9 Visuals To Boost Your Email Engagement

Your inbox is a battleground. Every day, marketers fight for attention, hoping their emails won’t end up in the dreaded trash folder. Words alone can only do so much. To truly make an impact, you must use visuals in email. A powerful image or graphic can stop a subscriber in their tracks, encouraging them to engage with your message. This article will show you nine types of visuals that can help to boost your email engagement.

Why Use Visuals in Email?

Think about your own inbox. What makes you open an email? Often, it’s a striking image or a well-placed graphic that grabs your eye. Text-only emails, while sometimes necessary, can feel dense and overwhelming. Visuals, however, offer a welcome break. They help you understand the message faster and create a more enjoyable user experience.

According to studies, the human brain processes images 60,000 times faster than text. This means that a compelling visual can convey your message much quicker and more effectively. The use of visuals in email also can help:

• Increase click-through rates: A well-chosen image can entice subscribers to click on a call-to-action button.
• Boost brand recognition: Using branded visuals can help subscribers quickly identify your emails and strengthen your brand identity.
• Enhance message comprehension: Visuals can make complex topics easier to understand.
• Create emotional connections: The right image can evoke emotions that resonate with your audience.
• Improve engagement: Emails with images often see higher engagement rates compared to text-only emails.

9 Visuals To Boost Your Email Engagement

Here are nine types of visuals that you can use to boost your email engagement.

1. High-Quality Product Images

If you’re selling products, use high-quality product images. A sharp, clear image of your product can make a big difference to your sales. Show your product in the best light. Use a good camera and good lighting.

• Show different angles: Don’t only show your product from one side. Offer images from all sides, so users can see each detail.
• Highlight product features: Use close-up shots to show the important parts of your product.
• Use lifestyle images: Show your product being used by real people in real-life situations.
• Be consistent: Keep the same look and feel of your images.
• Use a white background: A white background makes your product pop.
• Optimize images: Use the right image size, compress it and use the best format.

2. Compelling Hero Images

The hero image is the first thing your subscribers will see when they open your email. It’s a large, eye-catching image that sits at the top of your email. It sets the mood for your message, and it must be relevant to what you have to say.

• Choose impactful visuals: Pick images that are relevant to your email message. Don’t use random visuals.
• Use a clear focal point: Ensure your hero image has a clear focal point. Make sure the main object or area stands out.
• Keep it simple: Don’t use too many elements that can distract from the main goal.
• Use high-resolution images: Never use blurry, low-resolution images. Always use sharp and clear images.
• Make it relevant to your brand: Keep your brand’s style in mind, and be consistent with your brand’s identity.

3. GIFs and Animated Images

GIFs are a great way to add movement to your emails. They’re like short videos, and they can make your email more fun. A study from Litmus shows that using animated images like GIFs in emails can boost click rates by 26%. A little bit of movement can go a long way in capturing attention.

• Keep it short and sweet: GIFs should be brief, lasting no more than a few seconds.
• Use them strategically: Don’t overuse GIFs. Use them to highlight product features or call-to-action buttons.
• Keep file sizes small: Large GIFs can slow down email loading. Compress them before using them.
• Use them to explain: Use GIFs to show how something works or how to use a product.
• Avoid distracting movements: Don’t use flashing, quickly moving GIFs. They can hurt the user’s eyes and distract from the message.

4. Informative Infographics

Infographics are a great tool if you need to share data or complex information. They present information in a clear way and are easier to understand than paragraphs of text. Use them to share stats, or data and to showcase processes.

• Use a clear hierarchy: The most important information should be at the top and easy to see. Use colors and sizes to show what’s important.
• Use icons and visuals: Use graphics that relate to your data to give meaning to your text.
• Keep it simple: Don’t try to include too much information on one infographic. The best infographic uses clear, simple data.
• Use good contrasts: Use the right color combinations. Make sure the text is easy to read against the background.
• Optimize for mobile: Make sure your infographic looks good on all screen sizes.

5. Engaging Illustrations

Illustrations add a personal touch to your emails. Use them to show concepts, ideas, and messages in a unique way. A custom illustration can make your brand stand out.

• Use your brand’s style: Keep all illustrations in line with your brand’s identity.
• Create a unique style: Come up with your own unique style to make your brand recognizable.
• Use them to tell stories: Use illustrations to tell a story or to show how to use a product.
• Use them to simplify complex ideas: Use illustrations to explain complex concepts in a simple way.
• Make them expressive: Use illustrations to make your emails more expressive and unique.

6. Social Media Embeds

Use social media embeds to show content from your brand’s social media accounts. Social media posts can add social proof to your emails. And they can also get users to follow you on social.

• Use relevant content: Only include social media posts that are relevant to your email’s message.
• Add a call-to-action: Always tell users to follow you on social or to interact with the post on social media.
• Optimize for email: Make sure your embeds look good in email form, and also in all email clients.
• Keep it brief: Only show one or two social media posts per email.
• Use a real-time social media feed: A live social media feed can always show new and engaging posts.

7. Personalized Images

Use personalized images to engage your subscribers at a deeper level. It can be as simple as using their name in an image. Or as complex as showing specific content they’d find interesting.

• Segment your audience: Use different types of personalized images for different groups of users.
• Use their name: Always use their name in your visuals, if possible.
• Use dynamic content: Use dynamic content to show products they’ve seen, or to give them discounts.
• Use their location: Personalize the images you send based on the user’s location.
• Test your results: Test your results often to see what’s working and what is not.

8. Before-and-After Photos

Before-and-after photos are perfect for showing the impact of your product. They can be very convincing and useful for those users who are still on the fence. For example, a skin-care company may use before-and-after photos to show the results of their skin products.

• Use high-quality photos: Before-and-after photos must always be of the highest quality. Use good lighting and a good camera.
• Use a clear difference: The photos should have a clear difference between the “before” and “after.”
• Show your products at work: Clearly show your products at work, use them as the hero of the photos.
• Make them easy to compare: Show before and after photos next to each other so users can easily compare them.
• Include real results: Use real photos from real users. Not stock photos.

9. Interactive Elements

Interactive elements make your email more engaging. These elements invite users to click and interact with your email. Use buttons, quizzes, or surveys to make your emails interactive.

• Keep it simple: Interactive elements should be simple and easy to understand.
• Use clear calls to action: Make it clear what action the user must take, and why.
• Optimize for mobile: Make sure your interactive elements work well on all devices.
• Test your interactive elements: Test all your interactive elements. Make sure they’re working as expected.
• Keep track of the results: Always monitor your results to see how your users are interacting with the content.

Best Practices for Using Visuals in Email

While visuals can improve your email engagement, you need to use them with care. Poorly used visuals can harm your emails and brand perception.

• Use the right file formats: Use JPEG for photos, and PNG for images with transparent backgrounds. Use GIF for animated images.
• Compress your images: Always compress your images to reduce file sizes. This will improve email load times, especially for users on slower internet connections.
• Optimize for mobile: Always check how your emails look on mobile devices. Make sure your visuals look good and also load fast on small screens.
• Use alt text: Always add alternative text (alt text) to all of your images. Alt text helps screen readers read the images for users with disabilities. It will also help those users who have images turned off on their email client.
• Keep your brand in mind: Use your brand colors, style, and identity to keep your emails consistent.
• Test your emails: Before sending out your emails, always check how they look on different email clients. Use testing tools to ensure everything looks good on all platforms.
• Balance visuals with text: Don’t overuse visuals. Keep a balance between text and visuals. This will improve the overall user experience.
• Don’t only rely on visuals: Even when visuals are key, text still has a role to play. Don’t forget to write good, concise copy that supports your visuals.
• Use calls to action: Use calls to action (CTAs) with visuals to make them more effective.

Tools to Help You Create Great Email Visuals

You don’t have to be a graphic design expert to create great email visuals. There are many tools available that will make the process easier.

• Canva: A simple online graphic design tool with many templates and options that can help you create email visuals easily, no matter your skill level.
• Adobe Photoshop: The go-to software for graphic designers, for more complex work, Adobe Photoshop is your tool.
• Giphy: A great place to find high-quality GIFs for your emails.
• Unsplash and Pixabay: Sites with high-quality stock images you can use in your emails.
• Email on Acid and Litmus: Email testing tools that allow you to preview your emails in different email clients and devices.
• TinyPNG and ImageOptim: Online tools that help compress your images to reduce file sizes.
• Mailchimp and Constant Contact: Email marketing platforms that offer tools to create and manage email campaigns with ease.
• Figma: Collaborative interface design tool. Can be used to create all kinds of graphics and visuals.
• Sketch: Another popular graphic design tool with many options and features that will come in handy when creating your email visuals.

Visuals Are Key To Email Success

The use of visuals in email is key to success. A good image or graphic can make all the difference in your engagement rates. From simple product photos to interactive elements, there are many types of visuals you can use to boost your email marketing. But remember, the key is to use them in a smart way. Always keep your users in mind. Make sure your emails are easy to read, and also easy to enjoy. Use this article as your guide to improve your email engagement rates and to also keep your subscribers coming back.