Gmail Annotations Setup Guide

Gmail annotations allow your promotional emails to display rich, interactive content directly in the Gmail Promotions tab, including product images, discount codes, and promotional details - all before recipients open the email.

What Are Gmail Annotations?

Gmail annotations enhance your email previews with:

Deal Badges: Highlight offers like "20% off" or "Free Shipping" with promo codes
Product Carousels: Display up to 10 product images with prices and direct links
Single Image Previews: Showcase a featured product or campaign image

Important Limitations to Understand

Before you begin, please be aware:

Mobile Only: Annotations only display in the Gmail mobile app
Promotions Tab Only: They won't appear in Primary inbox or other tabs
Requires Allowlist Approval: Your domain must be approved by Google (see Step 1)
No Guarantees: Gmail decides when to show annotations based on various factors
Best for Bulk Sends: Works best when sending to 100+ recipients
Quality Filters Apply: Images and content must meet Google's standards

Step-by-Step Implementation

Step 1: Get Allowlisted by Google

This is mandatory for image-based annotations (product carousels and single image previews).

Important: Text-based Deal Annotations do not require allowlist approval and can be used immediately.

For image-based annotations:

Email Google's Promotions Tab team at: p-Promo-Outreach@google.com
Include in your email:
- All sending domains and subdomains you use
- Your company name and website URL
- Landing page URLs where users will be directed
- Brief description of how you plan to use annotations
- (Optional but helpful): Example emails you plan to send, link to your Privacy Policy
Wait for approval (typically 7-10 business days, sometimes up to 2 weeks)
There is no guarantee of approval as this is at Google's sole discretion
Note: Remarkety cannot expedite this process - contact Google directly for status updates
It is not explicitly published in Google's official developer documentation. If you don't receive a response within 2 weeks, you may try contacting them again at the same address.

Step 2: Choose Your Annotation Type

Decide which type best fits your campaign:

Deal/Offer Annotation

Best for: Limited-time promotions, discount codes, flash sales
Shows: Deal description, promo code, expiration date
Example: "25% OFF + Free Shipping | CODE: SAVE25 | Ends Dec 15"

Product Carousel

Best for: Multiple products, collections, catalogs
Shows: Up to 10 product images with names, prices, and individual links
Example: Holiday gift guide with 10 featured products

Single Image Preview

Best for: Featured launches, brand campaigns, hero products
Shows: One promotional image
Example: New collection announcement with key visual

Step 3: Prepare Your Assets

For Deal/Offer Annotations:

Deal description: 2-4 words (e.g., "20% off everything")
Promo code: Your discount code
Start date: When the promotion begins
End date: When it expires (adds urgency)

For Product Carousels:

For each product (up to 10):

Product image: PNG or JPEG, aspect ratio 4:5, 1:1, or 1.91:1
Product URL: Direct link to product page on your website
Product name: Short, descriptive name
Price: Including currency (e.g., USD)
Optional: Discount amount or percentage

For Single Image Previews:

Image: 538 x 138 pixels, 3.9:1 aspect ratio recommended
Image URL: Link where image should direct users
Note: All recipients must receive the same image

Step 4: Add Annotation Code to Your Email

IMPORTANT FOR REMARKETY USERS: Gmail annotations can be implemented using either JSON-LD (script tags) or Microdata (HTML attributes). Remarkety only supports the Microdata/HTML method. Do not use JSON-LD script tags as they will not work in Remarkety.

In Remarkety:

Create or edit your email campaign
Access the HTML editor for your email template
Locate the <body> tag in your HTML
Insert the Microdata markup immediately after the opening <body> tag
Customize the values with your specific details

Example Code for Deal Annotation (Microdata):

<div itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/DiscountOffer">
  <meta itemprop="description" content="20% off sitewide" />
  <meta itemprop="discountCode" content="SAVE20" />
  <meta itemprop="availabilityStarts" content="2024-12-01T00:00:00-08:00" />
  <meta itemprop="availabilityEnds" content="2024-12-15T23:59:59-08:00" />
</div>

<!-- Your email content starts here -->

Important Notes:

The time format must include timezone offset (e.g., -08:00 for PST)
Keep the description to 2-4 words maximum
Place this code immediately after <body> and before any other content

Example Code for Promotion Card with Single Image (Microdata):

<div itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/PromotionCard">
  <meta itemprop="image" content="https://yoursite.com/promo-image.jpg" />
</div>

<!-- Your email content starts here -->

Image Requirements:

Dimensions: 538 × 138 pixels (3.9:1 aspect ratio)
Format: PNG or JPEG
All recipients must see the same image

Example Code for Product Carousel (Microdata):

<div itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/EmailMessage">
  <div itemprop="potentialAction" itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/ViewAction">
    <div itemprop="target" itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/EntryPoint">
      <meta itemprop="urlTemplate" content="https://yoursite.com" />
    </div>
  </div>
  
  <!-- First Product -->
  <div itemprop="about" itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/Product">
    <meta itemprop="name" content="Product Name 1" />
    <meta itemprop="image" content="https://yoursite.com/product1.jpg" />
    <link itemprop="url" href="https://yoursite.com/product1" />
    <div itemprop="offers" itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/Offer">
      <meta itemprop="price" content="49.99" />
      <meta itemprop="priceCurrency" content="USD" />
    </div>
  </div>
  
  <!-- Second Product -->
  <div itemprop="about" itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/Product">
    <meta itemprop="name" content="Product Name 2" />
    <meta itemprop="image" content="https://yoursite.com/product2.jpg" />
    <link itemprop="url" href="https://yoursite.com/product2" />
    <div itemprop="offers" itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/Offer">
      <meta itemprop="price" content="39.99" />
      <meta itemprop="priceCurrency" content="USD" />
    </div>
  </div>
  
  <!-- Add up to 10 products total -->
</div>

<!-- Your email content starts here -->

Product Carousel Notes:

You can include up to 10 products
Each product must have a unique image
Product images should be 4:5, 1:1, or 1.91:1 aspect ratio
Copy the product <div> block for each additional product

For complete schema reference, visit: https://developers.google.com/gmail/markup/reference/formats/microdata

Step 5: Validate Your Annotation

Before sending your campaign:

Visit Google's Email Markup Tester: https://www.google.com/webmasters/markup-helper/
Paste your complete email HTML
Review for any errors or warnings
Fix any issues before proceeding

Step 6: Test Your Email

Send a test email to a Gmail address
View it on a mobile device using the Gmail app
Check if the annotation appears in the Promotions tab
Note: Annotations may not appear in test sends to small recipient lists

Step 7: Launch Your Campaign

Send your campaign through Remarkety as usual
Remember: Annotations work best for sends to 100+ recipients
Monitor performance through your regular email analytics

Best Practices for Success

Content Guidelines:

Keep deal descriptions to 2-4 words maximum
Use specific offers: "20% off" not "Amazing deals"
Include promo codes only if they're also in the email body
Add expiration dates to create urgency

Image Guidelines:

Use high-quality, visually appealing images
Ensure images are clear and properly sized
Use the same image for all recipients (no dynamic images)
Test images across different mobile devices

Strategy Tips:

Use annotations for your highest-priority campaigns
Leverage expiration dates - emails get featured twice (at send time and 3 days before expiration)
Combine with BIMI (Brand Indicators for Message Identification) to display your logo
A/B test annotated vs. non-annotated emails to measure impact

Troubleshooting

Annotations Not Showing?

Verify you're approved on Google's allowlist
Confirm you're viewing on Gmail mobile app (not desktop or web)
Check email landed in Promotions tab (not Primary)
Ensure sending to 100+ recipients
Validate your markup has no errors
Images must pass Google's quality filters
Gmail may limit annotations due to "density cap" (too many annotated emails in inbox)

Can't Track Performance?

Direct annotation performance tracking isn't available
You can track overall email clicks and conversions as usual
Monitor if traffic/conversions increase after implementing annotations

Additional Resources

Google Developer Documentation: https://developers.google.com/workspace/gmail/promotab
Google's Allowlist Request: p-Promo-Outreach@google.com
Schema Markup Reference: https://developers.google.com/workspace/gmail/promotab/overview

Need Help?

If you need assistance implementing annotations in Remarkety:

Contact Remarkety support for platform-specific questions: support@remarkety.com

Remember: Annotations are an enhancement, not a requirement. Even if they don't display for every recipient, the markup won't negatively impact your emails.