9 Millennial-Friendly Email Marketing Tips

To engage the millennial audience effectively through email marketing, we’ve gathered insights from industry experts, including growth strategists and marketing managers. From incorporating visuals and transparency to ensuring your emails come with a name, explore the nine savvy tips these professionals recommend for making your email marketing resonate with millennials.

• Incorporate Visuals and Transparency
• Leverage the P.S. Statement
• Keep Emails Short and to the Point
• Personalize Content and Optimize for Mobile
• Emphasize Cultural Sensitivity in Content
• Craft Irresistible Subject Lines
• Embrace Visual Storytelling
• Highlight Sustainability Efforts
• Ensure Emails Have a Name Attached

Incorporate Visuals and Transparency

Studies indicate that 64% of millennials find email newsletters effective for brand connections. Notably, email is a potent channel, influencing the purchase decisions of 50.7% of millennial customers. So, here are three elements that you can implement to make your email more millennial-friendly.

First and foremost, visuals are crucial for marketing, no matter your audience, so here’s where we’ll start. Focus on visually engaging content that both grabs attention and is authentic. Millennials care about a business’s values, so keep consistent and transparent.

Also, ensure that your emails are mobile-friendly. The majority of millennials tend to check their emails before their workday and much prefer email marketing compared to other channels. Optimize the design for smaller screens.

Finally, create a strong call to action that prompts millennials to take immediate and clear steps. Whether it’s making a purchase, signing up for an event, or sharing content on social media, a compelling CTA enhances engagement and encourages action.

Michaella Masters
Growth Strategist, Codific

Leverage the P.S. Statement

One tip for making your email marketing more millennial-friendly is to creatively utilize the P.S. statement. Millennials, known for their quick consumption of content, often skim emails. A compelling postscript at the end of your emails can catch their attention and deliver a punchy, memorable message.

Use this space for your most important call to action, a special discount code, or an intriguing piece of information. This not only revives interest but also adds a personal touch, making it more likely for millennials to engage with your content and take the desired action.

Jaya Iyer
Marketing Manager, Teranga Digital Marketing LTD

Keep Emails Short and to the Point

Do you want to appeal to millennials with your email marketing? Here’s a great piece of advice: Make sure it’s brief, sharp, and visually appealing!

Emails should be concise and effective because millennials value material that is short and to the point. Create compelling subject lines that will make readers curious and want to click through. Remember to include visually stimulating content in your emails, such as pictures or videos, to increase reader engagement and sharing. These pointers can help you draw in millennials and increase the exposure and interaction of your business.

Simon Brisk
Founder and SEO Strategist, Click Intelligence

Personalize Content and Optimize for Mobile

One tip I can offer is to personalize your content and make it relevant to their interests and preferences. Millennials value authenticity and personalized experiences, so tailoring your email campaigns to their specific needs can significantly improve engagement. Segment your email list based on demographics, behaviors, or preferences, and create targeted content that resonates with each segment.

Incorporate dynamic content, such as personalized recommendations or exclusive offers, to make the emails feel more personalized and relevant. Another thing to keep in mind is to make sure that your emails are mobile-friendly, as millennials heavily rely on mobile devices for email consumption.

By personalizing your content and optimizing for mobile, you can make your email marketing more appealing and effective for millennial audiences.

Travis Willis
Director of Customer Success, Aspire

Emphasize Cultural Sensitivity in Content

Don’t be a tone-deaf brand. Millennials care about societal issues, so do your best to be culturally sensitive. This is just one of the steps needed to make them loyal customers. You may not be particularly memorable to them at first, but accidentally rolling out controversial content may prove to be detrimental to all future marketing efforts, even beyond their inbox.

Kristel Kongas
CMO, Inboxy OÜ

Craft Irresistible Subject Lines

Crafting irresistible subject lines is pivotal for effective, millennial-friendly email marketing. Engaging headlines capture attention instantly, ensuring your message stands out in cluttered inboxes.

Create subject lines that resonate with the millennial mindset, offering value and relevance. Tailor them to spark curiosity, driving recipients to open emails eagerly. This approach aligns with millennials’ preference for succinct, compelling content that adds immediate value to their lives.

By adopting this strategy, your emails become more than just messages; they become invitations to discover valuable insights, promotions, or opportunities. This straightforward and results-oriented technique enhances the likelihood of your emails being noticed and acted upon in the fast-paced digital landscape, aligning with millennials’ desire for efficiency and meaningful interactions.

Kate Cherven
Marketing Specialist, United Site Services

Embrace Visual Storytelling

The number-one way I make my email marketing content truly millennial-friendly is by embracing visual storytelling through dynamic mediums versus long blocks of text.

Our generation consumes information faster on mobile with limited attention spans. Though I love writing comprehensive side-hustle guides, cramming that much heavy copy into inboxes simply doesn’t compel or retain millennials.

Instead, I focus my subscriber communications on punchy money stats paired with vibrant graphics, optimizing for small screens. I also thread bite-sized side-hustle advice across mini-series emails, building anticipation rather than overloaded one-offs.

The key is conveying financial education visually through easily “skimmable” formats, relying more on strong imagery versus dense paragraphs. Striking graphics, minimalist formatting, and transparency are essentials.

Since tailoring my newsletters for millennial consumption habits, click-through rates have doubled. Remember, writing less while spotlighting visuals makes all the difference for modern audiences. Putting legibility and creativity first resonates much stronger!

Brian Meiggs
Founder, My Millennial Guide

Highlight Sustainability Efforts

Millennials are socially conscious consumers who frequently choose brands that are committed to sustainability and social responsibility. In your email campaigns, highlight your brand’s environmentally-friendly methods, ethical sourcing, and community involvement. Share stories about your activities and relationships that help make the world a better place.

By demonstrating your commitment to making a positive difference, you’re more likely to connect with millennials, who actively seek brands that share their beliefs.

Adam Crossling
Marketing and New Business Director, Zenzero

Ensure Emails Have a Name Attached

We have to consider that many millennials have encountered an array of spam- and virus-laden emails during the internet’s heyday. They’re more cautious when it comes to opening emails, particularly from senders they’re unfamiliar with.

One vital tip for making your email marketing friendly for millennials is to ensure your email campaign appears genuine and personal. This can be achieved by using a legitimate email with a domain name, preferably one that includes the name of an employee.

For example, company emails starting with ‘info@’ often appear impersonal and are therefore more likely to be dismissed or even flagged as spam. By incorporating a personal touch to your email campaigns, you can build trust and rapport among millennial customers.

David Rubie-Todd
Co-Founder and Marketing Head, Sticker It

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Don’t End Up in the Spam Folder: 10 Subject Line Mistakes to Avoid

Navigating the treacherous waters of email marketing requires knowing what not to do, especially for crafting that critical subject line. We’ve gathered insights from copywriters and content marketing managers, among others, to pinpoint the top ten subject line missteps that could doom your emails to the spam folder. From avoiding salesy language to skipping dollar signs or mentions of cost, here’s what the experts have to say.

• Leading with Salesy Words
• Utilizing All-Caps Text
• Writing with Spammy Words
• Adding Exclamation Marks
• Using Vague, Irrelevant Language
• Leaving Your Subject Line Incomplete
• Misleading with the “RE” Prefix
• Not Naming the Recipient
• Aggravating with False Urgency
• Including Dollar Signs or Cost

Leading with Salesy Words

Since teaming up with Michelle Paulhus, our E-Commerce & Retention Director (aka guru of all things e-commerce and email), we agreed to ditch the salesy subject lines.

We keep them short, sweet, and just plain fun—sometimes riffing on a joke that pays off in the newsletter, asking a ridiculous question, or something that seems random but sparks curiosity in the email. Keep them fresh, fun, and full of surprises!

Madeline Soules
Copywriter, OLIPOP

Utilizing All-Caps Text

I’ve written thousands of content pieces online since 2011, and one of several things that has helped me stand out from the rest is avoiding capital letters and exclamation marks. I’m guilty of it too. I used to add exclamation marks to look cool.

The same applies to email subject lines as well. People have short attention spans, and when they see capital letters in subject lines, it sure gets them to pay attention, but it also raises red flags. I’ve never opened an email with all-caps subject lines.

Imagine me writing this in all caps or title case with an exclamation mark!

Shubham Davey
SEO Copywriter Growing Blogs Organically, Prachar Max

Writing with Spammy Words

A critical mistake is using spammy words in subject lines. These words can trigger spam filters, causing your emails to be missed by your audience and harming your sender reputation.

Words like “free,” “guarantee,” and “limited-time offer” are common culprits. Steering clear of these terms not only helps your emails reach inboxes but also maintains your brand’s credibility. Crafting engaging yet straightforward subject lines without these triggers is key to successful email deliverability and maintaining a positive relationship with your audience.

Marco Genaro Palma
Content Marketing Manager, PRLab

Adding Exclamation Marks

I know you might be excited to tell us some news, but anything with all caps tends to push emails directly into the spam folder, rendering your excitement null and void. In addition, emails that break through the spam filter with an all-caps subject line receive a reply 30% less often than those that do not.

Tied together is the use of exclamation points. Digital marketers like to create a sense of urgency so users feel the urge to open their emails, but the combination of all caps and exclamation points will send your emails directly to the spam filter.

Garrett Carlson
Content Marketing Manager, The Loop Marketing

Using Vague, Irrelevant Language

I receive this a lot: “Sorry I missed your email,” says the person who responded three weeks later.

One email subject line mistake that could send an email directly to the spam folder is using vague or irrelevant subject lines, such as “Sorry I missed your email” or “Following Up.” These subject lines may not catch the recipient’s attention and could easily be mistaken for spam, causing the email to be deleted or sent directly to the junk folder.

For me, this is one of the most frustrating email mistakes. Not only does it waste my time and clutter my inbox, but it also shows a lack of professionalism and consideration for others’ time. If a marketer thinks that “Sorry I missed your email” is a suitable subject line, they may not have taken the time to understand their audience and tailor their message accordingly.

If you want to be successful in email marketing, put yourself in your recipient’s shoes. Would you open an email with such a vague and uninteresting subject line? Probably not.

Eric Eng
Founder and CEO, Private College Admissions Consultant, AdmissionSight

Leaving Your Subject Line Incomplete

An empty or incomplete subject line may be considered suspicious by spam filters. Sometimes the subject line gets missed, or is sent only half-completed when you’re busy and trying to do multiple things at once.

Always provide a clear and concise subject that reflects the content of your email. I also recommend leaning into automation to help you when it comes to having emails prepared and ready to go, and to always proofread and double-check your email before sending it out.

Aaron Davis, CEO and Co-Founder, Exploration

Misleading with the “RE” Prefix

I was clearing my spam box a couple of weeks ago and noticed at least five email subject lines beginning with “RE.” The sender was probably trying to trick me into thinking this was an ongoing conversation, so I would click on their email.

This triggered my curiosity. Does Gmail’s spam filter automatically filter out email subject lines that start with “RE?”

When I looked at their guidelines, it says that the spam filter will get rid of misleading emails. This means that using “RE” in subject lines shows spam filters that you’re trying to trick the recipient.

Scott Lieberman
Owner, Touchdown Money

Not Naming the Recipient

One surefire way to get your emails caught by the most basic spam filter is not customizing your subject lines at all. If you have your contact’s name or business name, include them in the email subject to make your emails more unique and look less like spam.

Justin Silverman
Founder and CEO, Merchynt

Aggravating with False Urgency

There’s a long list of words and phrases that will sweep your message into the spam folder before your reader ever gets to view it. These phrases typically have to do with creating false urgency (act now!) or false promises (100% free). Spam filters are imperfect, and sometimes they can bury legitimate offers out of caution, but they reduce the risk of fraud or harm to the reader. So, consider your word choice before you hit send. You don’t want your business to get lumped in with any shady activity.

Even if your email isn’t automatically sorted into spam, your subject line could earn you a one-way ticket out of your reader’s inbox if you’re not careful. With so many people feeling overwhelmed by the sheer volume of messages they receive, a little empathy can go a long way. Instead of writing subject lines that ask your reader to spend or take action, consider how your email can help solve a problem they’re facing. Demonstrating that you understand your audience can make your emails more relevant and less expendable.

Ashley Laabs
Thought Leadership Coach and LinkedIn Ghostwriter, Composure Digital

Including Dollars Signs or Cost

As an Enterprise SaaS sales rep, I’m well-versed in bypassing spam filters after sending tens of thousands of automated cold emails, and hundreds of personalized cold emails over the past several years.

Google will flag anything that mentions price or cost as going directly to spam. Dollar signs ($$$), “FREE” in capital letters, “Act now,” “Buy Now!!!,” “100% discount,” or anything with excessive punctuation and/or urgency will send you straight to email jail.

How do I know? I’ve A/B tested all the above phrases, and similar variations, in different cadences, from different email domains. And any time I’ve tested any subject line with even a hint of urgency, the open rates are abysmal.

My advice is to keep your subject line low-friction and low-pressure, and relevant to whatever email it is that you’re sending. At one company I worked for, out of all the different subject lines we tested and tried, the best-performing one was “Intro.” Sometimes simplicity is best!

Adam Purvis
Founder, AdamJohnPurvis.com

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12 Email Marketing Terms Every Marketer Should Know

In the ever-evolving world of email marketing, twelve industry leaders, including CMOs and founders, share their insights on terms that can make a significant difference in your campaigns. From the strategic use of A/B testing for email success to the importance of email list hygiene practices, this article unveils the less-common email marketing knowledge that can set you apart. Discover why these terms matter and how they can enhance your marketing strategy.

• A/B Testing
• CAN-SPAM Act
• Graymail
• Honeypots
• Personalization Tokens
• List Churn
• Parasite Emails
• Cost per Mile
• Bacn
• Permission Marketing
• Throttling
• Email List Hygiene

A/B Testing

A/B testing, or split testing, is becoming a less-used and more obscure email marketing term, given the rise and incorporation of AI, but I believe it’s one more marketers need to know and utilize.

It’s a vital tool for improving and optimizing your email marketing results. Whether you’re testing list segmentation responsiveness, subject line strength, or click-through button text, it’s an excellent tool to test the strength of arguably every part of your email marketing strategy and increase your chances of success.

Robert Foney
CMO, Healthmetryx , Inc.

CAN-SPAM Act

The CAN-SPAM Act is a less commonly known yet vital piece of legislation for every marketer to understand. Standing for “Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography And Marketing Act,” this U.S. law sets rules for commercial emails, establishing requirements for commercial messages and giving recipients the right to stop any emails from being sent to them.

Understanding this law isn’t just about legal compliance; it’s about respect for your audience’s boundaries and earning their trust. Ignorance of CAN-SPAM can lead to costly fines, but more importantly, it can damage your brand’s reputation.

Understanding CAN-SPAM also allows for more effective email marketing strategies. The law requires all commercial emails to include a clear and noticeable unsubscribe link, allowing recipients to easily opt out of future emails. By giving your audience this choice, you are showing respect for their time and preferences, resulting in a more engaged and loyal subscriber base.

Tristan Harris
Demand Generation Senior Marketing Manager, Thrive Digital Marketing Agency

Graymail

One less common email marketing term that warrants more attention is graymail. Not to be confused with spam, graymail refers to legitimate emails that a recipient has opted to receive but doesn’t engage with, either due to lack of interest or overwhelming volume. Graymail can hurt a campaign’s overall performance metrics and deliverability because email providers may begin to categorize these messages as low-value or spammy.

By monitoring and managing graymail, marketers can improve their email performance and ensure their content reaches the inboxes of engaged and interested recipients.

Justin Cole
President and SEO Strategist, Tested Media

Honeypots

A term not many email marketers talk about, but should know, is honeypot. Think of it like a decoy email address that anti-spam groups set up. When a spammer finds and emails this address, they get tagged as a spammer. This is important because if you’re not careful about where you get your email addresses from, you could be at risk. Maybe you got a fake email from a bot, swapped lists with someone, or grabbed emails from websites. That’s where you might accidentally hit a honeypot.

Though honeypots are mainly for catching spammers, they can be used for other stuff too. Sometimes they’re old email accounts that aren’t active anymore. If a spammer sends to these, they get flagged. But honeypots aren’t all about trapping bad guys. They can actually help with security. They’re like lookouts, spotting troublemakers on networks.

Honeypots give email marketers information they can use and act like an early alert system. They come in various types, all aiming to spot and stop problems before your network or systems get hit.

Alan Redondo
Founder, Ardoz Digital

Personalization Tokens

From my perspective, personalization tokens are a lesser-known email marketing term that deserves more attention. These are dynamic placeholders in emails that automatically insert individualized information, like the recipient’s name or location.

Personalization tokens make emails feel more tailored and engaging. Marketers should use them creatively to boost open rates and click-through rates. When subscribers see their name in the subject line or content, it grabs their attention, fostering a sense of connection and relevance.

Danielle Roberts
Co Founder, Boomer Benefits

List Churn

We send emails (as newsletters) to our audience, and the less-common term that most marketers don’t know is List Churn. List churn measures the rate at which subscribers join and leave your email list over time.

This term is important because it highlights the need to maintain a healthy email list by continually adding engaged subscribers and removing inactive or disinterested ones. High list churn can negatively impact email engagement and deliverability.

Bhavik Sarkhedi
Growth Head and CMO, Content Whale

Parasite Emails

I have been using this term as it relates to parasite SEO. It is when a business pays another, larger company with a bigger subscriber list to include them as part of their email campaign. Normally, you would go with a similar industry so that the business’s offering fits the rest of the email content they are sending.

Jeff Michael
Ecommerce Business Owner, Supplement Warehouse

Cost per Mile

Cost per Mile (CPM) doesn’t involve the expense of transporting goods or people over a distance—well, not in the email marketing realm, at least. Here, the term refers to the cost of sending a thousand emails. Or, in marketing generally, it stands for the cost of one thousand impressions or views of a particular advertisement.

CPM empowers email marketers to evaluate the cost efficiency of their campaigns on a per-thousand-email basis, providing insights into the overall cost structure. This, in turn, enhances the precision of budget planning and cost estimation, helping allocate resources in a well-informed way.

Moreover, CPM can also be useful for comparing the cost of email campaigns with other advertising channels that use CPM as a pricing model. And these are good reasons for email marketers to know the term and use it as a metric in evaluating their campaigns.

Nina Paczka
Community Manager, Resume Now

Bacn

Bacn (pronounced like “bacon”) is a less common but important email marketing term. It refers to non-spam emails that, while not entirely unsolicited, can flood a user’s inbox. The term highlights the challenge of finding the right balance between email frequency and relevance.

Marketers need to understand that such emails are often the result of user interactions with websites, subscriptions, or services. It’s crucial for marketers to focus on delivering content that is not only expected but also relevant and valuable to enhance engagement and prevent irritation among recipients.

By recognizing and addressing Bacn, marketers can refine their strategies, improve audience segmentation, and ensure their emails are seen as welcome content in inboxes, thus building positive relationships and boosting email engagement and deliverability.

Brad Filliponi
Co-Founder, BoxBrownie.com

Permission Marketing

The term permission marketing is one that more marketers need to know.

I’ve seen a lot of other terms like “inbound marketing,” “content marketing,” and “social media marketing.” Those are all great terms, but they aren’t the ones that can help you get more conversions out of your email campaigns.

While those other types of marketing might be great for getting more people to your website or social media pages, they don’t necessarily help you convert those visitors into paying customers.

Permission marketing is different because it focuses on giving people who have already expressed interest in your product something they want—and then asking them if they want more.

Looking to increase engagement with your email campaigns? I recommend using permission marketing. It’s easier than ever today because there are so many tools available that make it easy for anyone to set up their own permission-based email list with little effort and even less cost!

Mac Steer
Owner and Director, Simify

Throttling

Throttling is a term in email marketing that’s really important for all email marketers to understand. It’s when you send out emails in large batches, not all at once. This helps ensure more emails actually reach people.

When I use throttling, I send emails in groups over time. This way, it doesn’t overwhelm email servers, and it reduces the chance of emails being marked as spam. It’s important because it helps make sure more people actually see our emails. Sending too many emails at once can cause problems, like bouncing back or getting blocked.

By spreading out the sending, we can monitor how well the emails are performing and make adjustments if needed. This strategy really helps improve the chances of our emails being read, which is key in email marketing.

Precious Abacan
Marketing Director, Softlist

Email List Hygiene

Email List Hygiene is a less common but crucial term in email marketing. It refers to regularly cleaning and maintaining your email subscriber list by removing invalid or disengaged addresses. This practice is vital for several reasons.

Keeping a clean list enhances your sender reputation and ensures your emails reach the inbox.

Removing inactive contacts saves money on email marketing services. Cleaning your list leads to higher engagement and open rates as you target a more responsive audience, and it also helps meet GDPR and CAN-SPAM Act requirements by respecting user preferences.

Remember, clean lists provide accurate data for better targeting and content relevance.

Lenna Zitter
Founder, Magellanic Digital

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7 Things You Didn’t Know Email Marketing Automation Could Do for You

To shed light on the unexpected benefits of email marketing automation, we’ve gathered insights from seven industry professionals, including CEOs and Digital Marketing Managers. From the enhancement of communication through sentiment analysis to the improvement of conversions with a “warm leads” list, discover the surprising capabilities of email marketing automation.

• Effective Tagging Helps Segment Subscribers
• Sentiment Analysis Enhances Communication
• Personalization Boosts Engagement and Conversions
• Monitoring Customer Preferences Increases Sales
• Reminders Reduce Cart Abandonment
• Cross-Selling Campaigns Skyrocket Profits
• “Warm Leads” List Improves Conversions

Effective Tagging Helps Segment Subscribers

I discovered how to use “tags” to exclude some subscribers from certain messaging, which made my email campaigns much more effective and easier to keep track of. Before implementing tags, there were a few times where I sent new subscribers random broadcasts that weren’t very relevant to them, likely resulting in a few unsubscribes.

Now, I automatejust tagging subscribers after they’ve completed the welcome sequence, and I only send new broadcasts to the segment of people who’ve completed the entire sequence. I understand the annoyance of receiving too many emails from the same sender, especially with no real context, so I was pleased to see how easy it was to set up the automation.

Chloe Brittain
Creator, Monday Roadmap

Sentiment Analysis Enhances Communication

Adding sentiment analysis to our email marketing and editing tools has enhanced our interaction with our audience. It helps us understand the nuances of their responses to better tailor the follow-up messages. In this way, we do our part in bridging the gap between automated efficiency and mindful communication, and elevate our members’ online experience.

Nataly Abousaleh, Marketing Manager

Personalization Boosts Engagement and Conversions

One aspect of email marketing automation that I initially underestimated was its potential for personalization. When I incorporated email marketing automation into our strategies at CodeDesign, I discovered how remarkably it could enhance personalization and its subsequent impact.

Email marketing automation allowed us to segment our audience based on their behavior, interests, and demographics. This enabled us to send highly targeted and relevant content to each segment. The result was a substantial increase in engagement, click-through rates, and ultimately, conversions. By tailoring our messages to individual preferences and behaviors, we achieved a level of personalization that significantly boosted the effectiveness of our email marketing campaigns.

The power of email marketing automation in personalization cannot be overstated. It has not only improved our campaign performance but also fostered stronger customer relationships and loyalty.

Bruno Gavino
Founder, CEO, CodeDesign

Monitoring Customer Preferences Increases Sales

I didn’t know email-marketing automation could monitor what products my customers are most attracted to. When I did this, I found out that these same customers who opened my “Tech Gadgets” emails clicked more smartphone-related links than others.

Therefore, I began writing more letters on smartphones, and my sales for these products really grew. Understanding more about a customer’s preferences enabled me to tailor my emails towards each interest and resulted in more sales of certain products, which made my marketing strategy efficient.

Fahad Khan
Digital Marketing Manager, Ubuy India

Reminders Reduce Cart Abandonment

It’s no secret that most people who visit your website for the first time buy nothing. AI can help you get more people to your site with keyword analysis, but that doesn’t help with conversion rates. I had much more trouble with the fact that 80% of customers almost bought something.

Customers go as far as putting things in the shopping cart but don’t complete the checkout process. AI can track user activity on your website to see what customers browsed, what they bought, what they put in the shopping cart, and what they abandoned. Leverage this data by setting up a clever email campaign for cart abandoners! AI will send out an automated email reminding them to complete the purchase.

Research shows a single email can boost conversion by 10%, and three reminders can boost those numbers by 79%!

Brandon Rubinshtein
Founder, Howdy

Cross-Selling Campaigns Skyrocket Profits

We were not using email marketing automation for cross-sell campaigns. Our entire focus was on lead nurturing and win-back campaigns. Cross-selling skyrocketed our profits and retention rates.

We could use the emails to let our customers know about our other services and products. Although we had to spend some time on data analysis, it was worth it. It allowed us to personalize content for cross-sell campaigns based on customer preferences.

Perry Zheng
Founder and CEO, Pallas

“Warm Leads” List Improves Conversions

Before delving deep into email marketing automation, I wasn’t aware that I could efficiently segment and nurture my audience by automatically placing them in a “warm leads” list.

This feature was transformative. Instead of manually sifting through subscribers, automation did the heavy lifting, ensuring those showing purchase intent were appropriately engaged.

This not only streamlined our communication efforts but also enhanced the user experience, leading to a noticeable uptick in conversions. For budding entrepreneurs, harnessing such subtle yet impactful tools can significantly elevate your marketing game.

The text provided did not contain any email-like introductions or sign-offs, so no changes were necessary.

Tobias Liebsch
Co-Founder, Fintalent.io

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Should You Still Send Plain-Text Versions of Your Emails?

To shed light on the relevance of plain-text emails in today’s digital age, we asked eight professionals, including marketing managers and founders, to share their insights. From the potential resurgence of plain-text emails to how the recipient and purpose guide email style, discover the diverse perspectives on this topic.

• Potential Resurgence of Plain-Text Emails
• Authenticity Through Plain-Text Emails
• Deliverability and Accessibility as Plain-Text’s Strengths
• Enhancing Deliverability and Authenticity
• Accessibility Advocacy in Plain-Text Emails
• Audience and Goals Determine Email Format
• Legal and Ethical Imperatives for Plain-Text
• Recipient and Purpose Guide Email Style

Potential Resurgence of Plain-Text Emails

Email marketing platforms typically include a text version with every HTML sent, with no additional effort required. However, the question arises—is the plain-text version seen and used? Likely not, which may lead to platforms discontinuing this feature.

Consider the “view online” text link found at the top of many emails. Initially, this was included so recipients could read their email online if it wasn’t rendering correctly in their email client. Over time, it became almost obsolete as reports showed minimal clicks.

However, with the rise of mobile device usage for reading emails, these links experienced a resurgence in clicks.

Could a similar trend occur with plain-text emails? It’s uncertain. But for now, there’s no compelling reason to stop including them with your HTML versions.

Jeanne Jennings
Email Marketing Strategy, Consultant, Trainer, Speaker, and Published Author, Email Optimization Shop

Authenticity Through Plain-Text Emails

There are technical reasons for choosing plain-text emails over HTML-based ones, but there is also a psychological rationale to consider.

In today’s saturated landscape of sales and marketing emails, where graphics and HTML formatting are ubiquitous, a plain-text email, accompanied by compelling copy, can create a more authentic and personalized experience for the recipient.

Our minds have developed an association between heavy graphics and excessive formatting with advertisements, whether encountered on websites, through direct mail, or in email promotions. As a result, a plain-text email stands out from the crowd, presenting a more human touch that resonates with the recipient on a deeper level.

Nikhil Prasad
Marketing Manager, Fello

Deliverability and Accessibility as Plain-Text’s Strengths

Absolutely, sending plain-text versions of emails is a must, as deliverability is an enormous factor. Many corporate email filters suspect HTML-heavy emails and push them straight to the spam or promotions folder.

Plain-text emails have a better chance of bypassing these filters, so your message lands directly in the recipient’s primary inbox. We also have to think of accessibility. Visually impaired recipients might use screen readers, which work best with plain-text content.

Jon Mazza
Head of Marketing, DealPad

Enhancing Deliverability and Authenticity

Yes, plain-text versions of your emails should still be sent alongside HTML versions. Plain-text emails tend to bypass spam filters more often, increasing the chances of reaching the recipient’s inbox.

By including both versions, a wider audience is catered to, deliverability is improved, and the professionalism and authenticity of your communication is enhanced.

Jorie Wisnefski
Marketing Manager, Urban Machine

Accessibility Advocacy in Plain-Text Emails

For accessibility, it is recommended to still send the plain-text version of emails. HTML emails may not be as clear to the recipient for various reasons, such as device settings or user preferences.

In addition, plain text is a more inclusive form of email. Some visually impaired individuals use screen tools to aid them in reading messages. Communicating to attain understanding is the goal. If email is the available tool presented, then all possible ways to make it effective must be tried.

Tristan Harris
Demand Generation Senior Marketing Manager, Thrive Digital Marketing Agency

Audience and Goals Determine Email Format

It really comes down to your goals and audience. For example, if you’re an e-commerce business, your audience needs to see visuals of what you’re selling, so sending plain-text emails would be a bad move. But if you’re offering some kind of personalized service or sharing industry insights, plain text works just fine.

In fact, it works better because you want to talk and act like a human and not as a commercial brand. We’ve seen impressive results with plain text because our content has fewer bells and whistles and more authenticity, so it helps us stay true to our brand.

Ewen Finser
Founder, The Digital Merchant

Legal and Ethical Imperatives for Plain-Text

The answer is a resounding yes—including plain-text versions is still crucial. When considering the accessibility of your emails, plain-text versions play a vital role. Not all recipients use email clients that support HTML formatting, and some individuals rely on assistive technologies like screen readers to consume content.

By sending a plain-text version alongside your HTML version, you ensure that your message is accessible to everyone, regardless of the technology they use or any visual impairments they might have.

Accessibility is not only a matter of ethical responsibility but also a legal requirement in many regions. Laws like the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in the United States emphasize the need for digital content, including emails, to be accessible to individuals with disabilities. Failure to comply with these regulations could result in legal consequences for businesses and organizations.

Harsh Verma
SEO Head, CodeDesign

Recipient and Purpose Guide Email Style

Deciding this depends on who your email is going to and why you’re sending it!

Plain-text emails are great for cold outreach and any other email where your goal is to be personable and direct. On the other hand, if you’re looking to send out drip campaigns or promotions, a more visually appealing email is what we recommend.

Both plain and rich-text emails have a great place in marketing and e-commerce business management. Another easy way to determine which email style to use is to consider the sender: a corporation/brand or an individual?

If your email would perform best coming from an individual, plain-text is the better choice. If it would perform best coming from a brand, then a rich, polished email design is the better choice!

Chelsea Evans-Flower
Owner, Scott Social

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