Gmail users can use CC and BCC to send an email to multiple recipients. However, there’s a time and place for each. More importantly, both CC and BCC have their limitations.
Understanding how to use CC, BCC, and its alternatives improves business communication, transparency, and email management. So, how do they work?
Let’s get started.
What is CC in Gmail?
Remember the carbon paper used to make copies of receipts and important documents? That’s exactly what CC in Gmail is. It stands for Carbon Copy.
A CC recipient gets a carbon copy of the email you send to your main recipient. CC recipients can also see everybody who’s been CC’d. But they can’t see who’s added to a BCC list.
You’d want to use CC when emailing a group who already know each other. If you want things to be more private, that’s when you use BCC or Blind Carbon Copy.
What is BCC in Gmail?
Blind Carbon Copy or BCC recipients also get a copy of the email sent to the main recipient. The biggest difference is that BCC recipients can’t see who else is added to the email list.
But, they can see that they’re added to a BCC list. Think of it as a more private version of CC. The question now is, when do you use CC and BCC?
When Should You Use CC and BCC?
CC and BCC are essential for email etiquette. When you compose emails in Gmail, you’ll have three options for recipients—To, CC, and BCC.
You use the “To” field to send an email to a person who needs to take action. The CC recipient field is used to add people who need to be in the loop but aren’t required to take action.
BCC is used to send emails with more privacy. Think company-wide announcements, newsletters, or recruiting messages. But, there are glaring issues with both CC and BCC.
The Problem with Using CC and BCC in Gmail
CC and BCC are great for sending bulk emails. However, a couple of issues or potential problems can arise when using CC and BCC. Here’s what you should consider:
You Can’t Use BCC for Cold Email Marketing
BCC is meant for privacy. Recipients don’t know who else is on the email list. Perfect for cold emails right? Not really. Remember, people still see that they’re on a BCC list.
Since you’re only creating a carbon copy of an email, there won’t be much room for personalization. Plus, Gmail’s sending limits aren’t great.
No Personalization or Dynamic Custom Variables
CC and BCC create a 1:1 copy of the original email sent to recipients on the “To” field. That means no personalization, even for something as simple as first names. When prospects think they’re the only one the email is sent to, they might mistakenly click on “reply all.”
Prospects Can Unintentionally Use Reply All
Even with Gmail’s intuitive user interface, people who aren’t used to being CC’d or BCC’d can mistake “reply all” for “reply.” The icons look similar, especially to the untrained eye. If someone on the BCC or CC list clicks reply all, their reply will be broadcast to every person on the list.
Inbox Management
An unavoidable issue that CC and BCC have is that all responses to your email will be in one email thread. You could be sending the same email but expect different replies from different people. So, it’s not a tool to be used for email marketing.
How to Use CC and BCC in Gmail: A Step-by-Step Guide
Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to use the CC field to send emails to multiple recipients.
- Log in to your Gmail Account and Compose an Email
- Enter your primary recipients in the “To” field
- On the left most of the “To” field, you’ll see CC and BCC
- Click on the type of recipient field you want to add
- Add recipients to their respective fields, compose an email, and click send
Use a comma to add recipients to your email list. You can also click on “To, CC, or BCC” to open up your saved contact list.
The main issue Gmail’s contact list has is the lack of options for pre-segmentation. You can segment recipients by using labels, but you can only do it when composing an email.
How to Send Bulk Emails Without The Issues of CC and BCC
CC and BCC are great for company-wide email communications. However, they’re not replacements for bulk-sending for email marketing. Instead, use email tools like Instantly.ai.
With Instantly.ai you won’t have any of the issues present when using CC or BCC. It’s the perfect tool for sending automated cold emails in bulk.
All you have to do is set up your business email, add leads, and personalize email copy for each one. You can even automate the process of writing copy using AI that’s trained on millions of winning cold emails.
Replies from prospects can be managed through a universal inbox that shows all correspondence from all accounts, campaigns, and segments. Instantly’s AI can even respond contextually to positive replies.
TL;DR
CC and BCC are great for bulk sending to a group who already know each other. To recap, the “To” field is used to add recipients who need to take action. CC recipients are those who need to be in the loop but don’t require action. These recipients see every person added to the CC list.
BCC acts similarly. The biggest difference is that recipients added to a BCC list can’t see who else is included. Even CC’d recipients won’t be able to see who was BCC’d. But, BCC recipients can still see that they’re on a BCC list.
If you want to send emails in bulk without the issues that come with CC and BCC, such as lack of personalization, inbox management, and unintentional “reply to all”, you need the right email marketing tool. That tool is Instantly.ai.
