Mailchimp has long been the leading tool for creating email campaigns. You can also use Mailchimp to create beautiful landing pages. No matter what you use the app for, it is important to utilize properly optimized images.
Not only will properly optimized images look the best, but they will also load the fastest. This provides the best experience for those reading your emails and landing pages. This, in turn, will increase conversion rates.
Thankfully, Mailchimp makes it quite straightforward to set the proper image sizes. The company even provides tables that tell you the exact image width you should use with your Mailchimp templates.
However, you may not be using one of the recommended image sizes for Mailchimp templates. This means that there's still a lot more that you must be aware of if you are going to create the most beautiful Mailchimp images.
Read on to learn more about setting the correct images sizes in Mailchimp.
Table of Contents
Things to keep in mind when creating Mailchimp images
Image dimensions for Mailchimp emails
Sizing images for Mailchimp landing page templates
Landing page background images
Adjusting the width of landing pages
Final thoughts on creating the best Mailchimp images
Things to keep in mind when creating Mailchimp images
While image size is certainly important when creating an image in Mailchimp, you also need to consider several other factors. These include file type, color profile, screen type, file size, and alt text.
It is vital to use the right file type when creating images in Mailchimp. The app is compatible with GIF, PNG, and JPG files. However, most professionals use PNG files. This is because these files have a transparent background that looks best with many picture.
You should always use the RGB color profile with Mailchimp. This is likely the default on your computer, so you probably won't need to change anything. Don't use the CYK color format, as this can cause problems.
Large file sizes can cause your emails or landing pages to load slowly. This can cause readers to click away before your content even finishes loading. To keep this from happening, you should set a maximum file size of one megabyte.
You should add alt text to your images. This text should describe the image thoroughly. It's also a good idea to include SEO keywords (for landing page images) as this can help the page rank higher.
Many people these days have devices with Retina displays or similar technology. These high-resolution screens make all but the highest resolution images look a little fuzzy. Thus, you should use the highest resolution images that don't slow down loading times excessively.
Image dimensions for Mailchimp emails
When choosing image sizes for Mailchimp emails, it's important to keep in mind that the templates have a width of 600 pixels. You also need to figure out whether you are going to be using the old-fashioned columns setup or the newer content block settings.
If you are using the content block settings, it's best to figure out beforehand whether you want to use image groups, images and text, image cards, or just normal image blocks.
When using image groups, ensure that even small images are clearly visible. If you are using the full width image format, you should set the image width to 564 pixels. For two-column images, set an image width of 264 pixels.
If you have decided to use images and text together, set the following widths when the block is left or right aligned:
Three-quarter caption width: 132 pixels
Two-third caption width: 176 pixels
One-half caption width: 264 pixels
One-third caption width: 352 pixels
If you use the image card blocks, you need to decide whether to set the margins edge to edge or not. If you do, you should use an image width of 564 pixels. If you don't set the margins edge to edge, use a maximum width of 528 pixels.
For standard images blocks with the margins set to the edges, use an image size of 564 pixels.
Sizing images for Mailchimp landing page templates
The image sizes for Mailchimp landing pages varies widely due to the variation in the Mailchimp templates. While Mailchimp does offer recommendations, experienced web designers will likely want to deviate from these guidelines dramatically based on the design of their site.
This means that Mailchimp's recommendations do not need to be followed as closely as those for their email templates.
Instead of following Mailchimp's numbers exactly, it's best to use them as a starting point and see what looks best for your site. However, there are some best practices that you should follow no matter what design language your site uses.
First, you should make sure to figure what image size you want before you upload the image to the Mailchimp landing page builder. This enables you to scale down the image to eliminate unneeded pixels. Doing so makes tweaking the image in Mailchimp easier.
Also, you should use larger images if you set the size of the landing page to 100%. This is because people using Retina displays may notice fuzziness or blurriness if you use smaller images. Of course, you should also test the larger images to ensure that they do not slow down your landing page.
Landing page background images
If you decide to use background images on your landing page, keep in mind that you will have to use large images. Mailchimp recommends that landing page background images be sized between 1500 pixels and 2500 pixels. As with all large images, you should be wary of slow loading times caused by huge file sizes.
If your landing page has a lot of text, you may be able to reduce the image size to ensure readability.
Adjusting the width of landing pages
If you are set on a certain image but it does not look good on your current landing page, you may need to adjust the width of the page. Mailchimp makes this process quite easy.
First, select Campaigns in the Mailchimp dashboard. Next, click all campaigns and select the relevant audience (if you have more than one audience). Find the landing page draft you need to change and select style.
Click Page and set your preferred width in the Page Container Style menu. Once you have selected your preferred width, make sure to click save or you will lose this setting.
Final thoughts on creating the best Mailchimp images
Just because you followed all the correct technical specifications and your pictures display correctly doesn't mean that the images will actually be good. Many marketing professionals focus on setting the right image sizes but forget to source good pictures.
When choosing marketing pictures, make sure to select bright and colorful images. These will catch the customer's eye and create a positive reaction. If you are including stock pictures that depict a group of people, ensure that all the people in the image are smiling brightly.
If you follow the technical specifications and creative tips in this article, you will be on your way to creating high-quality Mailchimp pictures.
Sources: Mailchimp