How to Use Visuals in Cold Emails Without Hurting Your Deliverability

Let’s Be Honest, We All Love A Good GIF

However, adding images to cold emails isn’t always a clear-cut advantage. Used correctly, visuals can enhance your message and engagement, but if misused, they could harm your deliverability and make your emails look spammy.

Visuals, when used the right way, can:

• Help explain complex ideas more easily.

• Make your email stand out in a crowded inbox.

• Strengthen your brand identity.

However, there are significant risks if visuals are overused or implemented incorrectly. Spam filters are notorious for flagging image-heavy emails, and many recipients prefer simple, text-based emails, especially in the early stages of outreach.

In this newsletter, we’ll dive into the role of visuals in cold emails, discussing best practices and common mistakes to help you strike the right balance between eye-catching and effective.

✅ When to Use Visuals in Cold Emails

To understand when and how to use visuals in your cold emails, it’s essential to assess your goal. Are you trying to educate, provide quick insights, or grab attention with a value proposition? Here are a few use cases where visuals may enhance your cold emails:

Infographics and Data Visualizations

If you're sharing data or insights, visuals like charts, graphs, or infographics can make complex information more digestible. These types of visuals help prospects quickly understand your offering.

Quick Tip: Use minimal, clear data visualizations that support your message without overwhelming the email body. Keep the file size small to avoid triggering spam filters.

Product Demos and Screenshots

When showcasing a product, screenshots can provide clarity on what you're offering. A single, well-placed image can quickly communicate how your product works and why it’s valuable to the recipient.

Quick Tip: Use one or two high-quality screenshots to support your pitch, but don’t let visuals take over the email.

Logos and Brand Identity

Including your company’s logo can enhance brand recognition, making your outreach look more professional. However, overusing logos can feel excessive in a cold email.

Quick Tip: Include your logo in the email signature or header, but keep the rest of the email simple and focused on your message.

❌ When NOT to Use Visuals in Cold Emails

While visuals can sometimes add value, there are situations where they can do more harm than good.

Avoid Large Images

Large image files increase email load times and raise red flags for spam filters. They can also disrupt the flow of your email, making the content hard to read, especially on mobile devices.

Quick Tip: Compress your images or, if possible, link to external content rather than embedding large images. Always prioritize text-based content, especially in the first few cold emails.

Overloading with Graphics

Adding too many visuals can make your email look cluttered, distracting from the main message. It also increases the likelihood of your email being filtered as spam, as image-heavy emails are often linked to promotional content or phishing attempts.

Quick Tip: Stick to one or two small visuals that complement your text, rather than overshadowing it. Ensure that your email still makes sense without the images, as many email clients block images by default.

Using Image-Only Emails

Emails that consist solely of images, without any accompanying text, are a major red flag for spam filters. Additionally, recipients who have images turned off in their email settings won’t see anything, leading to confusion or immediate deletion.

Quick Tip: Never send image-only cold emails. Always ensure your email is readable with text only, and use visuals to complement—not replace—the written message.

Best Practices for Using Visuals in Cold Emails

To get the most out of visuals in your cold email outreach, follow these best practices:

1. Use Alt Text for Images

Since many email clients block images by default, adding descriptive alt text ensures your message still gets across. Alt text also improves accessibility for recipients who rely on screen readers. Write alt text that describes the image and supports your overall message, ensuring recipients still understand the context if images don’t load.

2. Limit File Sizes

Large images not only trigger spam filters but also slow down load times, which could frustrate recipients. Keep image sizes under 200 KB, and compress images without sacrificing quality. Tools like TinyPNG can help you optimize image sizes.

3. Keep a Balance of Text and Visuals

A good rule of thumb is to aim for an 80/20 text-to-image ratio. This ensures that your email remains text-heavy, which most email providers favor, and helps the message flow naturally. Prioritize text for your core message and use visuals as supportive elements rather than the main attraction.