How to avoid email clipping in Gmail

If you are a Gmail user, you might have encountered a situation where the email you received gets clipped. You see a message indicating that the email has been cut off, with an option to 'View entire message' in your web browser. However, when once you click this, the version of the email you see displayed might have an altered appearance, since all <style> tags are removed.

This is a typical case of Gmail clipping. And, as an email marketer, it can significantly impact the effectiveness of your campaigns.

Understanding the basics of Gmail clipping

Gmail applies size restrictions on emails to ensure a smooth user experience. Emails that exceed these restrictions are clipped, displaying a 'Message clipped' notice to recipients.

What you can do to avoid Gmail clipping

Ensuring your emails don’t get clipped involves meticulous planning and optimization according to Gmail’s size limits. Here’s a step-by-step strategy to ensure your newsletters are fully delivered:

1. Stay within size limits

Gmail’s size limit is set at 102 KB for desktop emails. The limit for mobile devices is around 20 KB on iOS devices and up to 75 KB on other mobile devices. Keeping your email content within these limits is crucial to avoid clipping.

The easiest way to do this is by using theMarketer’s email size estimate feature. As you design a newsletter, keep an eye on the figure in the top left corner of your screen. This will help you check your email size and make adjustments, if needed, before sending it to minimize the risk of getting your newsletter clipped by Gmail.

2. Use unique subject lines

Gmail might clip emails with repeated subject lines sent to the same inbox. Try to be creative and send out campaigns with distinct subject lines to prevent this form of clipping. If you need additional inspiration, there are thousands of predefined subject lines that you can access in seconds using theMarketer.

3. Optimize your design and content

Opt for simpler design elements and remove unnecessary styling and background images, especially where they are unnecessary. To reduce the overall HTML size of your email, you can also combine similar content blocks and layouts and minimize the use of device-specific blocks. This will make your newsletter leaner and less prone to being clipped.

Other aspects that matter

There are several other details that can impact the likelihood of your newsletters getting clipped in Gmail or the consequences this could have on your performance reports.

One of them refers to efficiently embedding images to reduce the size of your email. The code used to embed images contributes to the email's overall size, not the image file itself, so this become a key optimization practice.

Similarly, to ensure open rates are accurately tracked, you should also position the tracking pixel at the beginning of your email. This minimizes the risk of the tracking pixel being clipped, regardless of the email's size.

But luckily theMarketer is already tackling such aspects on your behalf, so you don’t need to worry about these.

Wrapping up

Ensuring your newsletters are built in a way that doesn’t cause Gmail clipping is key to maintaining effective communication with your audience. By adhering to Gmail’s size limits, optimizing your email's design and content, and leveraging theMarketer's tools, you can enhance the deliverability and impact of your email marketing campaigns.