How does using multiple GIFs in emails affect deliverability and user experience?
Matthew Whittaker
Co-founder & CTO, Suped
Published 15 Apr 2025
Updated 19 Aug 2025
6 min read
Email marketers often seek ways to make their campaigns more dynamic and engaging. Animated GIFs have emerged as a popular tool for this, adding visual flair and conveying messages that static images or text alone cannot. They can capture attention, demonstrate product features, or simply inject personality into your communications.
However, a common question arises: what happens when you decide to use not just one, but multiple GIFs within a single email? The perceived benefits of increased engagement might seem appealing, but there are potential pitfalls related to both email deliverability and the overall user experience.
It's crucial to understand how multiple GIFs can influence whether your email reaches the inbox and how your subscribers interact with it. From file size concerns to potential distractions, the impact can be significant. Let's delve into the intricacies of using multiple GIFs in your email campaigns.
Deliverability impact of multiple GIFs
The primary concern with using multiple GIFs, or even just one large GIF, is the impact on email file size. GIFs are essentially a series of images played in sequence, and even compressed ones can add substantial weight to your email. This increased file size can lead to several deliverability challenges.
Mailbox providers (like Gmail) have limits on email size. Exceeding these limits can cause your email to be truncated or clipped, forcing recipients to click a link to view the full message in a browser. This extra step can significantly reduce engagement and negatively affect your deliverability metrics.
Furthermore, a larger email file size can trigger spam filters. While GIFs themselves don't inherently impact deliverability, their contribution to the overall message size can be a red flag for some providers. We typically recommend keeping the total email size below 3MB to avoid these issues, especially when including multiple rich media elements. For more on this, consider reading about large GIF file sizes and deliverability.
User experience considerations
Beyond technical deliverability, the user experience can suffer significantly with excessive GIF use. While a single, well-placed GIF can enhance an email, multiple animations can quickly become overwhelming and distracting. This can lead to a negative perception of your brand and a higher chance of recipients disengaging.
Slow loading times are a major concern. If your email contains several heavy GIFs, it will take longer to load, especially on mobile devices or slower internet connections. Users are increasingly impatient, and a delay of even a few seconds can lead them to abandon your email. This directly impacts open rates and overall engagement.
Furthermore, accessibility is a key factor. Not all email clients support GIFs, and many users (or their settings) have images blocked by default. If your email relies heavily on GIFs to convey essential information, these users will miss out entirely. This highlights the importance of using a balanced text-to-image ratio and providing effective alt text for all images, including GIFs. Learn more about the implications of image-based emails.
Positive user experience
Attention-grabbing: Subtle, relevant animations can immediately draw the reader's eye.
Enhanced messaging: GIFs can explain complex concepts or showcase product features more effectively.
Brand personality: Well-chosen GIFs can make emails more memorable and human.
Strategic considerations
Ultimately, the decision to use multiple GIFs should be rooted in a strategic approach. It's not about whether you *can* include them, but whether you *should*. The optimal number of GIFs depends heavily on your audience, the purpose of the email, and your brand's overall style.
Consider the balance between text and visuals. Emails that are predominantly images or GIFs can sometimes struggle with deliverability because they lack sufficient text content. This can also make them appear less professional, particularly for business-to-business (B2B) communications. It's often recommended to maintain a healthy 60:40 text-to-image ratio to mitigate spam filter risks and improve clarity.
Audience preference is paramount. Some audiences may find multiple GIFs playful and engaging, while others might view them as unprofessional or distracting. Before deploying emails with multiple GIFs, consider A/B testing or gathering feedback to understand your subscribers' preferences. A good rule of thumb is that one or two well-placed GIFs are often sufficient.
High GIF count
Increased file size: Leads to longer load times and potential clipping by Outlook and other clients. This relates to how email file size affects deliverability.
Spam triggers: A high image-to-text ratio, often associated with many GIFs, can increase spam scores.
Optimal GIF use
Optimized file size: Compress GIFs to reduce overall email weight and improve load times.
Strategic placement: Use one or two relevant GIFs to highlight key information without overwhelming the recipient.
Text fallback: Always include descriptive alt text and sufficient textual content to ensure accessibility.
Balancing impact and engagement
While integrating multiple GIFs into your emails might seem like a straightforward way to boost engagement, it's a delicate balance that requires careful consideration of both deliverability and user experience. Overuse can lead to unintended consequences, such as slow loading times, email clipping, and increased chances of being flagged by spam filters.
The key is to prioritize the recipient's experience above all else. A single, well-optimized GIF that enhances your message will always be more effective than several unoptimized animations that detract from it. Always test your emails across various clients and devices to ensure they render as intended.
By understanding the potential impact on email file size and balancing visual appeal with practicality, you can leverage GIFs effectively to enhance your campaigns without compromising deliverability or alienating your audience. For a broader understanding of how visuals affect email delivery, you can explore whether images in emails affect deliverability.
Key takeaways for GIF usage
Successfully incorporating GIFs involves a mindful approach to design, file size, and audience expectations. Consider optimizing your entire email for performance to improve overall email deliverability rates.
Views from the trenches
Best practices
Optimize GIF file sizes aggressively using compression tools to minimize email weight.
Ensure GIFs are relevant and add value, rather than just being decorative.
Test emails with multiple GIFs across various email clients and devices.
Provide clear, descriptive alt text for all GIFs for accessibility and fallback.
Common pitfalls
Using too many GIFs, leading to an overly long email load time.
Not compressing GIFs, resulting in large file sizes that trigger spam filters.
Relying solely on GIFs to convey critical information, neglecting text fallbacks.
Ignoring audience preferences, which can lead to negative engagement.
Expert tips
Subtle text animations are generally safer than action-packed GIFs for deliverability.
Always consider the overall email size, not just individual GIF sizes.
Prioritize user experience and deliverability over visual extravagance.
A/B test different GIF counts or placements to find what resonates best with your audience.
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks says GIFs can have substantial file sizes, and too many may cause emails to exceed mailbox provider size limits, leading to deliverability issues. It's advisable to keep the entire email size under 3MB to prevent such problems. Compressing GIFs can help mitigate this risk.
2023-07-27 - Email Geeks
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks says file size and potential recipient distaste are key concerns, assuming the discussion is about animated GIFs. The file size impact is particularly relevant if the GIF is embedded within the email rather than linked externally.
Gmail) have limits on email size. Exceeding these limits can cause your email to be truncated or clipped, forcing recipients to click a link to view the full message in a browser. This extra step can significantly reduce engagement and negatively affect your deliverability metrics.
Outlook and other clients. This relates to how email file size affects deliverability.
