I do use both, but even my html is text that I have
just used the bolding, italics and underline.

I have not tested pictures and such…and…probably should.

I just worry that using HTML will trigger more spam filters.

I always use html and just copy it to plain text so I’m sending both but I love html and so do many of my subscribers.

I get a lot of positive feedback from them - things like ‘WOW - that really hit me between the eyes!’ and ‘How did you do that?’.

I use a table to create a box with solid coloured background just by using one column and one row. Anyone else do this?

For my newsletters I use html

for follow-ups I use text to create a more of a personal feeling

We use both plain text and HTML and just change our HTML to format the text so it looks a bit "prettier".

We also use the HTML to create links within the message for "click here" for example rather than in a plain text message where we would put "fo more information click the URL below - http://www.sampleURL.com"

Remember too that many webmail services (like gmail) have images turned OFF by default. This means that when your email does make it to the inbox the first glimpse many recipients get of your email will be text without pictures. So, even if you are designing in html and using graphics, it should be coherent without your graphics showing.

From my own experience, I find that a well crafted HTML is much more likely to grab my attention. It also enables me to track the opened emails and whether or not the links are clicked to check if my subject line and messages are effective as they could be.

The biggest drawback on plain text is
the inability to hide html links, but
that’s why we use links like
http://danielmcgonagle.com/likes

and whatever the product is.

you can hide long, ugly affiliate links
with link shrinkers,or merely by using
Aweber’s tracking links,but there is always
a small number of people that complain that
the tracking links doesn’t work for them the first time.

All that being said, I haven’t noticed a
difference in response rate between either of the 2

I use Text…

I haven’t started using html yet but I’ll try it out soon.

I have tried both ways using html and text messages. I prefer text over html.

I use both … my regular eZine is in html & text, but when I send out autoresponders or special annoucments (1-3x month) they are in text-only. These emails are usually about one thing … a new eBook I just finished, a class later that day, or a new free article on my site. These emails are written to come “from me” as a special note, and helps to changes things up. I still use aweber link tracking in those text-only emails, and they typically get a great click rate (12% to 25%).

I never use HTML. The reason being that my email client does not accept HTMl so when I get an email in HTML, I won’t spend the time reading around all of the HTML tags.

I go directly to the unsubscribe link.

Since some of mt subscribers email clients won’t except HTMl either, I would rather keep my subscriber than give them a pretty picture to look at.

My solution: For my newsletter, I offer a PDF version and an online version where I can "pretty it up" but send all emails in plain text.

I use text only. Easy to prepare, less problem to read by most email clients.

I’ve been mainly using html for tracking purposes in initial emails, but then go text for followups.

I like testing which is why I keep on going to html - even now.

Emphasize text? Some mentioned that plain text can only be emphasized by capitalization. Think again.

How To Emphasize Text for Profit

Whitespace forces text to jump off the page.

"Quotation marks also scream for attention", mused one professional writer. "In fact, studies indicate people often skim through narrative to focus on what people actually say when they read novels or news."

Word prominence also geometrically multiplies the power of text. Search engines like Google go so far as to measure word prominence or how early in the text words appear. So the phrase, "word prominence", stands out more in this paragraph than the last phrase, "a dense paragraph". That’s because many people never read to the end of a dense paragraph.

Words Worth a Ten Thousand Pictures

Ordinary text holds the power to change the world. It already has. Many times. Consider the Magna Carta, the Bible, the Quran, the Declaration of Independence.

The plain text of skilled copywriters can dwarf any other weapon marketers ever dream up to use in emails.

Still, HTML that looks exactly like plan text without bold, underline or italics deserves an experiment to get open rate statistics.

I don’t know one thing about HTML butbI amlearning from all of the good comments left here.

[...] The debate over whether to use an HTML or plain-text only message has not ended. In fact, it may not ever, because there are several good reasons to use both. [...]

I’ve found a great deal of wisdom in all of my business affairs remembering these words,
"LEAD, FOLLOW, OR GET OUT OF THE WAY. And the most successful leaders in Internet Marketing I’ve ever read or known all concur. Leave every option to reach your prospect open. If your profit margin does not allow an adequate advertising budget to reach every potential prospect then perhaps you might reexamine your choice of businesses.
A picture can be worth a thousand words but not every picture is. A few WELL chosen words can move mountains, but it’s the vagaries of the audience we must accommodate. I’ll use both HTML and plain text and recommend both to all my clients and colleagues, as well as direct mail, face2face networking, radio, television and print media. That’s how branding happens !!
Thanx for the forum

I would like to verify that the only difference when you receive an e-mail that arrived in Plain Text;

This Means to me that, you will not any Hyperlinks in this e-mail, if there are Urls, then you shall have to copy & paste, clicking will not operate.

To me, this is the only difference, prior to reading this article.

Please if this is so wrong, let me know as I probably should know better as I am an A+ Certified PC Technician & A Certified PC Analyst, but this is approximately 85% H/W and the remaining 15% in Software, like Internet Explorer, Windows Operating Systems & Drivers for all the different Peripherals..

Please, like I said, if I’m off in any way, JUST JUMP UP & DOWN AND TELL ME SO..

Thanks Justin. Very helpful.

Whether to use plain text or html depends entirely on what you’re promoting.

For some markets, you can only market effectively using pictures of your products and html.
e.g if you are selling something like electronics, TVs, movies, mp3s etc. A picture of what you’re selling goes a long way. Text on its own would never work here.

However, if you are explaining concepts, analysing things, revealing subtle tips etc, then a plain text format will suffice. What you are selling here is INFORMATION and that can only be expressed using words.

So html or text simply depends on what you are promoting.

Great article showing the pros and cons of both.

I like html for my weekly newsletter, but I opted for plain text for all my personal and AR emails.