Email Love Live with Kath Pay: Designing for AI and Accessibility in Email Marketing

As email marketers, we often face a fundamental challenge: how do we ensure our emails are both visually compelling and accessible to a wide range of users? With AI and new accessibility tools shaping the future, it’s time to rethink email design principles. One key lesson? It’s not just about the aesthetics of an email with images on, but also how it performs when images are blocked or not displayed.

In a recent Email Love Live interview, Kath Pay delves into the intersection of AI, email design, and accessibility. Her insights highlight the need for both strategic thinking and practical solutions, especially as more users rely on tools like Siri and iOS’s new features to interact with their emails.

Let’s break down the key takeaways from Kath’s conversation on designing for images and why live text, alt tags, and AI-driven strategies are crucial for future-proofing your email marketing.

The Shift Toward Accessibility in Email Design

Kath Pay has long been an advocate of creating emails that are functional even when images fail to load. She pointed out during the interview that in today’s environment, accessibility is no longer a niche consideration—it’s becoming essential. As she explains, “It still is incredibly prevalent. In fact, it’s becoming more so because of accessibility, right? You need to have alt text. You need to have a design that people can view even without images on.”

This shift is driven by various factors:

1. Privacy Concerns: With the rise of privacy-conscious users, more people are disabling images in their emails by default. These users need to be able to interact with your email content even without visuals.
2. Voice-Activated Devices: iOS updates and devices like Siri now require live text to read aloud emails for users who may have visual impairments or prefer hands-free interactions.
3. Legal Regulations: As accessibility standards evolve, so too does the need to design emails that cater to a broader audience, ensuring inclusivity.

Kath’s emphasis on designing for images-off scenarios ensures that all recipients, including those using accessibility tools, can still engage with your content. She noted that this is especially critical now that iOS 18 introduces features reliant on live text for effective interaction. In her words, “iOS 18… images-only emails are going to end up having to rethink because… people won’t be able to get the summaries or anything like that because it needs the live text from it.”

Read more: Get The Edge on Your Competition with Persuasive Design

The Role of AI in Email Testing and Strategy

Another compelling part of the interview centered on how AI can be leveraged to support smarter email design and testing. Kath has integrated AI into her business, using tools like her own version of ChatGPT, humorously named “Chad.” Kath explained how AI assists her team in crafting more effective tests, generating hypotheses, and predicting outcomes.

She shared: “I do a big brain dump… and tell him what I want and then he comes back with a couple of versions… because that hypothesis is so important.” This human-AI collaboration accelerates workflows while ensuring that the marketer remains in control, guiding the AI to deliver on their strategic vision.

Interestingly, she also described AI as an “intern” that assists but still requires direction: “I’m still a full believer that the marketer is the boss. So I’m still the one who will give him directions.”

This approach reinforces the idea that AI in email marketing isn’t replacing marketers—it’s enhancing their capabilities. It allows teams to focus on strategic decisions while AI helps execute repetitive tasks, like A/B testing and content iteration.

Read more: The Art & Science of Personalisation & AI

Why HTML Live Text and Alt Text Are Critical

One of the most actionable pieces of advice Kath offered was the importance of using HTML live text and alt text for accessibility. In an email design context, live text refers to text embedded directly in the email HTML, as opposed to being included within an image. Alt text, on the other hand, describes the content of images for users who cannot see them.

Both of these elements play a crucial role in ensuring that your email is accessible and functional, no matter the recipient’s settings. As Kath highlighted through an example from her work, alt text can “make or break the deal.” Even minor differences in the way alt text is presented can drastically change engagement rates, especially for users who view emails with images turned off.

She also explained how failing to account for these design principles can lead to flawed test results. Kath ran a test where a more persuasive copy should have performed better but didn’t. Upon closer inspection, she realised that missing alt text in a key area had skewed the results. This was a powerful reminder that for a fair test or comparison, all elements, including alt text, need to be considered.

Best Practices for Image-Heavy Emails

Kath Pay also touched on the design of image-heavy emails and the importance of balancing aesthetics with functionality. She pointed out that although beautiful designs catch the eye, they can lose effectiveness if not optimised for scenarios where images are off.

For instance, many of the emails Kath curates on Email Love are image-heavy, but they don’t skimp on the details like alt text or HTML live text. These emails are designed to “tantalise” the viewer, encouraging them to download images and engage more deeply. Kath’s philosophy is clear: “Our goal is to create actionable and readable emails, even with images off.”

Preparing for the Future of Email Design

As AI tools and accessibility features evolve, so too must our approach to email marketing. Whether it’s incorporating AI-driven strategies or rethinking how we design emails for users with different needs, the future is already here.

So how can email marketers prepare?

• Embrace live text and alt text: Even for image-heavy emails, prioritise the use of HTML live text to ensure your message is clear, no matter how it’s received.
• Test with AI support: Use AI to help manage and optimise your testing, but always be sure to maintain control and guide the AI.
• Stay ahead of the curve: As new technologies like iOS updates roll out, stay informed about how they will affect your email designs and adjust accordingly.

By focusing on accessibility and embracing AI, marketers can ensure that their emails are effective, engaging, and future-proofed.