Using Images In Email Subject Lines
Posted on July 24, 2012 by Greg 15 Comments
Using an image in the email subject line catches the reader’s eye. And catching the reader’s eye means your email has a better chance of getting opened. It’s another way we can be conscious of the glut of email and strive to produce more engaging, relevant, and interesting content.
Testing images in the email subject line
We’re all accustomed to reading a pure text email subject line. Recently, email marketers have begun including symbols or images in their email subject lines. You may have noticed a little ✈ in your airline’s email subject line. Delta Airlines and others are doing it. Or perhaps you noticed the little black sun that I included in the subject line of one of my TGIF email campaigns: ☀ Dying on Facebook.
I can’t be sure if it was the title of my email, or the graphic, or a combination. But last August’s TGIF email had the highest open rate I’ve ever gotten. So there’s something there.
Images in the subject line really pop on the iPhone
There are only a few of these mini graphics that will properly render in email subject lines. People reading them on an iPhone or iPad will see a color version. Since there’s a higher and higher likelihood that your recipient is managing her email on a smartphone or tablet using an image in the subject line gives you a little advantage. The smartphone’s smaller screen means visual real estate is cramped. That’s why graphics play such an important part of catching the readers’ attention, especially in text-heavy communications, like email.
Here are the graphics you can copy and paste. Let me know how it goes!
☕ ツ ✎ ✍ ♞ ♛ ✰ ✪ ✯ ★ ☻ ☺ ☄ ☾ ☼ ☁ ☂ ☃
℃ ℉ ° ❅ Σ ☦ ✞ ☥ ⌘ ✡ ۞ ✄ ✆ ✉ ∞ ♂ ♀ ☿
❤ ❥ ❦ ⚛ ▲ ▼ ✿ ⚖ ☚ ♲ ☑ ☒ ✔ ✘ Ω ⚤ ⚥ Ⓐ
☭ ♒ ❣ ☪ ™ © ® ¿ ¡ ½ ⅓ ⚔ ⚑ ⚓ ⇨ ❝ ❞ ❖
Smileys ☹ ☺ ☻ ت
ヅ ツ ッ シ
Ü ϡ ﭢ
☜(˚▽˚)
Love, heart ♥ ❤ ❥ ❣
❦ ❧ ♡ ۵
웃 유 ღ ♋
♂ ♀ ☿
Phone ✆ ✉
☎ ☏
Scissors ✁ ✂
✃ ✄
Cross ☩ ☨ ☦ ✞
✛ ✜ ✝ ✙
✠ ✚ † ‡
Music ♪ ♫ ♩
♬ ♭ ♮
♯ ° ø
Write ✐ ✎ ✏
✑ ✒ ✍
✉ ⌨
Religious † ☨ ✞ ✝
☥ ☦ ☓ ☩
☯ ☧ ☬ ☸
✡ ♁ ✙ ♆
Political Ⓐ ☭ ✯
☪ ☫ ✡
☮ 卐 ✌
Question, exclamation ❢ ❣ ⁇
‼ ‽ ⁈
¿ ¡ ⁉
About Greg Jordan
Greg is the Managing Director of Greg Jordan Design. He enjoys writing about marketing, sales, and the effect of online marketing on growing businesses.
15 comments
Hi Greg,
Found your web page when searching “new pics in email subject line” after getting a Match.com spam mail in my Hotmail inbox…which has a couple holding hands with a red heart above and between them at the start and finish of the subject line. Just wondered how they are doing that? It doesn’t seem to tie in completely with the symbols shown above. It really stood out in the inbox though and I’d like to use it before everyone starts doing it!
Thanks,
Sean
Hi Sean,
Thanks for stopping by. Yes, images in subject lines are popping up all over the place. Getting people to open up is definitely one of the critical first steps of a successful email campaign launch.
Hi Greg,
I’m wondering the same thing as Sean. Do you know how places like Match.com are inserting images and not just symbols?
Thanks,
Brandon
Hi Brandon,
Thanks for your question. I haven’t seen anything other than symbols. For better, or worse, I haven’t been receiving Match.com emails so I haven’t seen one. Can you please send me a screen shot? Please send it to info@gregjordandesign.com
Some of the Unicode symbols render in color and look better on the iPhone, for instance. But this isn’t the case in all email clients.
Does it looks like this?: ♥⚢♥ …if so, it was done with Unicode symbols (easy)! The “people holding hands” between the hearts is actually the symbol for Lesbianism.
Greg
I’ve just sent you a screenshot to the above email address, Greg. Showing the Match.com images, as well as three others.
I hope this helps!
Linden
Linden, thanks for sending over the screenshot:
From what I’ve read, Hotmail is replacing Unicode images with their own images. So a Unicode image code may render as a “Hotmail version” of the original Unicode image code. I’ve also read that most of it ends up in junk mail. So I suppose Hotmail isn’t delivering the best user experience.
I guess I’d have to disagree with your premise. I found your site because I was looking for how pictures were included in subject lines…so that I could filter them for immediate deletion.
Hey Brian. You’re right. There’s definitely a glut of email. If you’re trying to cut the clutter check out Bit Literacy, by Mark Hurst.
I’ve noticed a picture of me appears in my subject line on emails sent from my IPhone. I have no recollection of choosing this picture or adding it. Could you tell me how to change or remove it? Thanks Greg.
Hi Bob. Not sure what’s causing that. Sounds like it may be more of an iPhone Mail issue. I did a quick search and noticed others had reported the same concern.
Thanks Greg.. I figure it out.. It’s s picture i had associated with my own email address in the phone CONTACTS (duhhhh). So it would show up on email i sent to yahoo and opened on my phone… But not to the recipients. Thank you for checking.. Maybe was obvious, but might help others.. Of course in “contacts” you can edit and delete or change the picture
Ah, OK. That makes sense. Glad you sorted it out.
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