Hey it’s Chase and Jimmy here!

They say don’t judge a book by its cover.

But your subscribers absolutely judge an email by its images.

If your pics are blurry, bloated, or badly sized, they’re doing more harm than good.

This morning, we’re breaking down how to use email images the right way — so your visuals actually boost engagement, not bounce rates.

From formats and file sizes to personalization tips, this guide covers all the essentials.

Here’s what else is inside:

👥 The 7 email segments you should’ve had all along
🖼️ How to make your email images sharper, faster, and more effective
🗞️ Quick Clips: Poppi’s $2B Pepsi exit, Amazon’s robot army, Chobani's big scoop and more

👇 Let’s get into it.

👥 This Is the Segmentation Strategy You Should’ve Started With

You don’t need complex flows or AI-powered logic to send better emails.

You just need the right seven segments.

In this Omnisend webinar, you’ll learn how to set up and use seven core segments that every brand should have — whether you’re sending campaigns, automations, or both. It’s fast, it’s foundational, and it’s going to make your retention work a lot easier.

You’ll learn:

👉 The 7 segments that should be in every account

👉 How to build them in minutes (no overthinking required)

👉 How to plug them into your campaigns and flows for instant impact

🖼️ Picture-Perfect Emails: Your Guide to Using Images the Right Way

Visuals play a huge role in email marketing, especially when you’re selling products.

But if your images are blurry, vague, or too slow to load – you’re losing clicks. Worse, you’re making your brand look bad.

Here’s how to use email images properly so they’re working for you, not against you.

5 Best Practices for Using Images in Emails

1. Use high-quality images

Your product images should always look clean and sharp. Blurry or pixelated visuals hurt trust, especially when you’re asking someone to buy.

Here are some tips to keep in mind:

• Shoot in natural light when possible and avoid busy backgrounds.

• Don’t stretch or upscale small images. Resize down instead.

• Choose stock photos that feel natural and align with your brand.

2. Pick the right size and format

Oversized images or unsupported formats can slow things down or throw off your layout, especially on mobile.

You want to pick a size and format that loads fast and looks great across all devices.

Here’s a quick image size cheat sheet:

• Header or hero images: 600–650 pixels wide, 200–300 pixels tall

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

• Thumbnail or icon images 100–200 pixels wide and tall

• Aspect ratios: Stick with 16:9 or 4:3 to avoid stretched or squished images

• File size: Keep it under 100KB when possible.

Additionally, here are the best types of image formats to use in your emails:

• JPG: Great for product photos. Smaller file size, but no transparency.

• PNG: Best for logos and icons. Supports transparency.

• GIF: Good for simple animations. Fun, but heavier – use sparingly.

Avoid things like TIFF, BMP, or PDFs. They don’t render reliably and can tank your performance.

3. Add alt text to every image

Alt text is the little description that appears if your image doesn’t load.

But it’s not just a fallback. It’s crucial for:

• Accessibility (e.g. screen readers for the visually impaired)

• Email clients that block images by default

• SEO indexing in some cases

When writing alt text, be descriptive and specific. Say what the image is, not just “image.” You can include keywords, but only if they’re relevant.

Here’s an example:

❌ image123.jpg

✅ Close-up of black canvas tote bag with leather straps

4. Make your visuals mobile-friendly

Nearly half of all emails are opened on phones. So if your images don’t look good on smaller screens, you’re risking a huge chunk of potential sales.

Here are some tips for mobile-friendly visuals:

• Use responsive email templates that scale images automatically.

• Avoid putting text inside an image unless it’s readable at small sizes.

• Always preview and test emails on mobile before sending.

5. Use a healthy text-to-image ratio

It’s tempting to design one big visual and call it a day.

But image-only emails cause all kinds of problems.

• Email clients often block images by default

• Spam filters get triggered by image-heavy layouts

• Screen readers can’t interpret images unless there’s supporting text

For best results, stay close to a 60:40 text-to-image ratio.

Write great copy to support your images. Instead of making your CTAs part of a visual, use clickable buttons or links with HTML.

Remember: even if your images fail to load, your email should still make sense!

How to Personalize Your Email Images

Personalization isn’t just for your copy – you can also bring it to your images. When your visuals reflect who your subscriber is or what they care about, your email hits harder.

Here are a few easy ways to do it:

• Add names to your visuals: With tools like NiftyImages, you can dynamically insert someone’s name into an image. This works great for loyalty, birthday, and promo emails.

• Show location-specific visuals: If you have stores, show a map with the closest one. If your customer lives somewhere cold, show winter gear instead of swimsuits.

• Recommend products based on behavior: Show products (and their images) similar to ones they’ve viewed, added to cart, or purchased before.

Where to Find Great Email Images (for Free!)

Don’t have design chops or full-time/in-house help? Not a problem.

Here are three ways to source awesome images at zero cost:

• Free stock photo sites: Use sites like Unsplash, Pexels, and Pixabay. Look for images that match your tone and avoid anything that looks obviously staged.

• Take your own photos: Smartphone cameras are more than good enough for clean, natural product shots. Use natural light, simple backdrops, and avoid harsh filters.

• Use AI image tools: Tools like Adobe Firefly, DALL-E, and Midjourney let you generate on-brand images from simple prompts. They’re especially helpful when you need quick filler visuals or creative assets for a sale.

Before You Hit Send…

If you’re using images in your emails (and you should be), here’s a quick checklist to run through before your next campaign goes live:

✅ Use sharp, lightweight images that look good on all devices.

✅ Add alt text to every image for accessibility and back-up.

✅ Avoid image-only emails. Visuals grab attention, but words drive action.

Double-check these basics and your beautiful images will actually convert!

💳 Your Finance HQ—Built for eCommerce

If you’re still managing money across spreadsheets, clunky portals, and outdated banks… you’re not alone.

But you don’t have to settle for it either.

Highbeam gives you a centralized command center for your brand’s finances.

It’s not a bank—it’s better.

✅ Integrated capital and custom credit solutions
✅ Automated bill pay and spend tracking
✅ Real-time visibility into cash position and forecasting
✅ Earn yield on idle cash in both checking and savings accounts
✅ Finance agents that handle tasks like scenario planning and reporting

Founders using Highbeam call it their “finance team that never sleeps.”

🗞️ Quick Clips

• Andie dives into basics: DTC swimwear brand Andie just acquired Richer Poorer, known for elevated loungewear and basics. The goal? Build a portfolio of everyday essentials with a DTC backbone.

• Popsi goes official: PepsiCo finalized a nearly $2B deal to acquire prebiotic soda darling Poppi, continuing its push into better-for-you beverages with a Gen Z twist.

• Chobani scoops up Daily Harvest: In another health-focused play, Chobani acquired frozen plant-based meals and smoothie brand Daily Harvest.

• Amazon = warehouse of the future: Amazon now has over 750,000 robots supporting fulfillment operations — with automation helping boost delivery speeds and reduce repetitive tasks.

• TikTok Live still on top: Despite the U.S. regulatory chaos, TikTok Live continues to lead the live shopping space, beating out Amazon, YouTube, and Instagram in both engagement and frequency.

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

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