Email signature best practices: what to include (and leave out)

Your signature appears on every email you send, so the bar is simple: useful, scannable, and consistent. Most signatures fail by trying to include everything. Restraint is the whole game.

What to include

• Your name and role. The two things people actually look for.
• Company, if you represent one.
• One or two ways to reach you beyond email, such as a phone number or website.
• One or two relevant links, like LinkedIn for professionals or GitHub for developers.

What to leave out

• Long inspirational quotes. They date fast and add noise.
• Five social icons when one or two would do.
• Big logos or banner images that push the actual message down the screen.
• “Sent from my iPhone” style clutter on a professional account.

Keep it readable everywhere

1. Use a web-safe font like Arial. Custom fonts will not render in most email clients.
2. Keep it to a few lines. Mobile screens are narrow and unforgiving.
3. Use a single accent colour that matches your brand, not a rainbow.
4. Test it by emailing yourself and opening it on your phone.