Gmail Annotations in the Promotions tab

This is an advanced feature dedicated to users familiar with email HTML, who write their own email code using Code your own editor.

What are Gmail Annotations?

Annotations are additional details added to the emails in the Gmail’s Promotions tab, such as images, product carousels, promotion codes, and more. They are visible directly from the list view in the inbox, without the need to open the email. Annotations are great way to make your emails stand out in the inbox and encourage users to interact with your content.

Types of Annotations

Deal Annotations - text-based additions in the list view, such as promo codes and expiration dates.

Product Carousel: image-based annotations in the list view that allow you to include up to 10 image previews with optional properties.

Single-image Annotations - image-based annotations in the list view, where you can include a single image preview with optional properties.

Visibility of Annotations

Gmail Annotations are only visible in the Promotions tab, so if your email lands anywhere else in the inbox, they won’t be displayed. They are only shown for people using personal Gmail accounts under the gmail.com domain.
For image-based Annotations, you first need to get added to Gmail’s allow list. To do so, you can send an email to p-Promo-Outreach@google.com and include the following information:
- All domains and subdomains you use to send emails.
  If you verified your domain with EmailOctopus, you can also include a return-path domain used to send emails through our platform in the following format: eom.yourdomain.com. For subdomains, that would be eom.subdomain.domain.com.
- Your landing page/sign-up form URLs.
- Additional information that can help with the approval process: example of emails you plan on sending with Annotations, link to your Privacy Policy.

It can take around two weeks to get approved. If you don’t receive a reply from Google, you can contact them again using the same email address. Text-based Deal Annotations don’t require being added to the allow list.

Image-based Annotations are not currently displayed to users in the European Union. Instead, you can use text-based Deal Annotations.
Annotations (especially image-based) will be displayed in emails sent in bulk, so they may not appear if you want to test them out by sending emails individually.

It’s worth noting that it’s ultimately up to Gmail whether they decide to display the Annotations. If you don’t see them despite being added to an allow list and including a correct code, it may be connected to the recipient’s settings, your domain reputation, or other reasons at Google's discretion.

If you’re sure everything is set up correctly but you still don’t see the Annotations, you can reach out to Google for more information.

How to add Gmail Annotations to your email?

Google provides users with scripts that need to be added in the <head> section of your HTML code (based on the type of Annotation you want to add).

Inside the script, you’ll need to add the details you want to be displayed in the Annotation, such as description, promo code, image URLs, etc.

Here are the scripts that need to be added to the <head> section of your email:

Deal Annotations

    <script type="application/ld+json">

      [{
        "@context": "http://schema.org/",
        "@type": "DiscountOffer",
        "description": "DESCRIPTION

",
        "discountCode": "DISCOUNT_CODE

",
        "availabilityStarts": "START_DATE_TIME

",
        "availabilityEnds": "END_DATE_TIME

"
      }]
    </script>

Product Carousel

<script type="application/ld+json">
      [
        // Build the first image preview in your product carousel:
        {
          "@context": "http://schema.org/",
          "@type": "PromotionCard",
          "image": "IMAGE_URL1

",
          "url": "PROMO_URL1

",

          // Optionally, include the following PromotionCard properties:
          "headline": "HEADLINE1

",
          "price": PRICE1

,
          "priceCurrency": "PRICE_CURRENCY1

",
          "discountValue": DISCOUNT_VALUE1

,
          "position": POSITION


        },

        // Build the second image preview in your product carousel:
        {
          "@context": "http://schema.org/",
          "@type": "PromotionCard",
          "image": "IMAGE_URL2

",
          "url": "PROMO_URL2

",

          // Optionally, include the following PromotionCard properties:
          "headline": "HEADLINE2

",
          "price": PRICE2

,
          "priceCurrency": "PRICE_CURRENCY2

",
          "discountValue": DISCOUNT_VALUE2

,
          "position": POSITION


        }

        // To include more image previews, add additional PromotionCard objects.
        // You can include up to 10 image previews in a product carousel.

      ]
    </script>

Single-image Annotations

 <script type="application/ld+json">
      [{
        "@context": "http://schema.org/",
        "@type": "PromotionCard",
        "image": "IMAGE_URL

",
        "url": "PROMO_URL

",

        // Optionally, include the following PromotionCard properties:
        "headline": "HEADLINE

",
        "price": PRICE

,
        "priceCurrency": "PRICE_CURRENCY

",
        "discountValue": DISCOUNT_VALUE


      }]
    </script>

The scripts and detailed instructions are also available in Google's documentation: Annotate emails in the Promotions tab.