HTML vs. plain text emails

If you’re new to email marketing, you may not be aware that there are two types of emails we can send to our subscribers: HTML and plain text. In this article we’ll look at HTML vs. plain text emails; the difference between the two, what the benefits are of each format and which you should choose for your next campaign.

It’s important to mention here that most email marketing platforms will send two versions of your email with the preference given to HTML unless the recipient’s email client cannot accept HTML email. In this scenario, your email software will switch to plain text for these recipients so that can see receive your email. This is really important for accessibility.

Depending on which email software you use, you may be able to go in and edit the plain text version. For example, In MailChimp, you’ll see a link to edit the plain text version in the Content section of the campaign builder here:

HTML Emails

HTML stands for HyperText Markup Language. It’s essentially the language of the internet and what we use to build websites. HTML (combined with Cascading Style Sheets or CSS) allows us to code emails that include the same elements we see on web pages such as images, fancy layouts, colours and fonts. Although we’re using the same code as we would for a website, email clients are not as sophisticated at rendered HTML as web browsers, so this leads to certain limitations and these limitations vary from client to client.

In order to get round this, email coders have devised ways of working with the funcationality we know works and steering clear (or having fallbacks) for elements that won’t work consistently.

HTML emails can be a daunting task to build from scratch which is why email marketing software provides us with tried and tested templates and drag and drop interfaces that allow us to build beautiful HTML emails without needing to code or run tests for every email client.

Pros:

• Beautiful designs
• Add your branding
• Showcase products with images
• Include strong CTAs with customisable buttons

Cons:

• Can look weird in some email clients or on mobile if not tested
• Not all email clients will download images by default
• Take longer to produce

Plain text emails

Plain text emails are what we’re used to seeing in our inbox from individuals. There’s usually nothing fancy about these emails as they are, of course, plain text. The great thing about plain text emails is that you don’t have to worry too much about testing your email in different email clients as it will look pretty much the same for everyone.

Another key benefit is that a plain text email doesn’t look like a bulk email (when done well), so it’s less likely to flag up on a recipients radar as a sales email. They look much more personal and can therefore get a better response rate.

An example of plain text emails in action…

We ran a campaign for a client to encourage past customers to leave them a Google review. The first campaign and the subsequent follow up email (both HTML with our logo and branding) resulted in zero reviews being left ☹. Our third and final follow up was in plain text format, sent from the Sales Director. It was the only email in the campaign that succeeded in getting customers to leave a review – 1 in 20 recipients went on to leave a review in the following week. It also had a better open rate as well as a better click through rate.

Pros:

• Quick to produce
• Consistency on all email clients
• Smaller file size so easier to read on mobile/slow internet
• Can look more personal and less like a bulk email

Cons:

• No branding
• No visuals such as product images

Which should use choose?

As mentioned above, most email marketing software will send two versions of your email with the preference given to HTML unless the recipient’s email client cannot accept HTML emails. However, there are cases when a plain text email is a better option to HTML and vice versa.

Use HTML emails when you want something more visual, to showcase your products, include a video link or just want to keep your branding consistent.

Use plain text emails for that personal touch, for shorter, information-based emails and to improve open rates on campaigns where you get a poor response from HTML emails.

So when it comes to html vs. plain text emails, it really depends on your goals, your messaging and how your audience consume email content. The best way to find out what works for you and your business, is to trial both. Try A/B split testing your email campaigns and see which format performs the best.