On the other hand, there\u2019s the camp that\u2019s looking for serious personalization<\/strong>\u00a0in cold email \u2014 and part of that is trying to make a legitimate, credible, genuine one-on-one connection<\/strong>. So sharing some info about the real person behind the message is key.<\/p>\n In this article, I\u2019ll lay out the cases for and against including a sales email signature<\/strong>. And if you decide you do<\/em>\u00a0want to include one, I\u2019ll go over several tips for creating an email signature<\/strong>\u00a0that enhances your cold emails and helps them close the deal.<\/p>\n Here are the strongest arguments for<\/em>\u00a0including a signature in your cold emails.<\/p>\n Via: <\/em>Wisestamp<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n It\u2019s human nature\u00a0to react positively to people\u2019s faces; we\u2019re wired to form tribes. (It\u2019s why, for example, most YouTube thumbnails today feature a person. People are more likely to click on a video when they see a person\u2019s face. Even\u00a0my<\/em>\u00a0face, in theory, on GMass\u2019s YouTube videos<\/a>.)<\/p>\n You\u2019re trying to form a real, human connection<\/strong>\u00a0with cold email recipients. When you include some personal details in an email signature, you help kick off that relationship with transparency and honesty<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Everyone you\u2019re cold emailing has received dozens (hundreds? thousands?) of cold emails. Everyone\u2019s also received a lot<\/em>\u00a0of spam. We\u2019ve also received cold emails that border on spam \u2014 and spam designed to perfectly mimic cold email.<\/p>\n In other words, we\u2019re all hardened against email solicitation \u2014 and suspicious of spam<\/strong>.<\/p>\n What better way to make it clear you\u2019re a real person<\/strong>\u00a0sending a legitimate, not-spam<\/a>\u00a0offer than adding things like your company, title, picture, physical address, phone number, or social media to a cold email?<\/p>\n You may send one-off cold emails \u2014 but at some point, you\u2019ll likely send cold emails at scale using mail merge<\/a>.<\/p>\n The goal of mass cold emails<\/a>\u00a0is to make each one simulate a one-on-one message<\/strong>. (Side note: We have lots of features to aid that process at GMass, like sending messages as replies to your last conversation with each recipient<\/a>\u00a0and advanced personalization<\/a>.)<\/p>\n So think about this: If you were sending a single, individual cold email<\/a>, would you include your signature?<\/p>\n Odds are you would. It\u2019s a professional email, after all. And since it\u2019s a one-on-one message you\u2019re not as worried about potentially going to the junk folder (like you are with mass cold email sends).<\/p>\n Since you\u2019re trying to simulate one-on-one messages<\/strong>\u00a0when you send cold emails to multiple recipients\u2026 wouldn\u2019t including your signature help keep up the facade?<\/p>\n If you\u2019re following the best practices of cold email, you\u2019re keeping your messages short and concise. That means there are situations where you don\u2019t want to clog up your copy<\/strong>\u00a0with social proof \u2014 even if the social proof might really help persuade the recipient to reply.<\/p>\n But in your signature? There\u2019s<\/em>\u00a0a spot to include your credentials without cluttering your copy<\/strong>. Include a line in your signature about how many people are using your product or service, how much you\u2019ve lifted their revenue, or whatever else is your killer piece of social proof.<\/p>\n That way you\u2019re getting it into the email \u2014 without<\/em>\u00a0having to compromise the length or flow of your copy.<\/p>\n Here are the arguments against including a signature in a cold email.<\/p>\n The biggest objection you\u2019ll see to a cold email signature is the deliverability impact.<\/p>\n And that\u2019s not off base.\u00a0The conventional wisdom is: The more you include in a cold email (<\/strong>especially<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0things like links and images), the more likely it is you\u2019ll trigger a spam filter.<\/strong>\u00a0It\u2019s why the high-volume cold emailers strip <\/a>everything<\/a><\/em>\u00a0possible out of their messages<\/a>\u00a0and often go plain text.<\/p>\n But\u2026 there are<\/em>\u00a0measures you can take to reduce the spam risk from a cold email<\/strong>, including one with a signature. I\u2019ll walk through those steps later; there\u2019s even a way to use images to potentially <\/strong>help<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0deliverability<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Still, in a vacuum, the conventional wisdom isn\u2019t wrong. The less \u201cstuff\u201d you have in your cold email, the less deliverability risk exposure you have.<\/p>\n An effective cold email funnels the recipient toward taking one and only one specific action<\/strong>\u00a0(usually replying or clicking a scheduling link).<\/p>\n Your email signature can be a distraction and give the recipient an alternative action option (or options).<\/p>\n Via: Newoldstamp<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n After all, if you want the person to reply but instead they click to see your LinkedIn profile, the cold email didn\u2019t accomplish what was intended. (Unless they come back to then reply to your message; but that\u2019s less likely when they fall into the attention vortex of another website.)<\/p>\n The signature can even mess up your <\/strong>automated follow-ups<\/a><\/strong>. Let\u2019s say you\u2019re sending auto follow-ups to people who don\u2019t click to schedule a meeting. But they click on a link in your signature instead of your scheduling link<\/a>. They\u2019ll drop out of the follow-up sequence even though they didn\u2019t take your desired action.<\/p>\n It\u2019s awfully hard to focus on a bunch of text when there are bright colors and links and possibly a photograph on the screen.<\/p>\n With a cold email, you need your copy to hold someone\u2019s attention to compel them to take action.<\/p>\n But when there\u2019s an alluring signature at the bottom of the email? It\u2019s far too easy for someone to drop focus on the written copy and have their eyes drift to the signature instead<\/strong>.<\/p>\n A nice signature can make your email look professional.<\/p>\n But a sloppy signature? One with messed up formatting? One that includes a title that could turn off recipients like \u201cCold Email Outreach Assistant\u201d? Or one that\u2019s entirely an image, not accounting for some email clients that block all images by default? Yeah\u2026 that\u2019s a net negative.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re going to include a signature, make sure it\u2019s enhancing the professionalism of your email \u2014 not detracting from it<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Want to use a signature in your cold emails? I\u2019m with you. The arguments against it are strong \u2014 but to me, the arguments in favor of a signature are stronger.<\/p>\n I include a signature in cold emails I send. And when I receive cold emails, I\u2019m more likely to respond if there\u2019s a signature that helps me understand the person with whom I\u2019m corresponding.<\/p>\n So if you are going to use a signature\u2026 let\u2019s make sure you do it right.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s how to use an email signature that gives you all the positive benefits without the negatives (hurting deliverability in particular).<\/p>\n An email signature is a spot where you share a bunch of personal details.<\/p>\n And yet\u2026 it\u2019s not about you<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Everything in a cold email should be focused on the recipient. It\u2019s \u201cyou, you, you\u201d \u2014 not \u201cme, me, me.\u201d That includes your email signature. The reason you\u2019re including it is to add credibility, form a bond, and possibly convey relevant information.<\/p>\n So\u2026 don\u2019t clog it up with information that\u2019s irrelevant to your recipients or its mission<\/strong>.<\/p>\n You don\u2019t need to include links to every single one of your social media accounts \u2014 just ones that push toward the goal of the cold email. For example, you don\u2019t need your Instagram account on there unless it\u2019s related to your business (like you\u2019re a photographer or real estate agent).<\/p>\n If you\u2019re going to mention an award or accolade in the signature, make sure it\u2019s one that serves as social proof and makes the recipient more likely to want to work with you.<\/p>\n Same deal if you\u2019re going to include a link to a blog post, a YouTube video, or anything else. If your recipient clicks that link, are they going to be more likely to return to the email to respond to you after \u2014 or less likely?<\/p>\n And finally, you don\u2019t need to include a stock graphic wishing people a \u201cHappy [next holiday]\u201d or an inspirational quote. That\u2019s indulgent and won\u2019t drive engagement.<\/p>\n This is the first of the two big deliverability improvement steps we\u2019re going to take.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re not familiar with a custom tracking domain<\/a>\u2026<\/p>\n When you track opens or clicks in an email, your email provider (GMass, Mailchimp, and so on) needs to use special links to do so. And you\u2019re sharing the domain for those links with tons of other people at the same provider. Which means their reputations are affecting you, since now you\u2019re linking to the same domain in your emails as they are.<\/p>\n We\u2019ve found the single best way to improve deliverability is to use a custom tracking domain<\/strong>. And as GMass, we take it even one step further than pretty much any other email provider \u2014 we obtain an SSL certificate for your custom tracking domain<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0to serve it securely. That further helps deliverability.<\/p>\n You can follow the instructions at this article<\/a>\u00a0to set up a custom tracking domain. (Ideally it should take less than five minutes.)<\/p>\n After you set up your custom tracking domain, any links in your signature will now use that domain. And that makes you less likely to trigger a spam filter<\/strong>\u00a0than if you were using the default shared domain.<\/p>\n As I mentioned earlier, there are lots of serious cold emailers who won\u2019t use images in their messages because of the deliverability risk.<\/p>\n But at GMass, we actually have a way to make images <\/strong>good<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0for deliverability<\/strong>. (Or, at least, a way that images can be a non-factor in deliverability.)<\/p>\n When you use images with most email providers, those images are hosted on that company\u2019s server. For instance, when you add an image to an email in Mailchimp, every person who opens that email calls Mailchimp\u2019s servers to download the image.<\/p>\n And that\u2019s a sign of a mass email. After all, if you were sending a one-on-one message to someone and including an image, you wouldn\u2019t upload it to a server and then serve it off that URL. You\u2019d just embed the image in the email.<\/p>\n Because GMass is built directly into Gmail, you can use <\/strong>embedded images<\/a><\/strong>.<\/strong>\u00a0So when you\u2019re creating your email signature (either in the Gmail settings or an individual email), you upload the images to Google \u2014 and they embed them in the message.<\/p>\n As a result, the images in your signature shouldn\u2019t have a negative effect on your deliverability.<\/p>\n Here are some of the things you should include in your email signature.<\/p>\n Show the recipient who they\u2019re dealing with.<\/p>\n Caution: If your title is something that hurts your credibility, skip it. For example, I get tons of emails of people asking for backlinks. Often they try to present it as if they just so happened to stumble onto one of my blog posts and, whoa, look at that, they happen to have the perfect link that \u201cmy readers will love.\u201d But if their job title is something like \u201cLink Building Associate\u201d \u2014 which I see more often than you think \u2014 it hurts the credibility of their whole gambit.<\/p>\n If you need a license number (like, say, a real estate agent or contractor), include it in your signature. And if your company requires you to put disclaimers, privacy disclosures, or any other legalese in your emails, include that at the bottom of your signature.<\/p>\n Your recipient will want to know they\u2019re dealing with a legitimate company. One technique: Write out the URL, but don\u2019t hyperlink it. That reduces your number of links that might take your recipient away, never to return.<\/p>\n You can include a company logo as well, though I\u2019d prefer a photo of you instead.<\/p>\n Make sure the social networks are relevant to your offer and you\u2019re active on them. LinkedIn is usually the best bet here.<\/p>\n A physical address adds a <\/strong>ton<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0of credibility<\/strong>. Including one also helps you stay compliant with some of the stricter email policies in various countries.<\/p>\n This could be a case study, a stat on your number of customers or their success, your review scores, a testimonial, or anything else that will inspire confidence and help seal the deal.<\/p>\n Personally, I respond better to a cold email that has a photo \u2014 but some people are adamant against including one because it could be distracting. Sadly, it could also trigger someone\u2019s implicit biases. So really, it\u2019s up to you. Or, as I\u2019ll discuss later in this article, it could be worth A\/B testing.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s what you should not<\/em>\u00a0include in your signature.<\/p>\n This is corny, distracting, adds an unnecessary extra image, and takes up space<\/strong>\u00a0from the rest of the email. Going back to the number one rule of the signature: Everything in the signature is about your recipient and getting them to act on your offer. How, exactly, does a picture of your handwritten signature do that? No one thinks you drew out that signature specifically for their email.<\/p>\n No need to clog your signature with your email address. If the person wants to email you, they\u2019ll hit reply. Including your email in a signature is the equivalent of telling someone your phone number when you leave a voicemail.<\/p>\n No one\u2019s going to click on all your social media links. But why risk having them click on one that won\u2019t help close the deal? As I said earlier, if you\u2019re, say, a photographer, then your Instagram is relevant. If you\u2019re a lead gen agency soliciting new clients, your Instagram is likely irrelevant.<\/p>\n Your signature isn\u2019t your resume. It\u2019s a concise introduction and a chance to improve the odds of success<\/strong>\u00a0from your cold email.<\/p>\n Keep it tight and make sure any detail you include is in service of getting the recipient to take your desired action.<\/p>\n There\u2019s a school of thought that says you should put a booking link in your signature if you\u2019re asking a recipient to reply \u2014 it gives them a different option for connecting, one which they might prefer.<\/p>\n And that could work\u2026 unless<\/em>\u00a0you\u2019re using auto follow-ups that go out based on replies. If so, someone might get an auto follow-up after they\u2019ve clicked. So if you want to include a booking link, be vigilant about removing those who clicked your reply-based auto follow-up sequences.<\/p>\n Your email signature should be text, or text with a photo, logo, or social media icons. But it shouldn\u2019t be everything in one image.<\/p>\n When you put everything in one image you run the risk of people not seeing your signature (if their email client blocks images by default).<\/p>\n And can people click on different parts of an image to go to a social account versus your website versus your booking link? Are image maps still a thing, because I was all about<\/em>\u00a0them when I was designing my first websites in 1997.<\/p>\n You can use GMass\u2019s Spam Solver<\/a>\u00a0tool to test whether your signature has a negative effect on your deliverability<\/strong>\u00a0before you send your campaign.<\/p>\n Create a version of your email and run it through GMass\u2019s Spam Solver. See how your email performs.<\/p>\n If your inbox rate isn\u2019t where you want it to be, test a version where you delete the signature. See how that<\/em>\u00a0performs.<\/p>\n If the one without a signature has a higher inbox and lower spam rate, you can safely say your signature is causing the problem. Try getting rid of elements of your signature (specifically links, images, or spammy language) one-by-one then re-testing to pinpoint the issue.<\/p>\n Curious to see if your signature helps or hurts your conversion rate? Find out with an A\/B test.<\/p>\n You can set up an A\/B test in GMass<\/a>\u00a0to send one version of your email with the signature and one version without<\/strong>. Test both versions a decent sample size, and give the test some time to play out.<\/p>\n From there, you can see if the signature is making an impact one way or the other.<\/p>\n And if you do keep using your signature, keep an eye on your campaign click and reply rates<\/strong>. If you start to see a consistent decline, it may be worth running another A\/B test on your signature.<\/p>\n There\u2019s no universal consensus<\/strong> on whether to use a cold email signature. Some cold emailers are against adding anything<\/em>\u00a0extra to your emails. Others see the signature as an opportunity to add credibility to a campaign.<\/p>\n The pros of including a sales email signature<\/strong> are:<\/p>\n But the very real list of cons for adding a signature<\/strong> are:<\/p>\n So if you decide you do want to include a signature in your cold emails, make sure you take the right approach.<\/p>\n GMass makes it easy to add a signature<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 either through Gmail\u2019s signature feature, or through easy HTML editing<\/a>.<\/p>\nCold Email Signature: Table of Contents<\/h2>\n
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Pros of Including a Signature in Your Sales Email Signature<\/h2>\n
Puts a real name (and face) behind the outreach to begin building a relationship<\/h3>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.gmass.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/signature-picture-tinified.png\")
<\/a><\/figure>\nAdds significant credibility to your offer<\/h3>\n
Makes it look more like a one-on-one email<\/h3>\n
Lets you add extra social proof without clogging your copy<\/h3>\n
Cons of Including a Signature in Your Sales Email Signature<\/h2>\n
When done incorrectly, can potentially have a negative impact on deliverability<\/h3>\n
Can distract focus from the one purpose of your cold email<\/h3>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.gmass.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/pasted-image-0.png\")
<\/a><\/figure>\nCan draw the eye away from your copy<\/h3>\n
When done incorrectly, can make an email look less professional<\/h3>\n
7\u00a0Tips for Creating a Cold Email Signature (That Won\u2019t Kill Your Deliverability)<\/h2>\n
Remember: Just like cold email, it\u2019s about your recipient, not you<\/h3>\n
Get a custom tracking domain in place<\/h3>\n
![\"Set](\"https:\/\/www.gmass.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/trackingdomain-dashboard-tinified.png\"){kind=tracking}
<\/a><\/p>\nUse embedded images for your photo<\/h3>\n
![\"embedded](\"https:\/\/www.gmass.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/embedded-option-128kb.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\nMake sure to include these elements in your cold email signature<\/h3>\n
Name and job title<\/h4>\n
Professional license number and disclaimers<\/h4>\n
Company URL<\/h4>\n
One or two social networks<\/h4>\n
Physical address<\/h4>\n
A relevant piece of social proof<\/h4>\n
Maybe: A photo<\/h4>\n
Make sure to exclude these elements<\/h3>\n
An image of your actual handwritten signature<\/h4>\n
Email address<\/h4>\n
Extraneous social networks<\/h4>\n
Irrelevant biographical info<\/h4>\n
Maybe: Clickable booking link if you\u2019re auto following up on replies<\/h4>\n
Putting everything in one image<\/h4>\n
Use Spam Solver to test the signature\u2019s impact on deliverability<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.gmass.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Gif_-Spam-Solver_final_GIF_v05.gif\")
<\/a><\/p>\nTry running an A\/B test on signature versus no signature<\/h3>\n
Cold Email Signature: Takeaways and Next Steps<\/h2>\n
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