Email Footers that Convert: Best Practices for Design and Content

Email footers are a crucial part of any email communication. They provide recipients with important information about the company and serve as a way to conclude the email. From this article, you’ll learn what information is crucial for email footers and what are some best practices for creating a perfect email footer.

What Is an Email Footer?

A typical email consists of 3 parts: an email header, an email body, and an email footer. 

An email footer is a part at the bottom of an email. It is usually divided from the rest of the email for better readability. The primary function of email footers is to provide the necessary information and add value to email communication.

If you’re subscribed to our emails, you’ve seen our email footer, it looks like this:

What to Include in Your Email Footer

All the components that you may find in an email footer can be divided into 2 categories: required information (to comply with legal requirements) and additional information (to make your footer more informative).

Here’s the required information you should include to comply with anti-spam government regulations:

• Company Name. Including your company's name in the footer adds credibility to the email and helps subscribers to identify the sender.
• Company Address. You should add the company’s physical address and post office box in the footer both for legal reasons and to build trust with subscribers.
• Unsubscribe Link. It’s not only mandatory by law, but it also gives subscribers control over their email preferences and can help to reduce spam complaints.

Privacy policy. It is also a must if you don’t want to break any laws and get into trouble.

Additional information will help to make your emails more informative and may provide subscribers with a well-rounded communication experience. Here’s what else you may include in the email footer:

• Company Logo. It’s a great way to reinforce brand recognition and make the email visually appealing.
• Social Media Links. This information may encourage subscribers to follow your company on different platforms. As a result, you will expand the range of communication channels and get a higher chance of turning these subscribers into loyal customers.
• Contact Information. Add a phone number or an email address your subscribers may use to get in touch and ask additional questions.
• Promotional Messages. A promotional message or call to action in the footer may encourage subscribers to take action and engage with your brand.

If you include both required and additional information in the email footer, you can be sure that your email doesn’t only comply with legal requirements but also reinforces your brand and builds trust with your audience.

11 Best Practices for a Perfect Email Footer

A powerful email footer can help to make a good impression on the recipient and enhance the overall communication experience. Here are some tips and best practices for creating a perfect email footer:

1. Keep it simple. The email footer shouldn’t be too long or cluttered with unnecessary information. Keep it concise and include only the essential information like in this email by Asos:

2. Make it visually appealing. The email footer should be visually appealing and in line with the overall design of the email. Use appropriate colors, fonts, and graphics to make it stand out. This is how One Trick Pony does it:

3. Link to useful resources. Include links to relevant and useful resources such as a company blog, knowledge base, or support center to help subscribers get more value from the email and the brand. You may get inspired by this email from Bryan Wolfmueller:

4. Add a personal touch. Consider including a personalized message like a thank you note in the email footer to add a human touch to the email and build a connection with the reader. This is how Bally Sports does it:

5. Optimize for mobile. Ensure that the footer is mobile-friendly and can be easily viewed on a mobile device. Just take a look at this email footer by Kiley Cosmetics in the mobile version:

6. Include social media links. It’s a great way to drive traffic and increase engagement with the brand on other platforms. Here’s a good example by Cult Beauty:

7. Ask for the subscriber's opinion. Use dynamic elements to get feedback from your subscribers. This will help you measure customer loyalty and improve your emails. This email footer by YouTube may serve as a good example:

8. Remind your subscribers of who you are. It may be a good idea to tell your subscribers how they got into your mailing list as the number of people’s subscriptions is constantly growing. Here’s an email footer by Netflix that serves as a perfect example:

9. Ask readers to whitelist you. This will help you avoid being greylisted or getting into the spam folder.

10. Add your brand mission. If you want to stand out, you may use the email footer to transmit your brand mission. Here’s an example by Flowium:

11. Update regularly. Ensure that the email footer is regularly updated with current information such as a new physical address or social media profiles to avoid confusion.

Final Words

Email footers serve as an important element of email marketing campaigns as they provide essential information and add value to the communication. To create effective email footers, you should include required information such as contact details and legal disclaimers, and consider additional elements such as social media links and visually appealing design. If you implement these best practices for email footer content and design, you can maximize the impact of your email marketing campaigns, enhance engagement, and build trust.