Let's talk about your email images.

The blurry product shots. The load times from 2009.

They're not just meh, they're quietly tanking your CTR and giving subscribers a reason to scroll right past.

Today we're cracking open how to use email images the right way: fast, crispy, click earning.

Also inside:
→ The most underrated DTC channel right now (hint: it rings)
→ The AI copywriting frameworks Chase swears by
→ How three guys turned $750 into a $35M empire
→ The AI Dress Code Decoder converting at 5× site average
→ Last call for a very good excuse to fly somewhere warm

Now go make those pixels earn their keep.

Most retention stacks have hit their ceiling. Here's the one move that breaks past it.

Hot take: phone calls are the most underrated channel in DTC right now but nobody wants to say it because it sounds like 2003. 

Every channel got rebuilt for ecommerce - email, SMS, push, WhatsApp, retargeting, even direct mail had a comeback. 

The phone? ecom buried it, called it a call center problem, moved on. 

Twenty years later, every channel's louder and more ignored and the one that still rings through is the one nobody's using.

That's where Outcraft comes in:
→ AI voice agent dials abandoned checkouts within minutes (trained on brand and tone so it sounds like you, not a call center)
→ SMS, email, and WhatsApp follow-up coordinated from the same brain
→ Costs less than one SDR and works at $30 AOV

Your highest intent shoppers finally get called, without you staffing a team or rewriting a script.

The brands worried about phones in their funnel are the same ones losing the most revenue to silence. 

Bring the phone back → outcraft.ai

Knowledge drop: The essential frameworks for writing copy with AI brought to you by Chase

Stop losing sales to bad email images: A guide to visuals that convert

Visuals aren't just decoration in email marketing, they're doing serious conversion work.

But when your images are slow to load, poorly formatted, or optimized for the wrong devices, you're not just missing clicks. You're actively hurting trust and tanking performance.

Here's how to use email images the right way so they drive sales instead of derailing them.

5 Best Practices for Email Images That Actually Perform

1. Use high-quality images (but keep them lightweight)

Your product images need to look sharp and professional. Blurry, pixelated, or cheap-looking visuals kill trust before someone even reads your copy.

Here's what works:

• Shoot in natural light with clean, uncluttered backgrounds that don't compete with the product.

• Never stretch or upscale small images. Always resize down from a larger source file to maintain quality.

• If you're using stock photos, choose images that feel authentic and align with your brand voice. Avoid overly staged or generic-looking shots.

• Compress images without sacrificing quality using tools like TinyPNG, Squoosh, or built-in compression in design tools like Canva.

Pro tip: High resolution doesn't always mean high file size. You can have crisp visuals that load fast if you optimize correctly.

2. Get your sizing and formats right

Oversized images slow load times. Wrong formats break layouts. Both kill mobile performance, which is where most of your opens are happening.

Email image sizing cheat sheet:

• Header or hero images: 600–650px wide, 200–400px tall

• Product or in-body images: 300–500px wide, up to 400px tall

• Thumbnail or icon images: 100–200px wide and tall

• Aspect ratios: Stick with 16:9, 4:3, or 1:1 to avoid stretched or distorted images

• File size: Keep it under 100KB per image whenever possible. Aim for 50–75KB for optimal performance.

Best image formats for email:

• JPG: Best for product photos and lifestyle shots. Smaller file size, no transparency support.

• PNG: Best for logos, icons, and graphics that need transparency or crisp edges.

• GIF: Good for simple animations or playful moments. Use sparingly – they're heavier and can feel gimmicky.

• WebP: Emerging format with better compression. Not all email clients support it yet, so test before using.

Avoid: TIFF, BMP, SVG (limited support), and PDFs. They don't render reliably across email clients and can break your layout.

3. Write descriptive alt text for every image

Alt text is the backup copy that shows when images don't load. But it's way more than a fallback – it's essential for accessibility, deliverability, and user experience.

Why alt text matters:

• Accessibility: Screen readers use alt text to describe images for visually impaired subscribers.

• Image blocking: Many email clients (like Outlook and Gmail) block images by default. Alt text ensures your message still makes sense.

• Deliverability: Some spam filters flag image-heavy emails with missing or vague alt text.

How to write good alt text:

• Be specific and descriptive. Say what the image shows, not just "product image" or "photo."

• Keep it concise but informative – aim for one clear sentence.

• Include relevant keywords naturally, but don't keyword stuff.

Examples:

❌ Bad: "image1.jpg"
❌ Bad: "Product"
✅ Good: "Navy blue crewneck sweatshirt on hanger against white background"
✅ Good: "Customer wearing black leather crossbody bag with gold hardware"

4. Optimize every image for mobile

Over 60% of emails are opened on mobile devices. If your images don't work on small screens, you're losing more than half your potential conversions.

How to make images mobile-friendly:

• Use responsive email templates that automatically scale images based on screen size.

• Avoid placing critical text inside images unless it's large enough to read on mobile (minimum 14pt font).

• Stack images vertically instead of side-by-side when possible for easier mobile scrolling.

• Test every email on multiple devices before sending. Use tools like Litmus or Email on Acid, or just forward test emails to yourself.

Pro tip: Mobile users scroll fast. Your images need to make an instant visual impact or they'll get skipped.

5. Balance your text-to-image ratio

Image-only emails look sleek, but they perform terribly.

Why image-heavy emails fail:

• Email clients block images by default, leaving subscribers staring at blank space.

• Spam filters flag emails with little to no text as promotional or suspicious.

• Screen readers can't interpret image-only layouts, hurting accessibility.

• If images fail to load, your entire message disappears.

The sweet spot: Aim for a 60:40 text-to-image ratio (or at minimum, 50:50).

How to balance it:

• Write clear, compelling copy that supports your visuals instead of relying on images to tell the whole story.

• Use HTML buttons for CTAs instead of embedding them in images. They're more accessible, trackable, and reliable.

• Make sure your email still makes sense even if all images are turned off.

Pro tip: Preview your email with images disabled before sending. If the message doesn't make sense, you need more text.

How to Personalize Email Images (Beyond Just Using Someone's Name)

Personalized images aren't just a neat trick – they increase engagement and conversions by making emails feel more relevant.

Easy ways to personalize your visuals:

Dynamic name insertion: Tools like NiftyImages, Hyperise, or Movable Ink let you add a subscriber's name directly into images. This works especially well for loyalty emails, birthday offers, and VIP campaigns.

Location-based visuals: Show a map to the nearest store location, weather-appropriate products, or region-specific inventory. If someone's in Minnesota in January, show winter gear – not sandals.

Behavioral product recommendations: Display images of products based on what someone has browsed, abandoned, or purchased before. Use dynamic content blocks to swap in relevant visuals without creating dozens of email versions.

Segment-specific imagery: Show different hero images based on customer type – new subscribers vs. repeat buyers, discount shoppers vs. full-price customers, etc.

Pro tip: Personalization works best when it's useful, not just flashy. Ask yourself: does this make the email more relevant, or is it just showing off?

Before You Hit Send: Email Image Checklist

Run through this checklist before every campaign to make sure your images are actually helping you convert:

• Images are high-quality but compressed (under 100KB each when possible)

• Formats are optimized (JPG for photos, PNG for logos/icons)

• Every image has descriptive alt text for accessibility and image-blocking scenarios

• Images are responsive and tested on mobile devices

• Text-to-image ratio is balanced (at least 50:50, ideally 60:40)

• CTAs are HTML buttons, not embedded in images

• Email makes sense with images turned off

Get these basics right, and your images will drive conversions instead of killing them.

THE RETENTION ROADSHOW HITS THE ROAD — TODAY!

It's happening. Right now. In New York City.

Today we're kicking things off with the sharpest minds in retention, the best snacks our budget could buy, and conversations that'll have you rethinking your whole funnel by morning.

Now New York is already closed but the good news?

The tour rolls on next week, and there's still time to get in on the fun:

• 🌴 Miami - June 8 at EAST Miami

• 🌞 Los Angeles - June 10 at Santa Monica Proper Hotel

• 🤠 Austin - June 12 at The Thompson

• Four cities, four days and one very good excuse to talk shop with people who actually get it.

Tickets are going fast and rooms aren't getting any bigger. Pick your city and lock it in before it's too late.

[Get Your Ticket →]

DTC wins:

Three founders, $750, and a $35M hat empire
Dad Gang just crossed $35M in revenue and 1M hats sold, built on daily Instagram posts, an "IYKYK" embroidered detail that turned customers into evangelists (one superfan owns 180 hats), and zero paid influencer spend. The retention play here is the product itself functioning as identity merch... your job as an email marketer is to find the "IYKYK" inside your brand and merchandise it.

ThredUp's AI tool converts at 5× site average and here's the lesson
ThredUp launched a "Dress Code Decoder" AI tool plus a Wedding Guest Shop landing page, and the numbers are nuts: the shop converts at 3× site average, the decoder at 5×. The takeaway for email marketers: intent-matched microsites + a quiz/tool layer crush generic category pages, point your seasonal flows at those not your home page.

Annnnd that’s a wrap for this edition! 

Thanks for hanging with Chase and me, always a pleasure to have you here.

If you found this newsletter helpful (or even just a little fun), don’t keep it to yourself! Share ecomemailmarketer.com with your favorite DTC marketer. Let’s get them on board so they don’t miss next week’s drops.

Remember: Do shit you love.

🤘 Jimmy Kim & Chase Dimond

PS - Your next best customer might be reading this right now. Want in? Email Jimmy to sponsor this newsletter and more.

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