Email annotations let you include images, deals, expiration dates, and other
offers to help bring your emails to life. By using high-quality images and the
most relevant information, users are more likely to view and click your emails
within the Gmail Promotions tab.^[\*](https://developers.google.com/workspace/gmail/promotab/best-practices#footnote)^

This section outlines best practices for annotating your email messages.

## Images

- Avoid text-only images. This space highlights the visual components of your promotional email. To improve performance, try using product or lifestyle images.
- Crop well. Images are center-cropped automatically. The supported aspect ratios are 4:5, 1:1, and 1.91:1.
- Avoid reusing images. Keep your promotional email fresh and engaging by using unique images. Users might disregard email messages that reuse the same image as duplicates.
- Use HTTPS (not HTTP) for image URLs.

## Deal badge

Highlight the features of your promotion, such as "20% off" or "Free shipping".

- **Be specific**. Identify the details of your promotion, such as the discount percentage or promo code.
- **Don't use run-on sentences**. Avoid using more than four words or full sentences in the deal badge, as the badge space competes with your subject line.

## Discount code

Use a discount code only if it's featured in the email. Don't repurpose this
space, as it always says "Code" before the text.

## Expiration date

- Using this feature gives an email two opportunities to preview at the top
  in a bundle: once when you first send it and again within three days of the
  offer expiring.

- Don't leave an expired date in the annotation, because Gmail
  treats it as an old offer and doesn't populate the email into a bundle.

- Specify the time and time zone (for example,
  "`2025-12-30T23:59:59-07:00`"). For more information about date
  formatting, see
  [Format date and time](https://support.google.com/merchants/answer/7055760).


\* Emails are grouped automatically based on a
number of factors.