Changeflow sends email notifications whenever it detects changes on your monitored sources. While you can control notification volume by adjusting your check frequency, you can also use email filters to organize notifications and prevent inbox clutter.

All Changeflow Notifications Include [Change]

Every notification email from Changeflow includes [Change] in the subject line. This makes it easy to identify and filter Changeflow notifications from the rest of your email.

Example subject lines:

  • [Change] Apple - New 8-K Filing: CEO Transition
  • [Change] FDA Drug Approvals - 3 new items
  • [Change] Competitor X Pricing Page - Enterprise tier price reduced

This consistent formatting allows you to create powerful email filters to organize your notifications exactly how you want.

Why Use Email Filters?

Email filters help you:

  • Reduce inbox clutter: Move Changeflow notifications to a dedicated folder instead of clogging your main inbox
  • Prioritize critical alerts: Keep high-priority sources in your inbox while filing routine updates for later review
  • Batch-process notifications: Review all changes at once during a specific time rather than being interrupted throughout the day
  • Avoid alert fatigue: Separate notifications by topic or priority so you don't miss important updates
  • Search efficiently: Find all notifications related to a topic quickly

Setting Up Filters in Gmail

Create a Filter for All Changeflow Notifications

  1. Open Gmail and click the search box at the top
  2. Type subject:[Change] and press Enter to see all Changeflow emails
  3. Click the three dots (⋮) or filter icon in the search box
  4. Click "Create filter"
  5. Choose actions:
    • Check "Skip the Inbox (Archive it)" to move out of inbox
    • Check "Apply the label" and create/select a label like "Changeflow" or "Change Monitoring"
    • Optional: Check "Star it" or "Mark as important" for easy visibility
  6. Click "Create filter"

Create Priority Filters

You can create multiple filters for different priority levels:

High Priority (Keep in Inbox):

  • Search for: subject:[Change] AND (keyword1 OR keyword2)
  • Example: subject:[Change] AND (pricing OR 8-K OR SEC)
  • Actions: Apply label "Changeflow - High Priority", Mark as important

Medium Priority (Dedicated Folder):

  • Search for: subject:[Change] AND (blog OR press release)
  • Actions: Skip inbox, Apply label "Changeflow - News"

Low Priority (Archive):

  • Search for: subject:[Change] -keyword1 -keyword2
  • Example: subject:[Change] -pricing -SEC (everything except pricing and SEC)
  • Actions: Skip inbox, Apply label "Changeflow - Low Priority"

Setting Up Filters in Outlook

Create a Rule for All Changeflow Notifications

Outlook Desktop (Windows/Mac):

  1. Click on any Changeflow notification email
  2. Go to Home → Rules → Create Rule
  3. Or Right-click the email → Rules → Create Rule
  4. In the Create Rule dialog:
    • Check "Subject contains"
    • Enter [Change]
  5. Choose an action:
    • "Move the item to folder" → Select or create a "Changeflow" folder
    • Optional: "Display in the New Item Alert window" for important notifications
  6. Click "OK"

Outlook Web (Outlook.com):

  1. Click Settings (gear icon) → View all Outlook settings
  2. Go to Mail → Rules
  3. Click "Add new rule"
  4. Name the rule (e.g., "Changeflow Notifications")
  5. Add condition: Subject includes → Enter [Change]
  6. Add action: Move to → Select or create a "Changeflow" folder
  7. Click "Save"

Advanced Outlook Rules

Create multiple rules for different priorities:

High Priority Rule:

  • Condition: Subject contains [Change] AND Subject contains pricing OR 8-K
  • Action: Move to "Changeflow - High Priority" folder AND Display desktop alert

Standard Rule:

  • Condition: Subject contains [Change]
  • Action: Move to "Changeflow" folder

Setting Up Filters in Apple Mail

Create a Mail Rule for All Changeflow Notifications

macOS Mail:

  1. Open Mail and click Mail → Settings (or Preferences)
  2. Click the "Rules" tab
  3. Click "Add Rule"
  4. Name the rule: "Changeflow Notifications"
  5. Set conditions:
    • If "any" of the following conditions are met:
    • Subject "contains" [Change]
  6. Set actions:
    • "Move Message" to mailbox → Select or create a "Changeflow" mailbox
    • Optional: "Set Color" to label notifications visually
  7. Click "OK"

iOS/iPadOS Mail:

Note: iOS/iPadOS Mail doesn't support custom filter rules. Consider using a different email client or setting up filters through your email provider's web interface (Gmail, Outlook.com, iCloud.com), which will sync to your iOS device.

Advanced Apple Mail Rules

Create priority-based rules:

Critical Alerts (Stay in Inbox):

  • Condition: Subject contains [Change] AND Subject contains urgent keywords
  • Action: Set color to Red, Play sound

Regular Updates (File Away):

  • Condition: Subject contains [Change]
  • Action: Move to Changeflow folder

Filtering by Source Tags

Changeflow allows you to tag your sources when you set them up (e.g., #competitors, #sec-filings, #regulatory). These tags are always included in the email message body, making them perfect for creating smart filters.

Why Use Tag-Based Filters?

Tags give you more precise control than filtering by subject line keywords:

  • Consistent: Tags appear exactly as you define them (e.g., #competitors not "competitor" or "competitors")
  • Flexible: One source can have multiple tags for different filtering strategies
  • Organized: Group related sources together regardless of their content
  • Scalable: Easy to manage filters across hundreds of sources

How to Filter by Tags

Since tags appear in the email body, you'll need to use "body contains" or "message contains" conditions in your filters:

Gmail:

  • Search: subject:[Change] AND #competitors
  • Or: subject:[Change] AND (#sec-filings OR #investment)
  • Create filter → Apply label "Changeflow - Competitors"

Outlook:

  • Condition: Subject contains [Change] AND Body contains #competitors
  • Action: Move to folder "Changeflow - Competitors"

Apple Mail:

  • Condition: Subject contains [Change] AND Message content contains #competitors
  • Action: Move to mailbox "Changeflow - Competitors"

Tag-Based Organization Examples

By Business Function:

  • #investment → Folder: "Changeflow - Investment Team"
  • #compliance → Folder: "Changeflow - Legal Team"
  • #product → Folder: "Changeflow - Product Team"
  • #marketing → Folder: "Changeflow - Marketing Team"

By Priority Level:

  • #urgent → Stay in inbox + flag as important
  • #high-priority → Folder: "Changeflow - High Priority"
  • #low-priority → Folder: "Changeflow - Archive"

By Project or Client:

  • #project-alpha → Folder: "Projects/Alpha"
  • #client-acme → Folder: "Clients/Acme Corp"
  • #research-q1 → Folder: "Research/Q1 2025"

By Source Type:

  • #sec-filings → Folder: "Changeflow - SEC Filings"
  • #news → Folder: "Changeflow - News & Media"
  • #pricing → Folder: "Changeflow - Competitor Pricing"
  • #regulatory → Folder: "Changeflow - Regulations"

Combining Tags with Subject Keywords

For even more precise filtering, combine tags with subject line keywords:

Example 1: High-priority competitor pricing only:

  • Gmail: subject:[Change] AND #competitors AND (pricing OR price)
  • Action: Apply label "Competitors - Pricing" + Star it

Example 2: SEC filings but exclude routine reports:

  • Gmail: subject:[Change] AND #sec-filings -10-Q -10-K
  • Action: Apply label "SEC - Material Events"

Example 3: Regulatory updates for specific agencies:

  • Gmail: subject:[Change] AND #regulatory AND (FDA OR EPA)
  • Action: Apply label "Regulatory - Health & Environment"

Best Practices for Tagging

Use consistent naming conventions:

  • All lowercase: #competitors not #Competitors
  • Hyphens for multi-word tags: #sec-filings not #sec filings
  • Short but descriptive: #reg-fda not #regulatory-updates-from-fda

Tag by multiple dimensions:

  • Source type: #sec-filings
  • Priority: #high-priority
  • Team: #investment-team
  • This allows flexible filtering across different dimensions

Review and consolidate tags periodically:

  • Similar tags like #competitor and #competitors should be standardized
  • Remove tags that are no longer useful
  • Rename tags if your organization changes

Organizing by Source Type

You can create filters based on the type of changes you're monitoring. Here are examples using both keyword and tag-based approaches:

Investment Monitoring:

  • Filter: subject:[Change] AND (#investment OR #sec-filings OR SEC OR 8-K)
  • Folder: "Changeflow - Investment"

Competitor Intelligence:

  • Filter: subject:[Change] AND (#competitors OR pricing)
  • Folder: "Changeflow - Competitors"

Regulatory Updates:

  • Filter: subject:[Change] AND (#regulatory OR FDA OR EPA OR court)
  • Folder: "Changeflow - Regulatory"

Media Monitoring:

  • Filter: subject:[Change] AND (#media OR #news OR press)
  • Folder: "Changeflow - Media"

Best Practices

Start Simple, Then Refine

Begin with one filter that moves all [Change] notifications to a dedicated folder. Monitor for a week, then create additional filters based on your actual needs.

Use Descriptive Folder Names

Instead of just "Changeflow", use specific names like "Changeflow - Competitors" or "Changeflow - SEC Filings" so you know what's inside at a glance.

Review Filtered Emails Regularly

Set aside specific times to review filtered notifications (e.g., 9am daily, Monday mornings). Don't let filtered emails pile up unread.

Balance Automation with Attention

Don't over-filter to the point where you ignore notifications. Keep truly critical alerts in your inbox and only filter routine updates.

Combine with Check Frequency

Remember, you can also reduce notification volume by adjusting how often Changeflow checks each source. See our guide on setting check frequency for more details.

Test Your Filters

After creating a filter, send yourself a test or wait for the next notification to ensure it's being filtered correctly. Adjust as needed.

Mobile Email Apps

Most mobile email apps respect filters created on the web or desktop version:

  • Gmail app: Automatically syncs labels and filters from web Gmail
  • Outlook app: Syncs folders and rules from Outlook web/desktop
  • Apple Mail (iOS): Syncs rules if created via iCloud.com web interface
  • Third-party apps: Most respect server-side folders and labels

For the best mobile experience, create filters through your email provider's web interface so they apply across all devices.

Conclusion

Email filters are a powerful way to keep your inbox organized while ensuring you never miss important changes. Start with a simple filter to organize all Changeflow notifications, then refine your setup based on your workflow. Combined with smart check frequency settings, you'll have a notification system that keeps you informed without overwhelming you.