Is it OK to use animated GIFs or SVGs in IP warming emails, and what are the considerations?
Summary
What email marketers say9Marketer opinions
Email marketer from Campaign Monitor explains that GIFs can be effective for capturing attention in emails, especially for promotions, but advises against overuse to prevent overwhelming subscribers. No mention of SVG.
Email marketer from HubSpot shares that GIFs can improve click-through rates but should be used sparingly. They also recommend optimizing GIFs for email by reducing the number of colors and keeping them short.
Email marketer from Litmus explains that animated GIFs have broad support across major email clients, while SVG support is more limited and can be unpredictable. Testing across different clients is essential.
Email marketer from Email Geeks shares the issue is GIFs don't work in all email clients, so the static image needs to work for those clients.
Email marketer from Mailchimp shares animated GIFs can enhance email engagement but advises keeping file sizes small to avoid slow loading times and deliverability issues. They don't explicitly cover SVG in this context.
Email marketer from Email on Acid explains that incorporating animated images needs testing because of different client support. Fallback static image needed for non-supporting clients.
Email marketer from Gmass answers that using images in warmup is okay, as long as the file size is reasonable and you also send plenty of text based emails to warmup the IPs.
Email marketer from Reddit states using GIFs during IP warming is generally okay if file size is reasonable and content aligns with intended audience engagement.
Email marketer from StackOverflow notes that SVG support is inconsistent across email clients, recommending inline embedding for better compatibility but advising thorough testing.
What the experts say4Expert opinions
Expert from Word to the Wise responds images can be used in warm-up, but be judicious. Focus on building a positive sender reputation by sending wanted mail to real users who engage with your messages. Images can slow down this engagement if they are too large or unexpected.
Expert from Email Geeks advises considering MUA (Mail User Agent) support for the chosen animated format and how it will render in MUAs that don't support it. This is crucial during warmup to avoid issues.
Expert from Email Geeks explains there's no inherent technical problem with using animation (GIF/SVG) in IP warming emails. However, warmup requires high engagement. He suggests caution, considering the recipients and ensuring the animation is well-prepared and the image hosting is reliable.
Expert from Email Geeks advises while animation isn't inherently bad, it requires more effort and preparation. Using it on a new system with a deadline carries a higher risk of errors during the critical warmup phase.
What the documentation says4Technical articles
Documentation from MDN Web Docs explains that SVG is a widely supported vector image format in web browsers. However, its compatibility within email clients can vary, requiring thorough testing.
Documentation from W3C details the SVG specification, confirming its capability for animation. However, email client support is not guaranteed and requires specific implementation considerations.
Documentation from Microsoft explains Outlook generally supports GIFs but can have rendering issues with complex animations. SVG support is limited and may require specific configurations.
Documentation from Google Support explains that Gmail supports animated GIFs. However, it does not specify SVG support directly but suggests using widely supported image formats.