What is Plain Text Email?

A plain text email is a simple email message that only includes text. There are no images and no formatting, such as bold, italics, or underlines. Also, links are written out.

Prefinery automatically sends a plain text email along with your HTML email. Sending both an HTML and a plain text email together is known as multi-part MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions). Your recipients will receive a single email and their email client preferences will determine whether the HTML or plain text version is shown to them.

Why send plain text email?

Reach more people

Some people prefer to read plain text email and have configured their email client to show them the plain text version of received emails. Other times, the email client may not be able to render the HTML email and it will fall back on the plain text version, if one is available. It's important to send both versions in multi-part MIME format, or else some people will not be able to see your emails.

Improve your deliverability

Spam filters like to see a plain-text version. Including plain text version may help improve your chances of having your emails land in the inbox and not the spam folder. Furthermore, some email clients (such as Gmail) may flag your HTML email if it doesn’t have a plain text version along with it.

How do I edit the pain text version of my email?

Prefinery automatically generates the plain text version of your email for you by removing all HTML formatting from your HTML email.

However, if you would like to explicitly author the plain text content for your email messages, you can disable the auto-generation feature by doing the following:

1. Click on the Email link in the left-hand sidebar and then on Messages.
2. Click on the Actions menu and choose Edit.
3. Click on the Settings tab.
4. Click on the Advanced settings link.
5. Slide the Auto-generate plain text version? toggle to the Off position.
6. Click Save.
7. Click on the Content tab and then on the Plain Text Message tab in order to customize your plain text message.