Outreach emails work only when they are easy to read, simple to scan, and professionally formatted. Even if your pitch is strong, poor formatting can make your message look confusing, salesy, or even spammy.
That’s why knowing how to format your outreach emails the right way is just as important as writing a good subject line or choosing the right prospect.
In 2025, decision-makers open dozens of emails every day but they only reply to the ones that feel clean, trustworthy, and effortless to understand.
Proper formatting helps you highlight your key points, break long ideas into simple sections, and guide the reader toward your CTA without overwhelming them.
This guide covers every formatting rule you need for high-quality outreach: how to use bold and italics, when to add bullet points or numbering, ideal font styles, link formatting, spacing, alignment, signature styling, and the most common mistakes to avoid.
By the end, you’ll know exactly how to format an outreach email that is clear, professional, and optimized for replies.
Why Email Formatting Matters in Outreach
Email formatting isn’t just about making your message look neat, it directly affects how your prospect perceives you, how quickly they understand your pitch, and whether they decide to reply.
Good formatting creates a smooth reading experience, while bad formatting instantly reduces trust and interest.
Key Reasons Formatting Matters:
- Better readability: Your message becomes easier to scan, especially on mobile.
- Strong first impression: A neat email looks professional, not spammy.
- Highlights key points: Proper use of spacing, bullets, and bold text draws attention to what matters.
- Improves deliverability: Simple formatting avoids spam triggers.
- Builds trust: Well-structured emails feel more genuine and respectful of the reader’s time.
Email Formatting Rules You Must Follow in Outreach
Now we’ll cover all the essential formatting elements that make your outreach emails professional, readable, and reply-friendly including bold, italics, bullets, paragraphs, spacing, fonts, links, CTA, and signature formatting.
Keep Your Outreach Emails Simple & Clean
Outreach emails perform best when they are clear, minimal, and easy to read. Fancy formatting, colors, or design-heavy elements often hurt deliverability and make your email look promotional.
Best Practices for a Clean Email
- Use plain text: It feels more personal and avoids spam filters.
- Stick to simple fonts: Arial, Calibri, Helvetica, or default sans-serif.
- Keep font size readable: 14–16px works best on all devices.
- Use short paragraphs: 2–3 lines max for skimmability.
- Add proper spacing: Space between sections makes the email breathable.
- No images or banners: These reduce trust and hurt inbox placement.
Using Bold the Right Way
Bold text is one of the most effective ways to make key points stand out in your outreach email but only if used wisely. Overusing bold can make your email look spammy or aggressive.
Best Practices for Bold
- Highlight your main value: Use bold for the most important sentence or phrase.
- Emphasize the CTA: Draw attention to your action line without overdoing it.
- Keep it minimal: Only 1–2 bold elements per email to maintain professionalism.
Using Italics Without Looking Casual
Italics are used to softly emphasize information without overwhelming the reader. The intent is to make certain points noticeable while keeping the email professional and easy to read.
Best Practices for Italic
- Use italics for optional sentences or disclaimers
- Lightly emphasize a phrase without shouting
- Add context to a specific word or term
When done right, italics guide the reader’s attention subtly and improve overall readability, keeping your email polished and skimmable.
When to Use Bullet Points
Bullet points are used to break information into easy-to-scan pieces. The intent is to make your email skimmable, highlight benefits or options, and prevent long paragraphs from overwhelming the reader.
Best Practices for Bullet Points
- List benefits, deliverables, or topics clearly
- Keep each bullet short and focused (1–2 lines)
- Limit bullets to 3–5 per email
- Avoid complex sentences or multiple ideas in a single bullet
When used correctly, bullet points make your email more readable and help the prospect quickly understand your offer without feeling overloaded.
When to Use Numbered Lists
Numbered lists are used to present steps, sequences, or multiple options clearly. The intent is to guide the reader through information in a logical order and make decision points easy to follow.
Best Practices for Numbered Lists
- Use for step-by-step instructions or processes
- Present multiple options or priorities clearly
- Keep each number short and focused
- Limit to 3–5 items to avoid overwhelming the reader
Numbered lists help the prospect quickly understand sequential information, making your email organized and actionable.
Ideal Paragraph Structure
Proper paragraph structure is used to keep your email readable and scannable. The intent is to communicate one idea at a time and make it easy for the reader to follow your message.
Best Practices for Paragraph Structure
- Stick to one main idea per paragraph
- Keep paragraphs short: 2–3 lines each
- Avoid long walls of text that overwhelm the reader
- Use spacing between paragraphs for clarity
Well-structured paragraphs make your email easier to read, help the prospect focus on key points, and improve overall engagement.
Line Breaks & Spacing
Line breaks and spacing are used to create a clean, breathable layout. The intent is to separate sections, make content easier to scan, and prevent your email from looking cluttered.
Best Practices for Link Breaks & Spacing
- Add a blank line between paragraphs and sections
- Use spacing to separate bullets, numbered lists, or key points
- Avoid excessive spacing that makes the email look disjointed
- Keep mobile readability in mind
Proper line breaks and spacing make your email visually appealing and help the reader quickly grasp your message without feeling overwhelmed.
Font Style & Size Guidelines
Font style and size are used to ensure readability and maintain a professional appearance. The intent is to make your email look clean and consistent across devices, while avoiding spam triggers.
Best Practices for Font Style & Size
- Use safe fonts like Arial, Calibri, Helvetica, or other sans-serif options
- Stick to 14–16px font size for body text
- Avoid fancy or decorative fonts that may not display properly
- Maintain consistent font style throughout the email
Choosing the right font and size keeps your outreach emails easy to read, visually appealing, and professional.
Text Color Rules
Text color is used to maintain professionalism and avoid spam triggers. The intent is to keep your email readable and trustworthy, ensuring the focus stays on your message rather than flashy colors.
Best Practices for Text Color
- Stick to default black or dark gray for body text
- Avoid using multiple colors or bright colors
- Use color only sparingly, for subtle emphasis if necessary
- Ensure high contrast with the background for readability
Using proper text colors makes your email look clean, professional, and easy on the eyes, increasing the likelihood of engagement.
Hyperlink Formatting
Hyperlinks are used to direct the reader to relevant resources or CTAs. The intent is to make links noticeable and clickable without overwhelming the email or looking spammy.
Best Practices for Hyperlink
- Limit to 1–2 links per email
- Use descriptive anchor text instead of pasting raw URLs
- Avoid excessive tracking parameters that look suspicious
- Make links relevant to the context and action you want the reader to take
Proper hyperlink formatting ensures your email looks professional, improves click-through rates, and keeps the message clean and focused.
Underline Usage
Underlining text is used to emphasize information subtly, but it can also be mistaken for a link. The intent is to highlight important text without confusing the reader or triggering spam filters.
Best Practices for Underline
- Avoid underlining regular text unless necessary for emphasis
- Do not underline CTA links unnecessarily; links are already clickable
- Use underline sparingly to prevent a cluttered or spammy appearance
When used correctly, underlines can draw attention to key points while keeping your email professional and easy to read.
Using Caps (With Safety)
Capital letters are used to highlight abbreviations or specific terms. The intent is to emphasize important acronyms or concepts without making your email look aggressive or spammy.
Best Practices for Caps
- Use CAPS for abbreviations like SEO, PPC, or KPI
- Avoid writing full sentences or CTAs in all caps
- Keep emphasis subtle to maintain a professional tone
When used correctly, CAPS help important terms stand out while keeping your outreach email polite and readable.
Alignment Rules
Text alignment is used to structure your email for readability and professionalism. The intent is to make the email easy to scan and ensure it looks polished across devices.
Best Practices for Alignment
- Always use left-aligned text for body content
- Avoid center or right alignment for paragraphs
- Left alignment ensures consistency and improves mobile readability
Proper alignment helps your outreach email look clean, organized, and professional, making it easier for the prospect to follow your message.
CTA Formatting (Call-To-Action)
CTAs are used to guide the reader toward the next step. The intent is to make your action line clear, noticeable, and easy to follow without overwhelming the email.
Best Practices for CTA
- Place the CTA on a separate line for visibility
- Keep wording short, clear, and action-oriented
- Bold the CTA if necessary, but avoid using colors
- Limit to one primary CTA per email
Well-formatted CTAs improve response rates by making it obvious what action the prospect should take next.
Signature Formatting
Signatures are used to conclude your email professionally and provide contact details. The intent is to make your email look trustworthy, polished, and easy for the recipient to follow up.
Best Practices for Signature
- Keep it simple and text-only; avoid images
- Include your name, role, and company/website
- Optional: social links or professional profiles
- Use consistent line spacing and formatting
A clean, professional signature reinforces credibility and makes it easy for the recipient to respond or connect with you.
White Space & Email Breathability
White space is used to give your email a clean, readable layout. The intent is to make your content easy on the eyes, reduce clutter, and guide the reader naturally through your message.
Best Practices for white space
- Add space between paragraphs and sections
- Leave gaps around bullets, lists, and CTAs
- Avoid overcrowding the email with text or links
- Ensure proper spacing for mobile readability
Proper white space makes your email visually appealing, easier to scan, and more likely to be read and replied to.
Sample Email Format (Fully Formatted Version)
A sample email is used to demonstrate all formatting best practices in context. The intent is to give you a practical example you can replicate in your own outreach campaigns.
Best Practices
- Combine short paragraphs, bullets, and numbering where needed
- Use bold for the key value proposition and CTA
- Italics for optional or clarifying notes
- Left-align text with proper spacing and clean font style
- Include a simple, professional signature
Example:
Subject: Quick question about your recent article
Hi [First Name],
I loved your recent article on [Topic]. I had a few ideas that could complement it:
- Expand on [Point 1]
- Include a case study for [Point 2]
- Add [Resource/Tool] for readers
Would you be interested in collaborating on this? No rush, just thought it could be helpful.
Let me know what you think!
Best regards,
[Your Name]
[Your Role] | [Website]
Using this structure ensures your email is readable, professional, and optimized for higher reply rates.
Formatting Mistakes to Avoid
Knowing what not to do is as important as following best practices. The intent is to prevent errors that make your email look unprofessional, spammy, or hard to read.
- Avoid over-formatting (too many bold, italics, or colors)
- Don’t use large blocks of text; break into short paragraphs
- Limit bullet points and numbered lists to 3–5 items
- Avoid excessive links or raw URLs
- Do not use multiple fonts or fancy styles
- Skip images and banners in outreach emails
Avoiding these mistakes keeps your emails professional, readable, and more likely to get a positive response.
Conclusion
Proper email formatting can make or break your outreach efforts. By keeping your emails clean, readable, and professional using bold, italics, bullets, spacing, and other best practices thoughtfully you increase the chances of capturing attention and getting a reply.
Avoid common mistakes like over-formatting, excessive colors, or long text blocks, and focus on clarity, skimmability, and a strong, visible CTA. Following these rules ensures your outreach emails are effective, polished, and reply-friendly.