How do plain text emails impact accessibility for users with disabilities?

Plain text emails are generally more accessible for users with visual impairments who rely on screen readers, as they lack complex layouts and images that can be difficult for these tools to interpret. They provide a straightforward, linear reading experience.

What happens if a recipient's email client doesn't support HTML emails?

While most modern email clients prefer HTML, they are designed to fallback to the plain text version if the HTML cannot be rendered. This ensures that your message is still viewable, even if the rich formatting is lost. For example, Campaign Monitor highlights this fallback functionality.

Should I avoid including calls to action in plain text emails?

No, you should still include calls to action. However, in plain text emails, calls to action typically manifest as clear, direct text links (e.g., 'Visit our website: https://example.com/'). You can use surrounding text to guide the user towards the link.

Can sending plain text emails help improve sender reputation?

Yes, plain text emails can significantly help in establishing sender reputation, especially for new sending domains or during cold outreach. Their simplicity often makes them appear less like marketing spam, leading to higher open rates and fewer spam complaints, both of which positively influence your reputation.

When are plain text emails needed and which devices still use them? - Technical - Email deliverability - Knowledge base

In the ever-evolving landscape of email communication, the discussion often revolves around sophisticated HTML designs, embedded media, and interactive elements. However, amidst all the advancements, plain text emails continue to hold a significant place. These simple, unformatted messages might seem like a relic from the past, but they serve crucial purposes and are still essential for reaching certain audiences and ensuring deliverability.

While most modern email clients and devices are capable of rendering rich HTML, there are specific scenarios and older or specialized devices where plain text remains the only, or preferred, format. Understanding these contexts is vital for email marketers and communicators to ensure their messages are universally accessible and perform as intended. It's not just about aesthetics, but also about the underlying technical compatibility and the user experience for everyone.

Ignoring the plain text version of an email can lead to missed opportunities, poor user experience, or even deliverability issues. This article explores when plain text emails are still needed and which devices and situations continue to rely on them, ensuring your email strategy is truly comprehensive.

Why plain text emails remain crucial

Plain text emails, by their very nature, offer universal compatibility. Unlike HTML emails that can break or render inconsistently across different email clients, operating systems, or devices, plain text simply displays characters as they are. This consistency is a major advantage, ensuring your message is seen exactly as intended by every recipient, regardless of their setup. It removes the complexities of CSS, images, and various rendering engines, streamlining the viewing experience.

Furthermore, plain text emails often experience higher deliverability rates. Spam filters sometimes flag HTML emails with complex coding, excessive images, or suspicious links. A plain text email, being simpler, is less likely to trigger these filters, increasing the chances of it landing in the recipient's inbox rather than their spam folder. This is one reason why many senders still opt to include a plain text version alongside their HTML campaigns. We also have a guide on the importance of a plain text email version.

Accessibility is another key benefit. Plain text emails are inherently more accessible to users relying on screen readers or other assistive technologies, as there's no complex layout or imagery to interpret. They also consume less data and load faster, which is crucial for users on limited data plans or in areas with poor internet connectivity. This ensures that your message reaches all audiences, not just those with high-end devices and robust network access.

Key advantages of plain text emails

Universal compatibility: Ensures consistent display across all email clients and devices.
Higher deliverability: Less likely to trigger spam filters, improving inbox placement.
Improved accessibility: Easily read by screen readers and assistive technologies.
Faster loading: Consumes less data, ideal for low-bandwidth environments.

Devices and scenarios that rely on plain text

While advancements in technology have made HTML email rendering more robust across various platforms, certain devices and systems still benefit significantly from, or even require, plain text emails. Smartwatches, for example, often have limited screen real estate and processing power, making plain text or a simplified rich text subset the ideal format. Apple Watch is a prime example of a device that displays plain text reliably. Even older feature phones or basic mobile devices that lack advanced web rendering capabilities often default to plain text.

Beyond personal devices, specific professional and technical environments heavily rely on plain text. Machine-to-machine (M2M) communication, particularly in sectors like banking and IT, often uses plain text emails for automated alerts, reports, and data transfer. These systems are designed to parse simple text for specific information, and HTML formatting would introduce unnecessary complexity and potential errors. Similarly, some legacy or specialized ticketing systems and monitoring tools might not handle rich HTML content well, making plain text a necessity for reliable communication.

Furthermore, email-to-SMS gateways, which convert email messages into text messages, rely exclusively on plain text. If you’re sending alerts or notifications via this method, a plain text version ensures that the message translates accurately into an SMS. Many modern email clients also display the plain text version (or an approximation of it) in notifications and previews on mobile devices, even if they can render HTML when the full email is opened. This means that a well-crafted plain text version can significantly impact the recipient's first impression of your email.

HTML emails

Visual appeal: Supports rich formatting, images, videos, and interactive elements for a branded experience.
Marketing friendly: Enables complex layouts, tracking, and analytics for campaigns.
Client rendering variability: Can render inconsistently across different email clients, requiring extensive testing. One example is Email on Acid's insights.

Plain text emails

Universal compatibility: Displays consistently on all devices, including smartwatches and older systems.
Improved deliverability:Less likely to trigger spam filters, boosting inbox placement.
Accessibility: Easier for screen readers and low-bandwidth users.

Enhancing deliverability and user experience with plain text

The inclusion of a plain text version in a multipart/alternative email is a best practice that significantly enhances deliverability. When you send an email with both HTML and plain text parts, the email client chooses the most appropriate version to display based on its capabilities and user preferences. If the HTML version fails to load or is blocked, the plain text version serves as a reliable fallback. This dual-format approach reduces the risk of your emails appearing as blank or broken to recipients.

Additionally, some email service providers (ESPs) and corporate networks employ strict spam filters that might view highly formatted HTML emails with suspicion. Plain text emails, being simpler and often resembling personal correspondence, are less likely to be subjected to aggressive filtering. This can result in a better inbox placement rate and a reduced chance of being added to a blocklist (or blacklist). While HTML provides rich engagement, the plain text counterpart quietly reinforces the legitimacy of your message.

For transactional emails, such as order confirmations, password resets, or critical alerts, plain text can be particularly effective. These emails prioritize clarity and immediacy over visual flair. A simple, direct plain text message ensures that essential information is conveyed without any rendering issues or distractions. It also fosters a sense of personal connection and trustworthiness, as these messages often resemble one-on-one communications rather than marketing blasts.

Aspect	HTML Email Impact	Plain Text Email Impact
Spam filter evasion	Can trigger filters if poorly coded or overly promotional.	Less likely to be flagged, often improving deliverability.
Loading time	Can be slower due to images and complex formatting.	Extremely fast, consuming minimal data.
Fallback display	May appear broken if HTML rendering fails or is blocked.	Provides a reliable, readable version when HTML is unavailable.
Perception	Can feel like a marketing message or newsletter.	Often perceived as a more personal, direct communication.

Best practices for plain text email

When creating plain text emails, even without rich formatting, there are still best practices to ensure readability and effectiveness. Pay attention to line breaks and paragraph spacing. Since you can't control fonts or sizes, use blank lines to separate paragraphs and make the content easy to scan. Avoid long, unbroken blocks of text that can be overwhelming for the reader.

For links, always include the full URL directly in the text. Unlike HTML emails where a clickable word hides the URL, plain text requires the user to see the full path. It's also a good idea to consider where the links break naturally. For example, if your HTML email has a large hero image that links, decide what the plain text equivalent would be. It's crucial to ensure that unsubscribe links in plain text are properly included and functional to comply with regulations and maintain a good sender reputation.

Character limits per line are also important, typically around 65-72 characters. Exceeding this can lead to awkward line wrapping in some older email clients, making the email difficult to read. You can use hyphens or other delimiters for long URLs to break them gracefully if needed, though most modern clients handle long URLs well. Ultimately, the goal is to create a plain text version that is clean, concise, and delivers the core message effectively, even without the visual enhancements of HTML.

Plain text email example

This is a simple plain text email body.

It's easy to read and universally compatible.

Visit our website: https://www.example.com/your-page

To unsubscribe, click here: https://www.example.com/unsubscribe

Views from the trenches

Best practices

Always include a plain text alternative in your multipart emails for maximum compatibility.

Prioritize transactional and alert-based emails for plain text versions to ensure critical information delivery.

Format plain text for readability using consistent line breaks and clear spacing, as per common conventions.

Common pitfalls

Neglecting the plain text version, leading to poor display on incompatible devices.

Failing to include visible, clickable URLs in plain text, making it difficult for recipients to access links.

Omitting the unsubscribe link in the plain text version, which can affect compliance and deliverability.

Expert tips

Use your plain text version to deliver concise, critical information without visual distractions.

Test your plain text emails on various clients and devices to catch any unexpected rendering issues.

Consider plain text emails for cold outreach to convey a more personal and less 'marketing' feel.

Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks says plain text emails are absolutely necessary for machine-to-machine (M2M) communication, especially in sectors like banking, where automated systems process data from emails rather than human users.

2021-03-30 - Email Geeks

Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks says devices like the Apple Watch primarily support plain text or a simplified rich text format, not full HTML, making plain text crucial for notifications on these wearables.

2021-03-30 - Email Geeks

The enduring relevance of plain text emails

While HTML emails offer extensive design flexibility and engagement opportunities, the enduring relevance of plain text emails cannot be overstated. They are critical for ensuring universal accessibility, improving deliverability by bypassing strict spam filters (or blocklists), and providing a reliable fallback for diverse devices and systems. By incorporating well-crafted plain text versions into your email strategy, you can reach a broader audience, enhance user experience across all platforms, and maintain a robust email program.