This article gives tips on adding images to emails to improve deliverability.
Do images affect email deliverability?
The presence of images in your emails doesn’t directly affect deliverability, but it does impact the email’s size. If it’s over the recommended limit, it can trigger spam filters.
In most cases, it’s safe to add images to your cold emails. But, we have a few recommendations to ensure they have only positive effects.
1) Use images with intention:
Add images only if they add value or convey information better than text, like diagrams, infographics, or product photos. Avoid using unnecessary banners or purely decorative images.
It’s best to add 1-2 images per email. If you need more, add images throughout your sequence (in follow-ups) rather than all in one email. More images can distract from the main message and increase email size.
Remember, the total email size has more impact on the deliverability than the presence of images itself.
2) Consider your text-to-images ratio:
The words-to-images ratio means the balance between text and images in your email.
The right balance can help spam filters understand the email’s intent. Emails with over 100 words generally have the same deliverability, whether or not you include images.
For shorter emails, less than 50-80 words, adding one image if necessary won’t hurt. But, don’t add too many images (more than 2-3) — your email might get flagged as promotional or suspicious.
These numbers aren’t set rules, but the right balance of text and images can improve deliverability and email engagement.
3) Use the PNG image format:
We recommend using the PNG format for images in emails. PNGs work better with different email clients. They also offer a better quality-to-size ratio than JPEGs.
To find out your image format, check file properties on your computer (Right click on image → Properties).
If your images are originally in JPEG format, convert them to PNG using an online image converter.
PNG images don’t lose much quality when compressed, so they will still look sharp after compression.
4) Optimize image size:
The image size adds to the total email size, which directly affects deliverability. It also affects how quickly the email will load for the recipient, especially on mobile devices.
The image size should be as low as possible, preferably under 50 KB. To find the size of your image, right-click on the image file on your computer and select Properties.
If the image is over 50 KB, use an online compression tool to make it smaller.
If you’re using more than one image in an email, calculate their overall size to ensure they don’t make your email too heavy.
5) Don’t add GIFS:
Adding a GIF to your email isn’t ideal for deliverability. They often have large file sizes, even after compression, and sometimes don’t load correctly. The potential benefits usually aren’t worth the risks.
Additional tip: The presence of tracking pixels can increase the chance of your emails being marked as suspicious. Read more here →
If you have a question that we haven’t covered, feel free to reach out to our Customer Care team. You can contact us at help@snov.io or through live chat. We’re here to assist you!