Growing your audience takes time, but one of the easiest ways to get more followers is by adding social media icons to your email signature. Instead of hoping people search for you online, you give them a one-click shortcut to follow you.
With that move, every email you send becomes a mini promotion. It’s like turning your everyday emails into little growth engines. You’re already doing the emailing, so why not make each email work harder for you?
To get started, read this detailed walk-through on how to set up social media icons in your email signature.
How social media icons in email signatures work
Social media icons are small, clickable buttons you add to your email signature that link directly to your social profiles. When someone clicks on an icon, they’re taken straight to your page, where they can follow, like, or connect with your business.
Think about how many emails you send every day. With icons in your signature, each email becomes an opportunity to grow your social following. It’s passive marketing at its finest. You’re not being pushy. You’re just making it convenient for interested people to connect.
The best part? Once you set up your signature, it works for you automatically with every email you send. No extra effort is required. It’s probably one of the highest return on investment (ROI) marketing tactics since it costs nothing but has the potential to build your audience continuously.
Best social media platforms to add to email signatures
When adding social media icons to your email signature, pick the platforms that suit your business. Then, choose between linking your personal profile or company page.
A personal profile works well for sales and consulting to build trust, while a business page is better for promoting a larger brand. Here’s a quick guide to the best platforms and when to use them.
LinkedIn is a top platform for business networking. It’s perfect for sharing industry news, job postings, and thought leadership content. If you’re a business-to-business (B2B) company or want to build credibility in your industry, this icon is a must.
Bluesky
Bluesky is gaining popularity as an X (formerly Twitter) icon alternative. It’s great for creative brands, digital businesses, and companies targeting early adopters. Adding this icon signals that your company stands ahead of social media trends.
Instagram is all about visual storytelling. If your products look good in pictures or you want to show off your company culture, this icon belongs in your signature. It’s particularly effective for retail stores, restaurants, hotels, design firms, and lifestyle brands.
YouTube
YouTube connects your email recipients to your brand’s video content. If you create tutorials, product demos, or behind-the-scenes content, adding this icon makes it easy for people to find and watch. It’s a great way to showcase your products or services in a way that text alone can’t.
TikTok
TikTok helps businesses reach younger audiences through bite-sized video content. If your target market includes Gen Z or younger millennials, this platform offers unmatched engagement opportunities. The short-form video format is ideal for showing company culture, sharing quick tips, and hopping on trending challenges.
How to add social media icons to your email signature
Want to make it easier for people to connect with you online? Just follow these steps to add social media icons to your email signature.
Step #1: Choose the social media platforms
Start by deciding which social media platforms make the most sense for your business. Don’t include every platform just because you can.
Stick to the social networks where you’re most active and that align with your business goals. For most brands, 2-3 icons are the sweet spot—enough to provide options without cluttering your signature.
Step #2: Find high-quality individual social media icons
Search online for professional-looking icons. You can find free icon sets on sites like Flaticon, Iconfinder, or Icons8. Many social media platforms also provide official icons in their developer resources sections.
Select icons with matching colors and styles to create a polished look. Ensure they don’t blend with your company logo or other elements in your email signature. They should stand out but still look professional.
Step #3: Resize and optimize icons for email use
Resize your icons to between 16x16 and 24x24 pixels using a basic image editing program on your computer or a design website like Canva. You want the icons small enough that they don’t overpower your signature but large enough that people can easily see what they are.
Once resized, save the icons in web-friendly formats like PNG. Since email signatures are basically HTML code behind the scenes, these formats ensure your icons display consistently across different email programs.
Step #4: Save images on a cloud hosting service (optional)
Consider uploading your icons to a cloud service like Google Drive or Dropbox to ensure your icons load faster and display correctly, even when recipients don’t enable image downloading. Copy the direct image URLs for each icon. You’ll need these when building your signature.
Step #5: Insert icons into your email signature
Once your icons are ready, it’s time to add them to your email signature. Open your email settings in Outlook, Apple Mail, or Gmail and navigate to the signature section. Use the insert picture button to upload your saved images, or, if you’re using a cloud hosting service, paste the image URL instead.
Don’t have an email signature yet? That’s OK. Build it in Google Docs first. It’s an easy way to design your layout before copying it into your email settings. Plus, you can save different versions as your job title, contact details, or other info changes.
Step #6: Link icons to your social media profiles
After placing the icons, hyperlink each to the correct social media web addresses. Linking the icons makes them clickable, allowing recipients to visit your social media pages with a single click. Select the icon, click the add links option in your email editor, and paste the corresponding URL for each platform.
Step #7: Save and test your email signature
Before finalizing your email signature, send a test email to yourself. Ensure all icons are displayed correctly, and the links lead to the right social media profiles. Make any necessary edits, then save your changes to ensure your signature is ready to use.
Key takeaways
- Boost your social media following: Adding icons to your email signature helps you passively grow your audience on platforms like LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok.
- Choose the right platforms: Don’t go overboard with too many icons—stick to 2-3 networks where you post regularly.
- Use high-quality icons: Your icons should look professional and match each other stylistically while complementing your company logo.
- Consider cloud hosting: Host your icons on platforms like Google Drive, so they load faster and show up even when people have images blocked.
- Link correctly: Always test your links to ensure they take people directly to your social media profiles as intended.