The short answer
Use a small set of labels named after the work, not the sender (for example Press, Partnerships, Events, Other), and write a one-line definition of what belongs in each and what does not. Gmail labels are per account, so for a shared system either agree on the same labels in every account or use a shared inbox like Tutti, where AI applies your labels to every conversation and mirrors them back to Gmail.
On this page
Name labels after the work, not the sender
Labels like "From Sarah" or "Newsletter X" multiply endlessly. Labels named after the kind of work, such as Press, Partnerships, Events, and Other, stay stable and tell the team what to do next.
Keep it to five to eight
Every label is a decision someone makes on every email. Beyond eight, people hesitate, pick differently, or stop labeling. Always include an Other label so nothing is forced into the wrong bucket.
Write a definition for each label
The most important step, and the one most teams skip. For each label, write one or two lines on what belongs and what does not:
Definitions make labeling consistent between people and are exactly what an AI classifier needs to do it for you.
The catch: Gmail labels are per account
Gmail labels belong to each account. If your team uses press@, partners@, and several personal inboxes, each has its own labels, and nobody sees the whole picture. You can recreate the same labels in every account and use filters, but filters match senders and keywords, not meaning, so they miss most relationship email.
Let AI apply the labels
A shared inbox like Tutti keeps one label set for the whole workspace. AI reads each new conversation and files it using your label names and definitions, then mirrors the label back to the original Gmail account, so teammates who still work in Gmail see the same organization. Labels can also switch on auto-draft, so every Partnerships thread, for example, has a reply waiting.
Only threads that match a label are imported into Tutti; everything else stays in Gmail. See how to set up a shared inbox in Gmail to get started, or the label setups in Tutti for PR teams and Tutti for events teams.
Frequently asked questions
Can you share Gmail labels with a team?
Not natively; labels belong to each Gmail account. Teams either recreate the same labels everywhere or use a tool that applies one label set across accounts. Tutti mirrors its labels back to each connected Gmail account.
How many labels should a team use?
Usually five to eight. Beyond that, people stop applying them consistently. An AI classifier helps, but only with clear definitions.