I was born in ’85, and I sent my first email around ’96. Back then, I had no idea that today I would be neck-deep in email marketing and email design.

I think it was around 2006 when I first struggled with editing an HTML email. As I’m not a developer, I was definitely out of my comfort zone, but I got used to it.

I hardly understood the reasons for all those rendering issues. Why did my email look different in Outlook on my computer or in Yahoo Mail? It was a mess, and unfortunately, the situation is still a bit similar.

I don’t want to tell the story of my life in these blog posts, don’t worry. What I do want is to give you a clear understanding of email design from A to Z.

There are tons of articles on the web talking about email marketing and email design, but you can hardly find a collection of articles that will truly help a non-techie email marketer understand the tech part of email design.

This is why I decided to come up with an article series which will help a non-techie email marketer to understand how those fancy responsive email templates really work.

Before we dive into responsive emails, let’s jump back in time and start with a brief history of email, just to put us on the same page.

The History Behind Plain Text & HTML Email

Deciding between plain text and HTML for email marketing is widely debated, with good reason. Both approaches offer distinct advantages and disadvantages to your end users.

Difference between HTML and plain text emails

Plain text emails are emails with just text. It’s regarded as an appropriate approach for personal, text-heavy messages. In contrast, the HTML approach offers visually appealing emails that are easier for users to scan through and digest.

When deciding on your approach, the important thing to consider as the email marketer is the type of message you are presenting to the audience.

Plain Text Approach vs. HTML Email

The plain text approach involves only text — no formatting, no links, and no images. Unsurprisingly, this approach produces a more personal, one-on-one message for your users.

The following image is an example of an almost plain text based email conversation:

Yes, it’s me talking to myself. Don’t worry; I don’t do it regularly. 🙂 I just wanted to show you the difference between an actual plain text email (1st email) and one with basic HTML (2nd email).

What exactly is HTML? It is a markup language that is used to create web pages, web applications, and email templates as well with formatted text, images, and links.

The goal of HTML emails is to add a little spice to your messages — links, images, text styles, colors, etc.

These days even the simplest messages are HTML based. For example, the link and the italic styling in my email above show that HTML was used to create this message.

There are almost unlimited possibilities when using HTML. The following email was created with Chamaileon builder. The software generates robust responsive email code (which includes HTML and CSS).

If you want to create similar, visually rich, and responsive email templates, you will need to use both HTML and CSS.

But maybe you don’t have to. Plain text or very basic HTML emails (like my 2nd email) might work better in your industry.

What are the advantages of plain text?

Higher chance of delivery to primary inbox in Gmail . As promotional messages were once full of images, emails with plain text or basic HTML are less likely to be recognized as spam.

. As promotional messages were once full of images, emails with plain text or basic HTML are less likely to be recognized as spam. The rise of wearable devices . Since smartwatches can only display text, the future might favor plain text emails or HTML emails with a plain text option.

. Since smartwatches can only display text, the future might favor plain text emails or HTML emails with a plain text option. Personal communication. People often perceive email as a one-on-one conversation, so plain text gives a personal touch to your message.

What are the disadvantages of plain text?

Unable to track open rates . A key component of email marketing is the ability to monitor the impact of each campaign. Unfortunately, you cannot track open rates or enable click tracking in plain text emails. This makes it difficult to track the success of a campaign that employs the plain text approach.

. A key component of email marketing is the ability to monitor the impact of each campaign. Unfortunately, you cannot track open rates or enable click tracking in plain text emails. This makes it difficult to track the success of a campaign that employs the plain text approach. Minimal designs and customization . As the features of plain text do not include colors, formatting, and graphics, the resulting email will lack visual impact.

. As the features of plain text do not include colors, formatting, and graphics, the resulting email will lack visual impact. Unable to display links . Any URLs included in the message must be fully typed out, which can create visual clutter for the end users.

. Any URLs included in the message must be fully typed out, which can create visual clutter for the end users. Hard to break into sections . An email written in plain text may be difficult to divide into easy-to-read sections due to the lack of visual organization.

. An email written in plain text may be difficult to divide into easy-to-read sections due to the lack of visual organization. Unable to achieve multiple-column formatting. The lack of formatting options in the plain text approach prevents multi-column formatting from being an easy task.

When is HTML preferred?

There’s no denying that the plain text approach produces simple, visually unappealing messages. In a world dominated by images, HTML is often necessary to communicate a message to your audience.

There are several advantages to using HTML, including:

Higher conversion rates . Typically, HTML emails have higher rates of conversion when compared to their plain text counterparts in industries such as eCommerce.

. Typically, HTML emails have higher rates of conversion when compared to their plain text counterparts in industries such as eCommerce. Visually appealing emails can be easily accomplished by incorporating brand images, logos, links, and colors into HTML emails.

can be easily accomplished by incorporating brand images, logos, links, and colors into HTML emails. Dynamic and personalized emails . With the information you collect about clients’ interests, you have the power to send custom content straight to their inbox. Matched with the variety of formatting options in HTML, the resulting possibilities are endless.

. With the information you collect about clients’ interests, you have the power to send custom content straight to their inbox. Matched with the variety of formatting options in HTML, the resulting possibilities are endless. Emails are easier to scan because HTML based emails can be organized efficiently into digestible sections.

because HTML based emails can be organized efficiently into digestible sections. Clickable links and buttons allow your audience to quickly and easily take action upon receiving your message.

allow your audience to quickly and easily take action upon receiving your message. The ability to track open rates exists only when HTML is used. Email opens often enabled by adding a pixel (1pxx1px image) to the email’s body and by measuring the downloads. When attempting to gauge the success of your campaign, it is necessary to consider open rates. Click-tracking can be enabled through HTML to understand what your audience clicks.

We created a video tutorial on how to create a HTML email without coding. You can see it here and design your first HTML email in Chamaileon.

Comparing Basic HTML to Complex HTML

What happens when we compare basic HTML to complex HTML emails? Does this difference affect your subscribers?

ProImpact7’s Study:

In a study done by ProImpact7, two similar emails were tested on 100,000 opt-in users to determine which copy was more effective in engaging customers.

The content of the emails remained the same, while they differed in the way they were presented. The content of Version A was presented using rich HTML — clickable links, buttons, graphics, and multiple-column format. Version B was presented in basic HTML — clickable links, and basic text formatting.

In the following image, which copy do you think was more successful – Version A or Version B?

If you said Version B, you guessed correctly; it was more effective in engaging customers. Compared to the HTML-rich Version A, the basic HTML utilized in Version B increased visits to the website by 194.51%.

HubSpot’s Study:

In a similar study done by HubSpot, the authors found that the more HTML-rich an email is, the lower the open rate. The authors compared an email written in basic HTML to emails with varying levels of HTML.

One thing was consistent: messages with simpler HTML had higher open rates than HTML rich emails. Why?

The HTML-heavy emails were less likely to arrive in a user’s primary inbox due to various filters set up by email providers.

In the following example, a basic HTML template was compared with an HTML-heavy template. By increasing the amount of HTML in the email, the open rate decreased by 23%.

One of the reasons for this difference might be that light HTML can help you to get your emails delivered to the Gmail primary tab.

Know Your Audience

While both options have specific strengths and weaknesses, how do you know which approach is better for your audience?

Get to know the interests and preferences of your audience in the following ways:

Engage your audience by asking for their input about what they would like to see in their inbox

Use a form to collect your users’ preferences when they initially sign up on your website

Create and issue a survey to your email list to gather information

Include “Yes” and “No” buttons, or a rating scale to allow users the opportunity to quickly provide feedback on the email

If you are still in doubt about which approach to take, then test, test, test.

Super Personalized Responsive HTML Emails = Future Email Marketing

The integration of HTML into email marketing allows for advanced personalization of content. Now, dynamic content that is behavior-based, for example, can be readily distributed to your subscribers. It’s now easier than ever to tailor your messages based on users’ preferences, making it clear that HTML is here to stay.

Plain text still has a purpose, but according to Mathew Sweezey, the author of Marketing Automation for Dummies, it is recommended to reserve plain text for one-on-one messages with your audience.

With the endless possibilities to produce personalized, dynamic content, the future of email marketing seems to be paved with HTML.

This article is the first piece in our series about email design. Below, you can check out other articles, all dealing with specific topics.

In the forthcoming 9 articles, we’ll go through the ins and outs of email design to help non-technical email marketers understand HTML email like never before.

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