When email was invented all those years ago, no one could have imagined it would hide so many tricks up its sleeve, GIFs being one of the most fun. Nowadays, the internet is packed with them, so it's no wonder that you might want to include one (or five) in your email. And why shouldn't you? These dynamic visuals are used to express emotions, make messages more interesting and improve marketing campaigns. But how to insert a GIF into an email? Is there a right way of doing it?
There are plenty of options when it comes to adding a GIF to your email, but not all of them are created equal. So, we're going to run through the best ways to do it and shed some light on why GIFs are so awesome.
Which Email Clients Support GIFs?
The first thing to do before adding a GIF to an email is to make sure that your email client and the one of your intended recipient support them. Luckily, since GIFs are so widely used and accepted as "delightful" by online advertising specialists, almost all email clients support them. The only exception is Outlook 2007-2016, which does not natively support GIFs. However, there are still ways of adding them to your emails if you're using Outlook 2007 or earlier.
How Do You Put a GIF in an Email?
There are three main ways of adding a GIF to your email: as an inline image, as a link, or as an attachment. The most common way of adding a GIF to an email is as an inline image. The GIF is placed within the body of the email and takes up the same amount of space as any other image would. This method is good for small GIFs that won't take up too much space and don't require any interaction from the recipient, such as a funny meme or an interesting fact.
A link is the second-best way to add a GIF to an email and works great for larger GIFs or one that you want the recipient to be able to interact with. This will allow them to view the GIF in a separate window without having to leave their email client.
And finally, if you want to send a GIF as an attachment, you'll need to make sure that your email client supports attachments. When you attach a GIF to an email, it's sent as a file, just like any other type of attachment. This method is used by video marketing companies for sending large GIFs or ones that require interaction, such as an explainer or promo video.
Now that we've examined all the ways you can send GIFs, let's look at some examples of how to insert them correctly. Hopefully, these will serve as an inspiration to add a little bit of flair to your texts and emails.
How to Attach a GIF to an Email on Gmail?
It's simple to include a GIF into an email's body using Gmail. You can do it either by clicking the camera symbol or by dragging and dropping the GIF directly into the compose window. Here is how:
Option 1: Insert GIF as Inline Image
Step 1: Find the GIF you want to send and download it to your device.
Step 2: Start writing your email and when you're ready to add the GIF, select the "insert photo" symbol in the bottom right corner of the email next to the "send" and "attach file" buttons.
Step 3: You can also select your GIF from your pictures by clicking the “choose photos to upload” button or copying and pasting the image URL.
Step 4: Insert your GIF, resize it (if needed), and when you're done, click "Send."
Option 2: Drag and Drop the GIF
Step 1: Find the GIF that you want to embed and download it to your device.
Step 2: Drag the GIF from your downloads folder or desktop into the email body.
Step 3: Resize it to better fit your message, and send your email!
How to Embed a GIF in an Email on Outlook?
Since Outlook 2007 doesn't support the option to embed a GIF in an email, we'll need to use a workaround.
Option 1: Insert GIF as Inline Image
Step 1: Find the GIF that you want to send and download it to your device.
Step 2: Open Outlook to start composing your email message.
Step 3: When you come to a part in your message where you want to include the GIF, just click the “insert pictures inline” button at the bottom of the email to the right of the “Discard” and "Attach file" buttons.
Step 4: Select the “Browse” tab and use the file explorer to find your GIF.
Step 5: After you've found the GIF, double-click it to add it to your email message body.
Step 6: Resize it if needed, and when you're done, click "Send."
Option 2: Add GIF as an Attachment
Step 1: Find the GIF that you want to send and download it to your device.
Step 2: Start composing your email message in Outlook.
Step 3: When you come to a part in your message where you want to include the GIF, just click the "Attach" button and select "Files."
Step 4: Select the GIF you want to send and then click "Open."
Step 5: After the GIF is attached, resize it if needed, and when you're done, click "Send."
Note: If you're using Outlook 2007-2016, you'll need to use Option 1.
How to Insert a GIF in an Email on Yahoo Mail?
Keeping up with the latest advertising trends, Yahoo Mail has introduced a new feature that lets you easily add GIFs to your emails. Here's how it works:
Step 1: Open Yahoo Mail and start composing a new email message.
Step 2: Once you get to the part where you want to add the GIF, just click the "GIF" icon at the bottom of the toolbar.
Step 3: Select a GIF from the collection of GIFs that Yahoo has provided or use the "Search for a GIF" field to find the perfect one.
Step 4: After you've found the GIF, resize it to ensure it's just the right size for your email message.
Step 5: Finish your email message and click "Send."
And that about wraps up the part about mailing a GIF. Now here comes the juicy part about adding a GIF to an email.
Advantages of Using Animated GIFs in Your Email Marketing Campaign
The best way to make your email stand out is with a little bit of creativity. Animated GIFs are more memorable than text-based ads (especially when there's laughter involved). They provide visual appeal, which helps readers stay engaged longer, and are a great way to show off your brand's identity. Adding a GIF to an email marketing campaign will also:
- Better promote your products or services
- Improve your click-through rates
- Increase customer engagement
- Help you create more engaging email content
- Make it easier for you to add a visual hook to your emails.
So, if you're looking for a way to make your email marketing campaigns more fun and interesting consider GIFs. They will not only up your conversion rates, but they will also make you stand out from the competition.
Where is the Best Place to Find GIFs?
It might be difficult to discover just the right GIF to match your message, especially if you don't know where to look. Thankfully, there is an abundance of options available on the Wide Web. Of course, the most obvious place to look is GIF websites like Giphy and Gfycat. If, however, you're looking for a GIF of specific quality or size, then Google is probably your best bet. Also, the growing trend of social media marketing has made sites like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram a constant source of new and trendy GIFs.
Wrap Up
So there you have it, now you know how to insert a GIF into an email and some basic facts as to how they can work to your advantage for your future advertising endeavors. Just make sure you're using the right method for adding them, depending on the size and type of GIF you want to use. And don't forget to test them out on different email clients to make sure they look good!
