KoltrixEmail footer basics: what to include and why
A good email footer says who you are, why they got the message and how to stop it. What marketing and transactional emails should include, in plain words.
On this page(9 sections)
The footer is the part of an email nobody reads until something goes wrong. A customer wonders why they are getting your messages. A filter looks for a sign that the sender is legitimate. A regulator, or a lawyer, checks whether you have told people who you are.
A good footer is short, honest and boring. This guide lists what belongs in one, which parts depend on the kind of email, and which mistakes cause trouble. It is general information, not legal advice. Rules differ by country and change over time, so check them for the places you sell to.
What a footer is for
Three jobs, in this order:
- Say who you are. A company name and a way to contact you.
- Say why the person got this. "You are receiving this because you signed up for Acme."
- Give a way out or a way to get help. An unsubscribe link for marketing mail, a support link for everything else.
If a footer does these three things clearly, it is usually doing its job for readers, mailbox providers and regulators alike.
Marketing and promotional email
Marketing messages carry the most rules. A typical sensible footer includes:
- Your company name and a physical postal address. In the United States, the CAN-SPAM Act asks commercial senders for a valid postal address. A registered office, a street address or a PO box registered with the postal service can serve.
- A clear, working unsubscribe link. It should work without a login, and you must honor the request promptly. For the limits and how the one-click header works, see one-click unsubscribe, RFC 8058.
- A reason for receiving it. One line is enough.
- A link to your privacy policy, especially where data-protection law applies.
- A preferences link, if you offer topic choices, so people can reduce volume without leaving completely.
Gmail and Yahoo also expect easy unsubscribe for promotional mail from bulk senders, along with authentication and low complaint rates. See the Gmail and Yahoo bulk sender requirements.
Transactional email
Receipts, password resets, security alerts and shipping updates are not promotional, and most unsubscribe rules do not apply to them in the same way. A footer is still valuable:
- Your company name and a support link or reply address, so people can get help.
- A short line explaining why the message was sent: "You received this because you changed your password."
- Links to your terms or privacy policy where it helps.
- For billing mail, your legal entity name and any tax identifiers your local rules require on invoices. See invoice and receipt emails.
Keep it small. A transactional message should be about the transaction, not a place for promotion. If you add promotional content to a transactional email, it may be treated as a marketing message and held to marketing rules.
Business details some countries require
Some countries require companies to show certain details on business correspondence, including email. In the United Kingdom, limited companies are expected to show their registered name, registration number and registered office on business emails, and several European countries have comparable rules. Requirements vary, so ask an accountant or lawyer for your jurisdiction and your company type. The footer is a convenient place to put the answer once and reuse it.
A simple template
Acme Ltd, 12 Example Street, London EC1A 1AA, United Kingdom
Registered in England and Wales, company number 00000000
You are receiving this because you signed up for Acme product updates.
Unsubscribe | Email preferences | Privacy policyFor a transactional message, a shorter version works:
Acme Ltd. Questions? Reply to this email or visit our help centre.
You received this email because a password reset was requested for your account.Replace the placeholders with your real details. Never copy addresses or registration numbers from a template.
Style and design
- Keep it small but readable. Light grey text on white may look tidy and still fail contrast checks. Make sure it can be read in dark mode, which several email clients apply automatically. See HTML rendering constraints for transactional email.
- Make links obvious. The unsubscribe link is not a place for cleverness.
- Include a plain-text version. The text part needs the same footer, not a placeholder.
- Use real words for link text. "Unsubscribe" beats "click here", and it is friendlier to screen readers.
- Check it on a phone. A footer that wraps into a ten-line block is hard to use.
Mistakes to avoid
- Hiding the unsubscribe link in tiny type or a low-contrast colour.
- A footer that contradicts the sender. If the From name is your product and the footer names a different company, people assume phishing.
- Fake or missing addresses. An invented street address is deceptive, and an empty one fails the rules in places that need one.
- Unsubscribe that takes days to work. People will hit the spam button instead.
- Reusing a marketing footer on every email. A password reset with "Unsubscribe from all emails" invites accidents.
- Forgetting reply handling. If your footer says "reply with questions", someone must read the replies. See the case against noreply addresses and cold email basics for the sender-identity side.
Checklist
- Company name and contact route present
- A reason for receiving the message
- Postal address on marketing email
- Working, login-free unsubscribe on marketing email
- Support or reply route on transactional email
- Privacy policy link where relevant
- Required company details for your country checked
- Same footer content in the plain-text version
- Tested in dark mode and on a phone
Key takeaways
- A footer should say who you are, why you wrote and how to stop or get help.
- Marketing and transactional email need different footers; keep them separate.
- Real postal address, honest sender identity and a working unsubscribe protect both your deliverability and your legal position.
- Check local rules, and keep one reviewed footer you reuse.
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