What to Put In An Email Signature

Award-winning writer Kathy Widenhouse has helped hundreds of nonprofits and writers produce successful content and has gained 600K+ views for her writing tutorials. She is the author of 9 books. See more of Kathy’s content here.

An email signature does more than give readers your contact information.  A professional email signature is a way to engage your readers. Depending what you choose to include, you can give readers the chance to follow you on social media … view one of your videos … check out your books on Amazon … or even simply pick up the phone and call you.

Here’s the kicker: an email signature is best when it’s short and simple. Best tip? Keep yours to 3 or 4 lines of text.

As a writer, you have plenty of options of what to include in those lines. And you can arrange your information in different ways so your email signature is clean and professional.

For instance, you can place your logo on the left, with a space divider, and your contact information on the right and your social media icons beneath.  In fact, there are plenty of online resources (many free) you can use to create an email signature that’s professionally formatted. Now you simply need to decide what yours will contain. 

12 elements you can include in an email signature

What should you include in an email signature? There are plenty of pieces of information you can choose from. Scan this list and decide which ones are best for you and your situation.

1. Your name

Use your professional name, followed by your job title either on the same line or immediately below. List your business below your name.

2. Address

You can include your street address if you like. But in this day and age of privacy concerns, it’s acceptable to leave off your street address for security and safety.

3. Telephone number

Use the phone number that you want business associates to use when they call you. If you have two numbers, indicate which is which (123-456-7890 – office | 012-345-6789 – cell). 

4. Website

If your website is your online home, then you certainly want to include it in your email signature.

5. Social media links

Use social media icons to make your signature less busy. You can include icons as a vertical or horizontal border to save space and make your signature more visually appealing. Don’t forget to link your social media icons to your sites.

6. Your headshot 

A photo adds a personal touch to emails and allows readers to see that you are a real person. So readers can recognize you when you meet for the first time.

7. Your logo

Including your logo in an email signature can reinforce your brand. Double check spacing to make sure your logo doesn’t overpower your contact information. You can also use a visual space divider or other graphic element to separate your logo from your contact information so your email signature is not too busy or confusing.

8. Your Amazon author page

If you have an Amazon author page, link to it: “Check out my Amazon author page” or “See my available books on Amazon.” 

9. Your portfolio link

Maybe you’d like readers to see samples of your work. Make it easy for them with a link.

10. An ask

An email signature can include a simple question to spark interaction:

• "Click here to get 5 free tips for writing better right away." 
• "How do you rate our experience with us?"
• "Will you share your feedback so we can improve our service? Do so here."

11. Booking links

Maybe you find yourself spending too much time managing your own calendar. Include a link in your email signature to your booking calendar. You’ll make it easy for customers and colleagues to schedule meetings and you’ll save time, too.

12. Handwritten signature

For a personal touch, include an image file of your handwritten signature. Readers understand that the signature is not the real thing. 

Tips for creating a professional email signature

• Use just one font type. Choose one that is universally available on most devices so your information won’t be garbled – what’s called a “safe font.” 
• Use just 1-2 colors, matching them to the hexadecimal colors in your branding.
• If you include social media icons, make sure they are the same size, are uniformly spaced, and are linked to your sites
• Use dividers to separate different kinds of elements (text versus images)
• If you have a brick-and-mortar location, consider including a map to your office.
• If you work for a larger entity, you may be encouraged to include a disclaimer -- a block of a legal text in every email.

What not to include in a professional email signature

• Large marketing banners
• Large image files
• Unprofessional photos
• Political or religious statements
• Inspirational quotes
• Flashy colors
• Dead links or links to inactive social media accounts 
• Your email address. It’s redundant! People with whom you exchange emails already have your address or can simply hit “reply.”

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