This is how to make your email signature POP
Another week, another newsletter from yours truly - here today to tell you all about how to maximise the impact of your email signature when you’re pitching to journalists.
We’ve talked a lot about pitching on this newsletter over the last few months - what to do, what not to do and how, most importantly, to grab the attention of the journalist you’d love to feature you.
The email signature forms a part of that. It’s your email equivalent of your business card - the last thing you offer to people upon connecting with them. For it to make an impact, there are certain things you should consider including - things that’ll make sure it catches the eye.
I know, I know - you might be thinking, ‘I’ve got the email signature down, Bianca - it’s not exactly hard!’ but hear me out. To me, a signature is like a recipe. And just like with a recipe, you might have all the basic ingredients to make a recognisable dish (let’s say… tomato soup) but you might be missing that secret ingredient that’ll make it the best dish - the best tomato soup - anyone has ever tasted (on that note, if anyone knows what it is that Heinz is doing to theirs to make it taste so good, let me know. It’s probably just a load of MSG or something but, my god, it is delicious.
Okay, that might be a hammy analogy, but it’s true. There are certain things that you need to include and don’t need to include to get a journalist on side.
Read on for my special ingredients below.
Names
Yes, super obvious but sometimes, people forget to add either their own name or their business name to the signature. That, to me, is a rookie mistake. Don’t be that person. You’ve pitched a great idea? Well, make sure they know exactly where and whom it’s coming from.
Your job title
Stating exactly what your role is in the signature is really helpful - particularly if you’re the founder of your business. It’ll show the journalist that you are representing yourself (something they often like to see) and that you haven’t just delegated the task to your PA. It might seem that the latter will make you look more important and therefore more successful and therefore more appealing to a journalist, but it won’t. It’ll just make you look like you can’t be bothered.
A different colour and font
Your signature should be a different colour and font to the body of your email - that way, it stands out more as its own entity and is more likely to catch the eye of the journalist. If your branding is all black and white, don’t panic - just switch the email body colour to a dark grey to give the signature that extra pop.
Your web address
You need to include the business’ website address to make it easy for the journalist to do some further research on you if they want to. If you don’t yet have a slick domain name and your website is a jumble of words, symbols and numbers assigned to you by your hosting platform, just type something such as ‘Website’ or ‘Find out more’ into your email signature and hyperlink your jumble-y address to it.
Your professional social media handles
Journalists aren’t interested in scrolling through pictures of your cat in various costumes, so if any of your social media handles are just for updates on your life and interests, don’t include them. Only include the handles you’re using as a marketing tool for your business.
A nice little brag
The email signature is what I like to call the ‘downstairs guest bathroom’. This is an analogy I may or may not have mentioned to you before but if you’re unfamiliar with it, then let me elucidate. Just like the downstairs guest bathroom where you might share a picture of you completing the marathon, your university certificate or an industry award you’ve received (I like to think Oscar winners keep their statues in the downstairs loo), the email signature is where you get to show off - it’s where you get to include the brags a journalist will find the most impressive. This might be the fact that you have a Masters or other qualification in your field. It could be that you’ve written a book. It could be a little ‘as seen in’ block where you share the other media you’ve been featured by, or it could be your social media follower count, if it’s reaching into the tens of thousands or beyond. Whatever it is, be sure to share an achievement that you think will help establish you as the expert the journalist is looking for.
And last but by no means least…
Share a picture of yourself
This is my favourite trick to include on an email signature. Get a professional-looking thumbnail sized picture of your face and add it to your email signature. Because when the journalist reads that incredible pitch you’ve written and they scroll down and see your face, it will spark a sense of deeper connection that it’s hard to conjure without. Don’t ask me why, I just know that it works. Just make sure to send a test email to another email address to make sure it actually works and isn’t just showing up as a grey box.
A note on what not to include
Unless they’re investigating you for some kind of breaking story, a journalist is never going to call or fax you. I can tell you that right now. Unless a journalist specifically ask for it, don’t bother including those numbers on your signature - they just clutter it up, leave less room for your gorgeous picture and even better brags and make it look like you’ve left your business in the 90s.
