Designed emails vs. plain text emails

[Frimley111R]

I know that there are other email marketing users on here and so I wanted to put this question to you.

For the second time, across 2 companies, I am beginning to suspect that marketing related emails (not for physical products) perform better as plain text emails, i.e. as if you had just typed an email to someone in Outlook, rather than nicely and well designed emails with colour/images/CTAs in.

It's slightly confusing as the headlines and sender looks the same, its only when you open the email that it looks different. As it's clearer content in the 'designed' email it's slightly mystifying that it seems to generate fewer calls.

At the moment I can't track the plain text ones so its hearsay but I get the feeling the plain text ones work best.

Have any of you found the same?

[randlemarcus]

Most of our internal mails are "designed". Which come through as black with placeholders, as oddly enough, I dont allow rich HTML onto the device. So they are effectively blank, and therefore deleted.

[Flooble]

I think the answer depends on your audience.

Sales and Marketing types - send the flashy pretty email

Technical types - send plain text

[feef]

Isn't that the point of multipart emails? It sends a plaintext equivalent along with the rich text content and the end user's mail client decides which to display, either by default settings or according to their set preferences.

[Frimley111R]

Flooble said:

I think the answer depends on your audience.

Sales and Marketing types - send the flashy pretty email

Technical types - send plain text

They're techy types which is probably why they like it nice and simple.

[Kozy]

Plain text absolutely works better.

Very few ‘designed emails’ contain anything of any substance. Plain text emails are, for most people, subconsciously regarded to be ‘more important’. You wouldn’t receive a flashy HTML email from a work colleague containing important project info or meeting details, or likewise from a friend talking about that weekends activities.

[DSLiverpool]

B2B Plain text, B2C make it pretty I believe.

[ammark]

DSLiverpool said:

B2B Plain text, B2C make it pretty I believe.

That's exactly what we find, unless it's B2B stuff like events or hospitality.

Like the pretty ones though because makes it easy to retarget too.

[offshoreeddy]

In my line of work, I prefer text in HTML format. Images just screw up the deliverability, so as few as possible. Ten years ago everyone liked a pretty picture but now high graphic content will hamper deliverability and effectiveness.

[AllHailToTheAle]

Plain text all the way. Whenever I get an email like this with the little red crosses everywhere it's immediately marked as spam in my mind and binned.