What looks more interesting to you?

This?

OR, this?

source: amyshamblen.com

The same words. But it's the image that makes this email so engaging.

This is just one example of why images work so well in newsletters. On top of countless case studies that show that when used right, images can:

• Tell a story to stir up emotions, show product benefits and increase conversion rates
• Break up monotony and text-heavy emails to hook and hold attention
• Show off your brand's personality and style
• Convey an idea 10x faster than words

So yes, you should use images in your newsletter.

Some of the best newsletters out there do it, and below I'm going to show you how you can too.

A quick note though: while images are great, sometimes image-only emails can cause loading issues, reduce searchability in the inbox, and increase the chances of landing in the spam folder.

But, if you're using just a handful of images to support your words...

chefs kiss 🤌

Here are 9 simple, but amazing examples of imagery in newsletters

You can follow these brands' emails and thousands more using competitor monitoring right here.

WWF: Striking header photography

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I mean..how can you say no to this. With almost every email, the World Wildlife Foundation hooks readers in with compelling photography that aligns with their cause. It’s one thing to read about saving animals, and another to actually see them.

The Email Copywriter: Simplistic concept sketches

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You don't need to be fancy to get your message across. The Email Copywriter is a master of words, but also supplements its email newsletter with simple images that showcase its brand's personality and keep readers curious while communicating key concepts that words just cannot.

D2C Newsletter: GIFs in intros

GIFs and Memes are great at creating a mood. This makes them perfect for hooking in readers to introduce topics or getting across an idea to stick. Memes do especially well when used to talk about a faux pas or commonly felt vibe.

Drunk Elephant: Incredible branding

I don't use skincare products, but I can't help it look through every one of this brand's emails. Every single one is super on-brand, vibrant, and just pure eye-candy that makes you want to check out their products in this competitive niche.

April Mason: Showcasing social proof

April Mason is a creator and life improvement coach that sells books, courses and more. This email wins because it communicates (visually) that her valued clients can see real results. You don't even need to read the full email, rather just that header image, to get the message. I love this because it's so simple to create but communicates so much.

The Rundown: Concept art for section headers

It's insane how good AI-generated images have gotten. And the Rundown shows us that they can be great at breathing life into a newsletter. Using AI, they've developed their own creative image style to make every section that much more engaging.

MarkUp.io: Product interface

MarkUp.io shows us a good lesson in SaaS email marketing, but can also be applied to any other niche selling products. Their emails use clear product screenshots to help subscribers better understand the value they bring.

Arc'teryx: Aspirational lifestyle photos

A lot of marketing is based on achieving aspirational status. If your subscribers see that you’re giving them a vision of what things can be like, they’ll stick around. Arc'teryx does a great job with this, even in their sales focused emails.

FlutterFlow: Dressing up a promotion

This is a beautiful example of on-brand imagery to showcase a simple sale being run, which otherwise might appear boring and bland.

There are so many ways you can use images to bring your newsletter to life

We built the Image Creator in Hoppy Copy exactly for this. It lets you easily create beautiful AI-generated images—be it creative photography, fun stick art, or pretty much anything else you can imagine.

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