Email signature banner
A banner under your signature promotes one thing (an event, an offer, a new product) to everyone you write to. Done well, it’s the cheapest ad you have. Done badly, it makes every email heavier and louder. Here is how to size it, word it and make sure it shows up.
What a good banner looks like
Showcase: ringed photo, icon contacts, logo row and banner
 | Maya Lindqvist Partnerships Director Northbeam Content Studio |
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The Pro layout that does the most: a ringed photo, contacts with icons in the accent color, a call-to-action button, a row of partner badges and a linked banner. Every image has alt text, so it still reads when images are blocked.
The same banner under a Classic signature
| Maya Lindqvist Partnerships Director Northbeam Content Studio | |
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| Made with Fairsig | ||
A banner works under any template. Here it sits below the details and above any legal text, with the same link and alt text.
Names, companies and the event are fictional.
Size and file
| Recommended | |
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| Display width | 600 px (Fairsig sets it in the HTML) |
| File width | 1200 px, so it’s sharp on retina screens |
| File height | 160–300 px |
| Format | PNG or JPG; GIF if animated. No SVG. |
| File size | under 200 KB (animated GIF under 1 MB) |
On a phone, a 600 px banner scales down with the screen, so text in it must stay readable at half size: big letters, few words. More sizes on the email signature size page.
Writing the banner
- One message, one action. “Free webinar on 12 November: register” beats a slogan and three icons.
- Link it to the page that matches. The registration page, the offer, the case study; not your home page.
- Alt text that says the same thing. It’s what people see when images are blocked.
- Change it when the event is over. A banner for last month’s webinar is worse than no banner.
- Not in every email. Use a short reply signature without the banner for long threads.
Animated GIFs and video thumbnails
An animated GIF draws the eye, but classic Outlook 2007 to 2016 for Windows shows only its first frame, so make that frame work on its own, and keep the loop short.
No mail app plays video inside an email. A video thumbnail does the job: a picture from the video with a play button, linked to the video. In the generator, tick “This is a video thumbnail” before you upload, and Fairsig adds the play button to the picture (centered or in the corner).
How to add a banner with Fairsig
- In the generator, go to Extras, then Button, banner and logos.
- Under Banner, paste the https link of your image, or upload it with Pro (it’s resized and hosted for you).
- Add the alt text (required) and, optionally, the link.
- Check the preview, then copy the signature and paste it into Outlook or Gmail.
The banner is a Pro extra: preview it as much as you like; copying a signature that uses it needs Fairsig Pro ($9 once). It works in every template, free ones included.
Mistakes to avoid
- A banner wider than 600 px: it forces sideways scrolling on phones.
- Important details only inside the image: phone numbers and addresses belong in the text.
- Several banners or a banner plus a row of badges plus a button: pick one call to action.
- A heavy file: every email you send carries the request, and slow images look broken.
Ready? The free Fairsig generator builds a signature that works in Gmail, Outlook and Apple Mail, in your browser, with no sign-up. Design your banner signature →
Questions
What size should an email signature banner be?
Show it 600 pixels wide, the classic width of email layouts, and make the file 1200 pixels wide so it stays sharp on high-resolution screens. A height of 160 to 300 pixels in the file (80 to 150 on screen) keeps it from taking over the email. Keep it under 200 KB.
Can I put a video in my email signature?
No mail app plays video inside an email. The standard trick is a video thumbnail: a still picture with a play button that links to the video on YouTube, Vimeo or your website. Fairsig can add the play button to your picture when you upload it.
Do animated GIF banners work?
In most mail apps, yes. Classic Outlook 2007 to 2016 for Windows shows only the first frame, so that frame must make sense on its own. Keep the animation short and the file under 1 MB.
Why is alt text required?
Many Outlook setups block images until the reader allows them. Then the alt text is all people see, so it should say what the banner says: “Free webinar on 12 November: register now”, not “banner”.
Is the banner free?
You can design and preview a banner for free in any template. Copying or downloading a signature that uses one is part of Fairsig Pro ($9 once, not a subscription), which also includes image hosting, so you can upload the banner instead of hosting it yourself.
Want the signature to move? See animated email signatures.