8 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}
8 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}

Sending HTML emails that look like plain text?

by MikeJeffs
6 replies
Hi,

Get Response is driving me crazy, I'm hoping someone here can help me out a little

I want to send emails in html+plain text - but I want the html version to look like a plain text email save for anchor text on the links. I've noticed a fair few marketers do this and most of them also seem to wrap long lines even on the html version. Personally I have a very wide display, so I am quite happy when I get an html email with wrapped short lines.

I've got my emails already in MS Word. I'm wondering what the best workflow is to get them into GetResponse?

I tried starting a new blank template HTML email in get response. I paste the text from MS Word into the plain text tab, press the "wrap long lines" button and then copy this wrapped version into the html tab.

The problem is that the html template sees each line as a paragraph, so the spacing is all weird. I can't see a way to use the formatting tools to remove the paragraph spacing. If I fiddle around using "shift+enter" to do forced line breaks within a paragraph this works - but it takes ages and seems really temperamental.

There has to be an easier way!

I'm wondering what other people do? Did you make a custom template for GetResponse? Are you setting a div at the required width rather than making individual lines (paragraphs).

Any advice or pointers would be most appreciated.

Thanks!
#emails #html #plain #sending #text
  • Profile picture of the author barbling
    Instead of using MS Word, why not use Notepad and make sure

    Format | Word Wrap

    is turned on?

    That's what I do. MS Word always adds in ickness when I try to move from .doc to text...

    Hope that helps!
    Signature
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5075438].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author MikeJeffs
    Having wordwrap turned on in notepad doesn't make any difference to the text after it is copied and pasted out to GetResponse - at least for me.

    I've just been looking at some html source for emails I recieved. Eben Pagan for instance specifies his p tags as 320px wide. Maybe I'll have to start doing that with a custom template. More work than I was hoping for. I'm sure when I used Aweber the html default template was more "normal" in its behavior. Can't have it all I guess lol

    Thanks for your help and any other suggestions welcome!
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5075545].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Val Wilson
    Text in word documents is formatted, even if you can't see the formatting. Copy the text from Word & paste in Notepad to remove this formatting, then copy from Notepad & paste into your autoresponder.
    Signature
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5075951].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
      Banned
      Originally Posted by Val Wilson View Post

      Text in word documents is formatted, even if you can't see the formatting. Copy the text from Word & paste in Notepad to remove this formatting, then copy from Notepad & paste into your autoresponder.
      This ^^^ exactly.

      At the moment, what you're doing is equivalent to trying to post MS-Word content directly onto to the internet. It's not designed for that. It'll just be a formatting mess, because of all the concealed codes and stuff: you need to paste it in and out of Notepad on the way, to strip those formatting codes.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5076280].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author Your Brand Ebooks
        Originally Posted by MikeJeffs View Post

        I've noticed a fair few marketers do this
        Email marketers insert a transparent 1-pixel image in their outgoing message so they can track opens. (actually the pixel insertion is accomplished automatically by the email software)

        That is one reason marketers send their plain-text messages as an HTML message that appears to be plain-text.


        .
        Signature
        ONCE UPON A TIME there was a Warrior named Bob. He was sad. And frustrated. You see, Warrior Bob spent every last nickel on Internet Marketing e-books. But nothing panned out. No traffic. No sales. He was one sad Bob. Then one day Bob found a bottle. He rubbed it and out came a Genie who granted him 3 wishes. For Wish #1 Bob asked for a pet Dragon. Wish Granted. For Wish #2, Bob wanted Warriors' websites seen by 53 million TV viewers, for under $5 per broadcast. The Genie said... (click here)
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5076292].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Robert H Cwik
    Originally Posted by MikeJeffs View Post

    Hi,

    Get Response is driving me crazy, I'm hoping someone here can help me out a little

    I want to send emails in html+plain text - but I want the html version to look like a plain text email save for anchor text on the links.

    Any advice or pointers would be most appreciated.

    Thanks!
    Hi, if you PM me with your e-mail address, and then accept an e-mail from attachment in ZIP form from me, I'll send you a small smart tool to format your messages to any line length you desire. No strings attached I have giveaway rights to it.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5076341].message }}

Trending Topics