AI Images in Email Newsletters: What Works and What Gets Blocked

Description and use

Using AI images in newsletters requires generating wide banners, removing text from images, compressing files, and limiting image count to improve load speed, deliverability, and accessibility.

Problem

Email newsletters often use large hero images that can slow load times, trigger spam filters, and become invisible when images are blocked, reducing deliverability and accessibility.

Outcome

By treating AI‑generated images as email assets—generating wide banners, removing text from images, compressing files, and limiting image count—the newsletter achieves faster load times, better deliverability, and improved accessibility.

Workflow

• 1. Sketch desired banner in the AI image generator, testing 2–3 styles.
• 2. Generate image at double the intended display width (≈1200 px) for high‑density screens.
• 3. Downscale to 600 px wide, maintaining a 3:1 aspect ratio for headers or square for section breaks.
• 4. Compress the image to JPEG (or PNG if transparency needed) keeping file size under a few hundred KB.
• 5. Add descriptive alt text to the image tag in the email HTML.
• 6. Send a test copy to self, opening once with images on and once with images blocked to check alt text and layout.
• 7. Iterate prompt if needed, saving the prompt that produced the desired look for consistency across issues.

Evidence

Emails are built around a narrow content column, roughly 600 pixels wide.

JPEG covers most generated art. PNG only earns its larger files when you need transparency.

Before any send, I email myself a test copy and open it twice: once with images on, once with them blocked.