There are pros and cons to both HTML and plain text email messages. Some people prefer the visual appeal of HTML messages, while others prefer the simplicity of plain text messages. Ultimately, it depends on your target audience and what type of message you’re trying to communicate.
What Is an HTML Email Message?
HTML is the code that helps create websites. An HTML email is an email message that includes code that makes it look like a regular website. This code can include a variety of colors, fonts, photos, graphics, website links, tables, and columns. HTML emails are more visually appealing than plain text emails, making them a great option for your email to stand out and make a lasting impression.
In an HTML email, you will see special formatting that makes the email look like a webpage. This can include different sections, links, pictures, icons, graphics, colors, and font formatting. This type of email is usually clean and well-designed, with a few graphics and design elements added to make the message more effective.
Creating an HTML Email
A critical step in creating HTML is ensuring that your design and code will appear in your subscribers’ inboxes. Even if your HTML email displays correctly in your own email program, some recipients may need help viewing HTML emails in their email programs.
When sending an email, you should always include plain-text and HTML versions. This is because some email programs can’t view HTML emails, so the plain-text version will be displayed instead.
The multipart/alternative MIME format sends both the HTML and plain-text versions of an email. This ensures that the email can be read by the greatest number of people, regardless of their email client or settings.
The Email Open Tracking Functionality
Open tracking is a feature that is built into email marketing solutions. This feature allows you to see how many people have opened your email. Opens are tracked by inserting a tiny, transparent graphic at the bottom of the message. When the tracker image is downloaded from the server after a recipient opens the email, it counts as open.
Plain-text emails do not contain images, so open tracking is done differently. Mailchimp allows you to enable click-tracking for plain-text emails. This means that when someone clicks a link in a plain-text email, we track that as an open and a click.
If you want to track clicks, you can use redirect scripts. This way, when someone clicks on a link in your email, they will be redirected to the original URL, and you can track the click. This can help generate reports that show which links were clicked the most.
Conclusion
HTML email has some key advantages over plain text email. It can be more visually appealing, easier to format, and more engaging for recipients. However, HTML email also has some potential disadvantages. It can be more difficult to create and more likely to be caught by spam filters. When creating an HTML email, keep these pros and cons in mind.
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