Another Reason NOT to Send Image-Only Emails

Thanksgiving morning: the smell of turkey roasting (or the excitement of Turkey and all the sides if, like me, you weren’t hosting), the anticipation of pumpkin pie, and—if you work in email marketing—the realization that this day isn’t just about food. It marks the kickoff of the busiest email season of the year. 

Each Thanksgiving, my inbox overflows with offers and brand thank-you notes.  It’s no surprise that email remains one of the most effective channels for driving sales. But beyond the discounts and deals, this season also highlights something many marketers overlook: the functionality of their emails.

This year, there’s a new twist to consider: Apple’s AI-powered features, including the “Summarize” function, are changing how we experience email. And if you’re sending image-only emails, this change could be working against you. 

Why Image-Only Emails Are Problematic   

Image-only emails have long posed challenges. Please read the section on The image-only battle from my article for Only Influencers here. Before this new feature to summarize email, we still got our message across in the inbox with email previews showing in the inbox, but today, I’m seeing fewer and fewer of these, including the ones I write for clients. However, I am noticing that my preview text is sometimes pulled in as part of the summary.  However, as has always been the case when preview text is missing, it pulls from the live text in your email.

But what happens when you have image-only emails and the only live text is small legal details like your address or unsubscribe link? For brands using image-only designs, your beautiful emails may be reduced in the inbox to inviting people to unsubscribe because AI can’t extract insights from text embedded in images.

Here’s a snapshot of a few image-only emails in my inbox over Thanksgiving weekend.

Obviously, there is no shaming, which is why so much is blurred out. I doubt these brands realized what this might look like in inboxes. When creating hundreds of messages for the holiday season, not every detail is considered. However, brands must start paying attention to this detail.  

As email marketing continues evolving, functionality is as critical as design. Sometimes, new features change how inboxes display content, which means greater challenges for those who create image-only emails. While email images look beautiful, a balanced approach to using images and live text for key messaging, including the CTAs, is needed to ensure your emails remain impactful and optimized for today’s inbox.