Email Format -- HTML or PlainText?? Need Advice

Hi AnneE,

I believe you are sending people to the free trial to an autoresponder. The follow-up to a salesletter is better to be in html format. The reason is you have a fairly salesletter compete with testimonials, and it would look more professional to the people who wants to go for your free trial.

This is what I think and I hope that it helps...

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bretski 14 years ago

If you're sending it through an autoresponder I believe you should have it in both formats. I hope you aren't sending it through your personal email. How ARE you sending it anyhow?
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ArticlePrince

14 years ago

HTML with a text back up in case they have a slow connection.

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AnneE 14 years ago

Originally Posted by ArticlePrince

HTML with a text back up in case they have a slow connection.

I would be sending with an autoresponder. I'm not sure when you say a text back up what you mean exactly.

Anne
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- Frank Donovan 14 years ago
  
  Hi Anne, how's it going?
  
  Originally Posted by AnneE
  
  I would be sending with an autoresponder. I'm not sure when you say a text back up what you mean exactly.
  
  Most autoresponders give you the option when you compose your email to send in HTML and plain text - which, I believe, is what the text back-up refers to.
  
  As to your original question; to a certain extent, this will depend on the niche and your relationship with your subscribers.
  
  It's still fairly common for email clients to have HTML switched off, in which case a long, professionally-composed sales letter will look a little messy. However, if you know your subscribers, they may be more than happy to follow your instructions to view the message in HTML.
  
  My own preference is to send in plain text, simply because that's the format most likely to read properly on most email clients. If I had a long sales letter, complete with testimonials, I'd just link to it in my email (and give them a good incentive to click through).
  
  I think professional-looking emails with headers and graphics are all very well when sent by companies such as Amazon. But when you're a solo marketer, trying to establish a close relationship with your readers, those flashy emails can be counter productive. I know that whenever I get an email from a marketer and it's got headers and graphics in all colours, I don't think "professional" - I just see someone sending me a file that's four times as big as it needs to be
  
  Anyway, best of luck with your campaign.
  
  Frank
  
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  Kay King 14 years ago
  
  I've had some amazing poor emails from marketers who should know better.
  
  Html is fine - but if you send html always provide an alternate text of the email. Otherwise, people who do not have their email set to receive html will receive an email full of html tags that make it impossible to read.
  
  So use text - or use html plus text version. Test it.
  
  kay
  
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Alexa Smith

Banned 14 years ago

[DELETED]

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KenThompson 14 years ago

Originally Posted by Alexa Smith

(I'm not sending sales letters, though).

I was also curious about that one.

Anne,

Nothing wrong with testing, but you may want to do some pre-selling,
or establishing more of a relationship with subscribers, before sending
a full-length sales letter. Unless you were not being specific about when
you would send it. But your OP reads like you want to send it right away(?)

You may also want to experiment/test with video. I've read a lot about
how video is out-pulling traditional long sales copy. Some markets may vary
with their preferences for one over the other.

There are also variations with application. Video sales letters, video plus
sales copy (the video is at the top of the copy), video plus short/long sales
copy. It's all worth testing.

Good luck.

Ken
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Neil Morgan

14 years ago

Why leave it to subjective opinion which has no relevance to your business success?

Flipping a coin would save time

It's simple. Test.

Whichever pulls the best response is your answer.

Then continually test to improve on the one you're using.

Cheers,

Neil

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Neil Morgan

14 years ago

Just another thought...

...many people in the IM niche recommend plain text over HTML.

While testing is vital, it's interesting that few major players outside our little niche use plain text. Think of the emails you receive from the likes of Amazon and other corporations - they're HTML. It would be naive to assume they hadn't tested this and found it to be most effective.

T-E-S-T

Internet marketing 101

Cheers,

Neil

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Mr. Subtle

14 years ago

Originally Posted by Neil Morgan

While testing is vital, it's interesting that few major players outside our little niche use plain text. Think of the emails you receive from the likes of Amazon and other corporations - they're HTML. It would be naive to assume they hadn't tested this and found it to be most effective.

According to Jupiter Research HTML email gets 200% better response than plain text email.

.

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Frank Donovan 14 years ago

According to Jupiter Research HTML email gets 200% better response than plain text email.

Without a link to the actual source (so we can learn what parameters were used in the testing), that statement raises more questions than it answers.

A plain text email from Amazon would be weird. From Travis Sago...not so much.

Frank
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Online Bliss

14 years ago

Opinions will differ, Anne. As you see.

If you want to track information such as
opened emails etc. You would choose html.
At least offer both.

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Janice Sperry

14 years ago

I always send both - the plain text is the back-up if the subscriber does not have HTML turned on. The various options are simply chosen as you write and then broadcast the email through your autoresponder. I also include a message right at the top. "If you are having a problem viewing this email you may also read it here (with a link to a website page that has the exact HTML version of the email)."

Thanks
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MEMA2010

14 years ago

Originally Posted by Janice Sperry

I always send both - the plain text is the back-up if the subscriber does not have HTML turned on. The various options are simply chosen as you write and then broadcast the email through your autoresponder. I also include a message right at the top. "If you are having a problem viewing this email you may also read it here (with a link to a website page that has the exact HTML version of the email)."

Text email is less and less used since most of the webmails have HTML turned on. But as Janice said, it's good to have a back-up since we can't predict if some of your subscribers does not have HTML turned on.

So, I would advice to send both.

FYI:
HTML ++ : More attractive, you can get return on opening rates
HTML -- : But you are more likely to face deliverability issues

Text ++ : Emails are lighter and you get very good deliverability rates
Text -- : no return on opening rates and not attractive at all.

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buzz4me

14 years ago

does your autoresponder allow you to send multipart emails? ex both html and text emails?

out there are many email readers that cant read html and the emails could look funny to the end user

it is highly advisable to use both html and text email that way you can guaranty that the end user views the email you have send him/her

also you could add a "Click here to view the webversion of this email" usually that tag is provided by the autoresponder you use

hope this helps :-)

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cashfusion

14 years ago

if its the first time email i would stick to plain text, if its the second or third its fine to switch it up to html since people will take the time to read it

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JDArchitecture 14 years ago

HTML email is annoying.
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- netkid 14 years ago
  
  Rule of thumb for me is text format.
  
  HTML loads slower and also may get thrown in the spam folder.
  
  Also HTML requires you to think a little more about design. With text, you write and send....very fast and easy.
  
  Thanks
  
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AnneE

14 years ago

Thanks for all the good thoughts, everyone. I think I will start out trying HTML with text backup and as pointed out above, at some point I should run a test of sending text only email. I do think I will try to keep is fairly lightweight (limited graphics) HTML to make it fast loading.

Thanks,
Anne

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Email Format -- HTML or PlainText?? Need Advice

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