Each email you send through WebbMail actually includes two versions – the HTML with its stylish images and formatting, and the Plain Text. Before you send, you’ll always want to double-check both versions to make sure they both look exactly the way you want them to.
When you send, the two versions form a multi-part message, and your recipients’ email clients display the version they prefer. While most will display the HTML version, some will display Plain Text. Those that will see Plain Text include folks who use hand-held devices, folks who’ve set their email clients to show text, and folks who work at companies with a strict No-HTML policy.
So how else is it that someone might receive the Plain Text version instead of the more stylish HTML version? Here’s how:
The recipient’s mail server picked the Plain Text.
In this case, either the recipient has turned HTML off for incoming emails, or someone at their company or email host has. When your email arrives, the Plain Text is the one that makes it through, and the recipient may view the HTML version by clicking the view this email online option .
The recipient chose “Plain Text” as their preference when signing up.
Though the html-or-text decision happens on its own, you can also let your recipients pick their own format when they sign up. Start by turning on the choose your email format field inside your audience records (while on the Audience screen click the ‘Manage Fields’ button, click the drop down menu next to ‘Add more fields’ and select ‘choose your email format’, click the add button then save & exit). Then go to your signup screen and add the ‘choose your email format’ field as an option there. Your recipients can now select their format when they sign up or whenever they manage their preferences.
The email was a signup confirmation.
When someone signs up to get your emails using your WebbMail signup screen, they receive a short confirmation note. It’s an email you can personalize, and it’s sent in Plain Text form as a quick way to welcome your newest subscriber and make sure he or she adds you to the all-important address books or safe-senders lists before your real campaigns begin arriving.
The text version was the only one that could get delivered.
Most of your emails will be delivered (and accepted by the receiving hosts) on the first try. But some won’t – either because an inbox is full, or a server is down or simply not responding. If at first we don’t succeed, we try, try again, sometimes up to 24 hours after you click send. (Those re-tries are listed under the In Progress tab on your response screen.)
During one of those follow-up delivery attempts, we strip the email down and try sending just the Plain Text version. Why? To make sure a server isn’t rejecting it simply because it spots an HTML version (some filtering programs do just that). If the Plain Text email does make it through, we automatically switch that audience member’s preference to Plain Text for future emails. That’s why someone might begin receiving Plain Text emails even if no one has set his or her preference to Plain Text – it’s just WebbMail trying to deliver as many of your emails as possible.
Can someone’s format preference be set back to HTML?
Certainly. First, while on the Audience screen click the ‘Manage Fields’ button, click the drop down menu next to ‘Add more fields’ and select ‘choose your email format’, click the add button then save & exit. Then, do a quick search and find that person’s member record. You’ll see that the ‘choose your email format’ is set to ‘text,’ and you can just switch that to html and save.
It’s also a good idea to turn the email format field on in your account whether or not you plan to let your recipients make their own choices. That way, you can quickly see what someone’s format is and adjust it any time you need to.
Using another email marketing service that isn’t easy to use or doesn’t have great support? Consider trying WebbMail Email Marketing!
