
• Think Like a Press Release – Write as if AI is a journalist pulling the best soundbite — make that soundbite work in your favor! So yes, take it for a little “editorial” spin.

Honestly, AI Summaries Aren’t Really a Problem, They’re an Opportunity

Instead of resisting this shift, because we just can’t let that kill our hard-earned email lists… lean into it. 

Structure your emails so the AI picks up what you want it to. 

Think of it like writing your own “press release” for the AI to summarize.

And if you’re wondering whether your emails (or your website) are leaving conversions on the table, let’s work together. 

Next Steps & Call to Action

Curious if your emails are working for you or against you in this AI-driven inbox shift? Here’s what you can do next:

• Audit your recent emails – Are they structured in a way AI can easily summarize effectively?
  
• A/B test subject lines and formats – See what AI tends to surface in different styles of emails. Test test test!