You know that small email sender image you often see in your inbox? That’s typically implemented using BIMI – an email standard that allows you to display your logo in Gmail, Apple Mail, Yahoo, and a few other small email providers.

Image: Example of an email with a sender image

However, BIMI has its downsides. It costs at least $1,300 per year and requires a dedicated sending domain and IP address, which many businesses don’t have. Most businesses use a shared sending IP through popular tools like Klaviyo, Mailchimp, Brevo, etc. and switching to a dedicated IP just for a sender image is just not worth it.

Fortunately, there is a solution. This article provides a step-by-step guide on how to set up a sender image in Gmail, Thunderbird, Airmail and Postbox.

How to Set a Sender Image in Gmail: Step-by-Step

Step 1: Write Down Your Sender Address

Identify your sender address. You can find this information in your email marketing platform or by searching for your email in the inbox and extracting the “from” name.

If you have multiple addresses, you can set a different sender image for each by following the same process.

Step 2: Create a Google Workspace Account

Create a Gmail Workspace account using the address from step one. A Google Workspace account allows you to use the @yourdomain.com extension, which matches your sender email, instead of the @gmail.com extension.

Step 3: Verify Domain Ownership

Google will require you to verify domain ownership by adding a DNS record to your domain. This step is necessary to prevent anyone from creating a fake email for any brand.

Instructions for verification will be provided during registration and vary depending on your domain registrar. More information can be found here.

Step 4: Add a Profile Picture

Add your brand logo as the profile picture for the newly created Gmail address.

A few tips for the image:

• Use a high-resolution, 1:1 ratio image.
• The sender image will be displayed in a circle, so ensure there is enough space around your logo.
• Horizontal graphics, such as text, may appear small. It’s best to use a simple logo or avatar of your brand.
• Use a solid color background (rather than transparent) to ensure the logo displays correctly in both light and dark modes.

Step 5: Send a Test Email

Check if everything works correctly by sending yourself a test email.

In Gmail on a browser, you should see the image next to the sender’s name when you open the email. On the Gmail mobile app, you should see it both in the inbox where all emails are listed, and once you open the email.

How to Set a Sender Image in Thunderbird, Airmail, and Postbox: Step-by-Step

Thunderbird, Airmail, and Postbox are standalone email clients that allow users to log in with Gmail, Apple Mail, or other email accounts. These clients are popular because they consolidate multiple email accounts into a single, often more user-friendly interface with enhanced functionality.

While these clients are lesser-known, they are still used by millions, especially on Apple devices, which tend to have users with higher purchasing power. Catering to them can’t be a bad thing.

Step 1: Create a Gravatar Account

Create a Gravatar account using your sender address (the same one we used for creating the Gmail account).

Gravatar stands for Globally Recognized Avatar, and is a free service that allows you to create a profile for yourself that can be shared across the web – think of it as a digital business card.

Image: Gravatar profile example

Step 2: Add Gravatar Profile Image

Upload your image to the Gravatar account and set it as your profile picture.

Step 3: Send a Test Email

Verify if the image is displayed by sending yourself a test email. You’ll need to download Thunderbird, Airmail, or Postbox to do this. All three are free to use so you should have no problems.

How about other Email Providers?

Other providers generally don’t have methods for setting sender images, apart from BIMI, which extends to Apple Mail, Yahoo, and AOL. If you want to set up BIMI, refer to my Step-by-Step BIMI Implementation Guide.

Outlook also doesn’t offer any methods for setting sender images, but there may be a potential solution in the works – stay tuned for an article on that.

The Conclusion

If you use a shared sending domain or prefer not to spend thousands on a BIMI certificate, the above listed free methods are the way to go. If yo want to go a step further and display your logo across the maximum number of email providers and users, I recommend this setup for the listed email providers:

Email Provider	Sender Image Method
Gmail	Google Workspace profile picture
Yahoo & AOL	BIMI without the paid VMC
Thunderbird, Airmail And Postbox	Gravatar profile picture
Apple Mail	BIMI with the $1,299 / year VMC

Free methods cover about 40% of users for an average brand. If you decide to buy a VMC for BIMI, you can reach an additional 10-15% of users with Apple Mail.