Your sender name is one of the first things people see in their inbox, and it plays a significant role in whether they open your email or ignore it.
This guide walks you through the best practices for choosing and formatting sender names that build trust, reflect your brand, and avoid spam triggers. A small detail, but a big deliverability win.
💡Learn how to set a custom sender name for your Outreachly mailbox. See our Help Center article: How to Set a Custom Sender Name.
Best Practices for Sender Names
1. Clarity & Recognition
Use a name your audience will immediately recognize. Options include:
Company: Outreachly, Mailchimp
Personal: Sarah Lee, James Parker
Hybrid: Anna at Outreachly, Outreachly Alerts
Department/Function: Billing Team, Customer Support
2. Consistency
Stick with the same sender name across all campaigns and platforms. Consistency strengthens trust and brand recall.
3. Accuracy
Always represent the sender of the email. Avoid misleading names or fake “conversation” styles.
4. Branding
If you’re using a company name, make sure it matches your brand identity and tone of voice.
Technical & Formatting Guidelines
Length:
Optimal: Under 60 characters (best for Gmail and mobile display)
Hard limit: Up to 120 characters (not recommended)
Tip: Keep it under 20 characters for maximum visibility
Allowed Characters:
Stick to letters, numbers, and common symbols
Only use special or non-Latin characters if your audience prefers them
Avoid:
Odd or unsupported characters
Excessive punctuation (!!!!, ***** , etc.)
Underscores, dashes, or gimmicky patterns
Content Rules – What NOT to Include
Certain words or patterns can lower deliverability or get flagged by Gmail:
Urgency or sales terms: “Sale,” “Urgent,” “Free,” “You’ve Won”
Reply/forward prefixes: “Re:,” “Fwd:,” “FW:” (unless genuine)
Placeholders: {first_name} or any merge tags
Reserved system names: Postmaster, Abuse, Mailer-Daemon, Noreply
Risks of Ignoring These Guidelines
Your email may not be delivered.
It could land in spam instead of in the inbox.
Providers may lower your sender reputation.
At Outreachly, we set up and manage domains, emails, and warm-up processes to protect your sender reputation and maximize inbox placement.
🚀 Success! Keep your sender name clear, consistent, and accurate to your brand. It’s a small detail that makes a big difference in deliverability and results.