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Email Footer Defined

An email footer, also known as an email signature or email disclaimer, is a section located at the bottom of an email message that typically contains additional information about the sender or organization. 

The email footer often includes details such as the sender's name, job title, company name, contact information (such as phone number and address), social media links, legal disclaimers, privacy statements, and unsubscribe options for marketing emails. Email footers serve to provide recipients with relevant contact information, legal disclosures, and branding elements and are commonly added automatically to outgoing emails through email client settings or email signature management tools.

How to Use it in a Sentence

For a professional, branded signature, make sure to include your company's logo and contact details in the email footer.

Common FAQs

An email footer may include:

  • Sender's name
  • Job title
  • Company name
  • Contact information (phone number, address)
  • Social media links
  • Legal disclaimers (e.g., confidentiality notice, disclaimer of liability)
  • Privacy policy statements
  • Unsubscribe options for marketing emails — check out our article on how best to manage email unsubscribes.

An email footer serves several purposes:

  • Provides recipients with contact information for the sender or organization.
  • Conveys professionalism and credibility.
  • Includes legal disclaimers or compliance statements required by regulations.
  • Offers recipients the option to unsubscribe from marketing emails, as required by anti-spam laws such as CAN-SPAM and GDPR. Check out our podcast episode on everything you should know about email compliance.

To create an effective email footer:

  • Keep it concise and visually balanced.
  • Include essential contact details and branding elements.
  • Ensure legal disclaimers and privacy statements comply with applicable laws. Leveraging an email provider like OneSignal can help you maintain regulatory compliance in your marketing efforts without requiring constant upkeep.
  • Use clickable social media icons for easy access to social profiles.
  • Provide clear unsubscribe options for marketing emails.

Yes, you can customize your email footer to reflect your personal or organizational branding. Many popular email providers and email signature management tools allow users to create and manage custom email footers.

Legal requirements for email footers vary by jurisdiction. Some common legal elements that may be required include:

  • Anti-spam compliance (e.g., CAN-SPAM Act, GDPR)
  • Confidentiality or disclaimer notices
  • Company registration details (depending on local regulations)

Yes, you can include images, logos, or social media icons in your email footer to enhance branding and visual appeal. However, it's essential to optimize images for email and ensure they do not increase email file size excessively. Check out our 8 tips for designing and optimizing images for email.

Yes, including an unsubscribe link in your email footer is important for compliance with anti-spam laws (e.g., CAN-SPAM Act). It allows recipients to easily opt out of receiving marketing emails and helps maintain good sender reputation.

Check out our article on how to effectively manage email unsubscribes.

It's a good practice to review and update your email footer periodically to ensure accuracy and compliance with any changes in contact information, legal requirements, or branding elements. Check out our email branding tips for creating a consistent UX.