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Plain text vs HTML newsletter emails

by mcerny
8 replies
Hi Warriors.

I'm currently building my first newsletter and I was wondering which works best - plain text, or HTML emails ?

Personally, I prefer receiving HTML emails as they stand out more and seem to have a better impression overall.

But then, they look horrible when the images are not yet allowed, as is the default case with gmail (and most other clients, I suppose).

Also, if I'd send out my whole article (I'm giving out tips on health/fitness basically), then there would be no chance of someone outside of my list finding my it.

I was thinking about sending out plain text "introductory" messages with a link to the article on my website. I'd leave the article visible to search engines and include a message at the bottom saying what it is and where to subscribe.

I'm not sure weather to include a like/tweet button on the articles. Then there would be too many leaks and people could read many of my messages before they subscribe and would get the same ones after they subscribe.

What's your opinion on this ?
#emails #html #newsletter #plain #text
  • Profile picture of the author MartinPlatt
    Originally Posted by mcerny View Post

    Hi Warriors.

    I'm currently building my first newsletter and I was wondering which works best - plain text, or HTML emails ?

    Personally, I prefer receiving HTML emails as they stand out more and seem to have a better impression overall.

    But then, they look horrible when the images are not yet allowed, as is the default case with gmail (and most other clients, I suppose).

    Also, if I'd send out my whole article (I'm giving out tips on health/fitness basically), then there would be no chance of someone outside of my list finding my it.

    I was thinking about sending out plain text "introductory" messages with a link to the article on my website. I'd leave the article visible to search engines and include a message at the bottom saying what it is and where to subscribe.

    I'm not sure weather to include a like/tweet button on the articles. Then there would be too many leaks and people could read many of my messages before they subscribe and would get the same ones after they subscribe.

    What's your opinion on this ?
    Plain text because it works the same for everyone, and all you want the reader to focus on is clicking the link...

    You could offer both versions, and see which one gets the best rate, then you'd know the answer for yourself?
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    Martin Platt
    martin-platt.com

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  • Profile picture of the author zimzalabim
    I'm with Martin. Plain text. That's the only format I issue out to my lists in.

    Short, to the point, easy to read, no blocked images etc.

    Best,

    Andy.
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    • Profile picture of the author butters
      Test both? That's the only right answer here! Go have fun and do what your numbers tell you to do, opinions don't mean much because they may be wrong for you.
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  • Profile picture of the author Nail Yener
    Originally Posted by mcerny View Post

    Hi Warriors.

    I'm currently building my first newsletter and I was wondering which works best - plain text, or HTML emails ?

    Personally, I prefer receiving HTML emails as they stand out more and seem to have a better impression overall.

    But then, they look horrible when the images are not yet allowed, as is the default case with gmail (and most other clients, I suppose).

    Also, if I'd send out my whole article (I'm giving out tips on health/fitness basically), then there would be no chance of someone outside of my list finding my it.

    I was thinking about sending out plain text "introductory" messages with a link to the article on my website. I'd leave the article visible to search engines and include a message at the bottom saying what it is and where to subscribe.

    I'm not sure weather to include a like/tweet button on the articles. Then there would be too many leaks and people could read many of my messages before they subscribe and would get the same ones after they subscribe.

    What's your opinion on this ?
    I also prefer plain text emails but it may depend on the niche you are targeting. You can actually test this or even ask the opinion of your subscribers.

    Hosting the main article on your site and providing a short introduction to it in your newsletter makes sense and this is how most bloggers/article marketers do. In that case, you can have whatever share buttons you want on your articles.

    Hosting the email itself on your site is something different, I don't see a reason to do that and I wouldn't do that. Let the emails get seen by only your subscribers.
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  • Profile picture of the author squadron
    Plain text is what the pros use. If there's too many images or links the email may get spammed, Outllok can sometimes be ruthless

    By using plain text you can then invest more time in the subject line and sales/news copy.

    I use Mailchimp for some Friday SEO tips once a week and it works very well.
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    • Profile picture of the author Shaun OReilly
      Originally Posted by squadron View Post

      Plain text is what the pros use.
      No it's not.

      If you look more closely at what many of the top e-mail
      marketers are doing, they're also sending out HTML versions
      of their messages that have no extra images and minimal
      formatting.

      Why? Because HTML e-mails allow for better tracking and
      you can use text formatting and action words in the anchor
      text for hyperlinks for higher click-through-rates.

      However, still test it for your own list to get the correct
      answer.

      Dedicated to mutual success,

      Shaun
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      .

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      • Profile picture of the author mcerny
        Thank you for your answers.

        I decided to go with plain text. I'll just throw in 3-4 sentences as an introduction to the topic and then the link to the article on my website. The website will obviously be 100% responsive and mobile friendly.

        The articles will only be accessible if you have the link - not from a navigation on the website.

        I'll put in like/+1 buttons/tweet buttons as well and a link to the subscription form at the bottom of each message.
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  • Profile picture of the author James Gould
    If you're like me and sending emails from your own server (as opposed to using Aweber, MailChimp etc) then plain text also saves bandwidth costs and it's less stress on your server

    Jamie.
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