[FAQ]

I’m in the process of designing a new email newsletter template that’s quite visual and relies on some nice imagery to get our message across. I have a lingering concern about email deliverability, though. I remember hearing about a “text-to-image ratio” rule that you’re supposed to follow to avoid spam filters.

What is the current best practice or recommended ratio for this in 2025? Is there a specific percentage of text versus image that we should be aiming for? I’m particularly worried that sending an email that is mostly one big, beautiful image with very little text could be a major red flag for spam filters.

[Jeff Bullas]

The concept of a text-to-image ratio is a long-standing one in email marketing. While modern spam filters are far more sophisticated now and look at many other signals, the balance between text and images in your emails still matters for deliverability and the overall user experience.

First, it is important to understand that there is no official, magic ratio that guarantees your email will land in the inbox. Inbox providers do not publish a rule stating an email must be, for instance, 80 percent text and 20 percent image. Modern spam filters place a much heavier emphasis on your sender reputation, subscriber engagement, and whether your email is properly authenticated.

However, a commonly cited best practice is to aim for a healthy balance, often suggested as being around 60% text to 40% image area. The key principle behind this guideline is that your email should still be understandable and provide value even if the images are turned off or blocked by the recipient’s email client, which is a common default setting.

Second, you are correct to be concerned about an email that is just one single, large image. This is a major red flag for spam filters and should be avoided at all costs. Spammers have historically used this tactic to hide suspicious phrases and links within an image, thereby attempting to bypass text-based spam filters. As a result, emails that contain very little or no plain text content are highly likely to be flagged as spam.

Third, beyond deliverability, there is the crucial matter of user experience and accessibility. Many of your subscribers may have images turned off by default in their email client. If your entire message, including your call to action, is contained within an image, these subscribers will see absolutely nothing. Furthermore, screen readers used by visually impaired subscribers cannot read text that is embedded within an image. This makes it essential to have your core message in plain text and to use alt text for your images.

In summary, instead of focusing on a precise ratio, focus on creating a well-balanced email. The most important rule is to never send an image-only email. Always ensure your primary message and call to action are presented as plain text so that your communication is effective and accessible for everyone, which in turn is a strong positive signal for deliverability.

Cheers,

Jeff

[Author]

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