The Dirty Secret of HTML vs. Text E-newsletters...

Two sides to the publishing equation

By Debbie Weil [May 14, 2003 issue]

Exactly one year ago I spoke to a packed audience at ClickZ's Email Strategies Conference in New York City. I earnestly opined that it was ever so important to offer B2B (business to business) e-newsletter readers the choice of text vs. HTML. By this I mean a complete, separate text version of your email newsletter.

Well, I've changed my mind.

Here's the dirty secret: there are two sides to the e-newsletter publishing equation.

That of the publisher, who wants to track reader response as closely as possible. And that of the subscriber, who cares about reading the email in whichever format is easier or preferred.

Most subscribers opt for an attractive-looking HTML version these days. But there is still a vocal minority which insists on text.

Which format wins?

Guess which format wins if you're the publisher? HTML, of course.

Sending in HTML means you can track a bunch of metrics: from open rates to click-throughs for the full story. You know exactly who is reading what - and, with the capabilities of some email service providers, when and how many times.

Is this Big Brother snooping on your subscribers? I say phooey. Publishing a free e-newsletter is a form of email marketing. It's a lead-generating tool or an upsell to a paid product.

As a publisher you're also in the content business. But, hey, good content isn't (or shouldn't be) free. There's an unstated quid pro quo: I send you a useful newsletter; you let me know whether you're reading it, buying something through it, or passing it on.

It's up to you as a publisher to decide whether you want to go the extra mile to offer a nicely formatted text-only version of your publication. You won't learn much about these readers (other than their preference for text) because you can't track whether they're opening your messages, etc.

Exceptions to the I wanna know everything rule

On the other hand, some successful newsletter publishers swear by a text-only version. They've been doing it for years and see no reason to change. One is Randy Cassingham, a B2C (business to consumer) publisher and editor of This Is True, a weekly e-publication that offers bizarre-but-true stories he's culled from newspapers. He offers both a free and a paid, premium edition. Both are plain text and include the full text of each article.

Another is Anne Holland, B2B publisher of a half dozen text-only newsletters for widely-respected MarketingSherpa.com. With one exception (the weekly summary edition), Sherpa includes the full text of each article or case study. Many of her readers (myself included) print these 8-page behemoths out and read them later.

The stats on HTML vs. text preference

The most recent edition (published in August 2002) of eMarketer's E-Mail Marketing Report reports a mismatch between what readers say they want and what publishers or marketers are sending. Note: the report doesn't distinguish between "email promotions" and "e-newsletters."

From the report: in 1st quarter 2002, 62 percent of consumers surveyed by Opt-In News said they wanted text. To prove the waters are muddied, another survey contradicted this, saying that 60 percent of Internet users preferred HTML.

According to Forrester Research, 63 percent of marketers were sending their emails as HTML in 2001. A projected 85 percent will send as HTML in 2003.

What other publishers say

I did a quick reality check by quizzing several other well-respected publishers about their text vs. HTML subscriber base:

Ralph Wilson publishes three e-newsletters about online marketing and e-commerce through WilsonWeb: HTML is the preselected format on his sign up forms. An average of 18 percent of his subscribers choose text.

Allen Weiss, publisher of MarketingProfs, says only about 1,000 of his 77,000 subscribers choose the text-only version of his weekly newsletter.

Janet Roberts, editor of Ezine-Tips, reports that 17 percent of those who subscribe to the daily tips choose text. That's up from 10 percent at this time last year.

Barbara Feldman publishes several newsletters through SurfNetKids. She says her list is 70 percent text. Here's why: "On most of my email sign-up forms I do not even give the subscriber a choice. They simply get text. Periodically, I remind my text readers that they can switch to HTML if they prefer."

Useful Links

Newsletters in plain text, PDF or HTML by Ralph Wilson

Why readers prefer text or HTML by Lynda Partner

Still Rearing Its Ugly Head: HTML vs. Text by Debbie Weil (in ClickZ)

As quoted by Janet Roberts in Ezine-Tips on the HTML vs. text debate [May 6, 2003].

© 2003 WordBiz.com, Inc. May not be reprinted without permission.