Email sender name best practices

Find out how to set the best sender name for your newsletter and increase your open rates.


Email sender name is an important but overlooked factor that helps recipients decide whether or not they should open your email — having a direct impact on your open rates.

This resource will lay out all of the best practices you need to know to set a great sender name for your newsletter.

What is a sender name?

Sender name (also known as from name) is the name displayed in the inboxes of your recipients. Sender names are one of the first things people see when you deliver a newsletter to them, with up to 20-30 characters depending on the email client and device.

an example of sender names in gmail

Sender name is not to be confused with the sender address (also known as from address), which is the email address that your newsletters are sent from.

Importance of a good sender name

While you may spend a lot of time obsessing over your subject lines and the content of your email newsletters, how much time have you dedicated to setting an appropriate sender name?

According to a Litmus survey, sender name actually has the largest impact on whether someone will open your email, followed by the subject line and preview text.

Because of this, it's important that you set a sender name that works for your brand.

Sender name best practices

A good sender name tells your audience who you are at a glance and helps to build trustworthiness, grow brand recognition, and creates consistency.

Put yourself in the shoes of your recipients. When they receive an email from you the first thing they want to identify is: "Is this email from someone I trust?". If they see your sender name and quickly understand that you're a reputable sender, you're off to a good start.

The second step is "Is this brand/person someone I recognize?". Your sender name needs to immediately align with what they subscribed for. This is especially important for new subscribers who have recently discovered your work and entered their email address on your website. When that first email comes in, they need to quickly associate your sender name with what they were signing up for.

The final step is consistency. For example, if you're delivering a weekly newsletter, your sender name will pop up in recipients inboxes on a weekly basis. They will recognize this pattern because your sender name is always the same. Hopefully, if you're doing a great job with your subject lines and email content, they will look forward to seeing your sender name appear so they can open your emails and read what's inside.

Do:
✅ Capitalize your name and/or company name
✅ Keep it as concise as possible (under 25 characters)

Don't:
❌ Use an email address as a sender name, it looks unprofessional
❌ Use special characters (it looks spammy)

Types of sender name

The good news is, you don't need to change your sender name often. Sender name is a consideration you need to make as early as possible, set in place, and then allow it to create consistency over time.

Below are the three main types of sender name. All of these are good options to use depending on your brand and type of newsletter.

Company or publication name

The most popular type of sender name is the name of your company or your publication. This is a great choice because it immediately ticks the boxes of generating trust and providing brand recognition.

This is particularly useful for newsletters that have a brand name, which is also the name used on their publication and website.

First name at company

You can add a personal touch to your brand or company name by including a first time in your sender name. This is a good fit if your newsletter is always written by one person.

The downside to this approach is that is can often end up being too long for email clients, so the name is truncated.

Full name

A full name can also be used instead of company name. This is especially useful if you're sending a personal newsletter, or if your brand identity is directly linked to you as an individual.

This is popular with writers who are marketing themselves and their specialized knowledge, or who are already known as an influencer within their niche.


Changing your sender name in Ghost

In Ghost, your sender name can be updated from the newsletter settings page.

Go to SettingsEmail newsletterCustomize and update your settings in the Email addresses section.


Now you understand the importance of a good sender name and all of the best practices, it's time to apply this to your own newsletter. Remember: Consistency is key!

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