Do all email clients and devices still use plain text emails?

While most modern email clients default to HTML, some users, older devices, or accessibility tools may still display the plain text version. It also serves as a fallback when HTML fails to render correctly. Our article when are plain text emails needed explores this further.

Does a plain text version affect email deliverability or spam filtering?

Yes, including a well-formatted plain text version can positively influence email deliverability. Many spam filters (or blocklists) analyze both HTML and plain text parts. A missing or poorly formatted plain text version can increase your spam score. You can read more in our guide on plain text and deliverability .

How do you include both HTML and plain text versions in a single email?

The main technical method is using multipart/alternative . This MIME type allows an email to contain multiple versions of the same content (e.g., plain text and HTML), and the recipient's email client will display the most preferred version it supports. Most email service providers handle this automatically.

What are best practices for optimizing a plain text version?

Always review the auto-generated version for accuracy, readability, and consistency with your HTML. Ensure links are unwrapped (full URLs) and that any dynamic content translates well. A poorly auto-generated plain text version can be counterproductive and even lead to deliverability issues, as mentioned in our article on bot activity .

Is it important to include a plain text version in emails? - Technical - Email deliverability - Knowledge base

When I first started in email marketing, sending a plain text version alongside your HTML email was practically dogma. It was an unspoken rule, a fundamental best practice that everyone followed without question. The reasoning was straightforward: ensure compatibility across all email clients and devices, and bypass finicky spam filters that might view complex HTML with suspicion.

Today, however, I often hear people question the necessity. With advanced email clients, responsive HTML, and increasingly sophisticated spam filtering, is a plain text alternative still a critical component of a successful email strategy? Or is it an outdated practice that adds unnecessary overhead?

The answer, as with many things in email deliverability, isn't black and white. While the landscape has evolved dramatically, there are still compelling reasons why I advocate for including a plain text version. It’s not just about what's technically possible, but what ensures the broadest reach and best experience for your recipients.

Technical necessity and compatibility

Sending a plain text version, typically as part of a multipart/alternative MIME type, is primarily a matter of technical fallback and compatibility. While most modern email clients display HTML emails, a segment of users or specific email environments may still rely on plain text. This includes older mobile devices, some accessibility tools, or users who intentionally set their email client to display only plain text for security or simplicity reasons.

Without a plain text alternative, these recipients might see a jumbled mess of HTML code rather than your intended message. This creates a poor user experience and can lead to immediate deletions, unsubscribes, or even spam complaints. To understand more about the technical structure, you might find our guide on sending multipart/alternative emails helpful.

I’ve observed that many email marketing platforms automatically generate a plain text version for you, which is a convenient feature. However, it's crucial to review these auto-generated versions to ensure they are readable and accurately reflect your HTML content. A poorly formatted or outdated plain text version can be just as detrimental as not including one at all.

Deliverability and spam filters

Beyond basic compatibility, the presence of a plain text version can influence how spam filters perceive your email. Many spam filters, including legacy systems, still analyze both the HTML and plain text parts of an email. The theory is that legitimate senders will provide both versions, while spammers might only focus on the HTML or include a mismatch between the two.

A well-formatted plain text version can contribute to a lower spam score. For instance, SpamAssassin and similar tools often assign negative points if a plain text alternative is missing or doesn't align with the HTML content. While not the sole determinant of deliverability, every little bit helps in the complex world of inbox placement. Our article does plain text email affect deliverability dives deeper into this.

Conversely, a poorly constructed or missing plain text version can act as a red flag, potentially increasing the likelihood of your email landing in the spam folder (or being blocklisted). This is why I always recommend ensuring your plain text version is clean, accurate, and reflects the core message of your HTML email. Some sources even suggest that plain text emails are less likely to trigger spam filters, contributing to higher deliverability rates, as discussed by EmailChaser.

Accessibility and user experience

Accessibility is a significant factor I consider when advising on email strategy. For users who rely on screen readers or have visual impairments, a well-structured plain text version can be far more navigable than a complex HTML layout, especially if the HTML isn't built with accessibility in mind. It provides a straightforward, uncluttered reading experience.

However, it's not a universal solution. The debate exists whether a truly semantic HTML email, properly tagged and structured, can actually offer a superior experience for advanced screen readers compared to raw plain text, especially when dealing with long, unformatted URLs. The nuance here is that good HTML is better than bad plain text (e.g., with unwrapped tracking links) but a clean plain text is often better than a bad HTML.

Furthermore, a plain text version provides a valuable fallback for mobile users with limited data plans. HTML emails, especially those heavy with images, can consume significant data. A lightweight plain text option ensures your message is still delivered and readable without incurring high data costs for the recipient. For more on this, Email on Acid offers insights.

This leads me to the argument for a simpler user experience across the board. Plain text emails inherently feel more personal, like a direct communication rather than a marketing blast. For transactional emails, personal outreach, or important announcements, the unformatted nature of plain text can foster a sense of trust and directness that a glossy HTML email might lack.

Plain text advantages

Deliverability: Lower spam filter scores due to simpler structure.
Accessibility: Better for some screen readers and legacy clients.
Load time: Extremely fast loading, ideal for low bandwidth.
Personal touch: Can feel more direct and intimate.

The evolving landscape and modern considerations

Despite the benefits, it's also true that the importance of plain text has diminished for the vast majority of users who interact with emails on modern clients like

Gmail or

Outlook. These clients are highly adept at rendering HTML, making the plain text fallback less frequently utilized. Furthermore, managing both HTML and plain text versions can introduce additional complexity to content creation and approval workflows, especially if dynamic content is involved.

I’ve seen campaigns where the plain text version wasn't updated to match HTML changes, leading to inconsistencies and confusion. This highlights the ongoing trade-off between maximizing reach through plain text and streamlining the production process. Companies often need to weigh the cost-benefit for their specific audience and email volume.

Ultimately, for optimal deliverability and user experience, I still lean towards including a well-crafted plain text version. It acts as an insurance policy, ensuring your message is accessible to the widest possible audience and presents a positive signal to spam filters. While the majority may never see it, the minority who do, or the systems that check for it, make it a worthwhile effort. You can learn more about how different users view emails in our article, what percentage of emails are viewed in HTML vs plain text.

Views from the trenches

Best practices

Always generate a plain text version for your emails, even if it's automatically done by your ESP.

Review the auto-generated plain text carefully to ensure it accurately reflects the HTML content and is readable.

Prioritize accessibility in your HTML design; a well-structured HTML can sometimes offer a better experience for screen readers.

Common pitfalls

Forgetting to update the plain text version when making changes to the HTML email, leading to inconsistencies.

Relying on poorly auto-generated plain text versions that might contain broken links or odd formatting.

Omitting the plain text version entirely, risking deliverability issues with some spam filters.

Expert tips

Consider plain text for highly personal, transactional, or plain text-styled messages to enhance authenticity.

Use email testing tools that show how your plain text version appears across different clients and check its spam score.

If using dynamic content in HTML, ensure your plain text alternative gracefully handles its absence or simplifies it.

Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks says a key reason to include a plain text version is to lower SpamAssassin scores, although he finds its practical impact on actual deliverability to be minimal beyond these simplistic tool checks.

2024-10-30 - Email Geeks

Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks explains that the plain text version is still recommended because it seems to help in some scenarios, aligning with the idea of reducing spam scoring.

2024-10-30 - Email Geeks

Final thoughts on plain text in emails

In summary, while the days of plain text being the only way to ensure delivery are largely behind us, its role remains significant. I believe that including a carefully crafted plain text version is a simple, yet effective, way to future-proof your email campaigns. It safeguards against potential deliverability pitfalls and extends your reach to users in less common or accessible environments. It's about maximizing your chances of getting your message seen and understood by everyone, everywhere.