• by Lisa Harmon , Alex Madison , June 7, 2011

For a second there, we thought that the good old text-only version of emails might be headed for extinction -- what with popular smartphones rendering HTML more and more beautifully. But here to rescue the text-only version is the new Facebook email, which displays the text versions of your messages by default. While we wouldn't be surprised if this changes eventually, the likelihood is that more subscribers will see your text-only versions this year.

Since they're still going strong, it's important to make sure that text-only versions get your messages across clearly and effectively. Below, find some tips for good-looking text, followed by a glimpse of a few text-only email versions.

Keep it short and sweet. Shorter text files are better for the recipient and increase the chances that subscribers read your most important messaging. It's not necessary to include every single link and submessage that you included in the HTML design of the main email. Instead, strip your message down to its most important elements.

Optimize your message hierarchy for text. The best order of elements in your text file won't necessarily match that of your HTML design exactly. The most important messaging should go at the top of the file (just beneath the company name and "view with images" link), and navigation should come just above the footer info.

Make it scannable. Let's face it; text-only versions aren't gorgeous, and subscribers want to find what they need quickly. Make sure that they find what you want them to see.

·     Keep line length to 70 characters or fewer, so the text breaks in a controlled manner. It is okay if URLs are longer than 70 characters.  

·     Use capitalization for headlines to help visually separate them from the body text.

·     Consider separating each messaging section with dashed lines so that it's easier for readers to follow.   

·     Use line breaks to separate headlines, body text and calls-to-action. Put URLs on the line below the actual call-to-action text. Be savvy about it, though -0 make sure you put two spaces between each empty line. Otherwise, Outlook will remove the lines.

So, what do these look like?

We pulled a sample of some HTML vs. text-version emails to see how they fare on these criteria.

The NorthFace: this HTML email becomes this text version.

This is nice and clean. The primary message gets top billing with the top navigation stripped, the submessages are separated with dotted lines. Their clever use of capitals and ">>" guides the reader's eye. 

Nordstrom: this HTML email becomes this text version.

We love the double lines Nordstrom uses to organize their messaging; it's neat and easily scannable. That said, leaving their shipping promotion at the top of the message seems like a mistake. While it matches the physical order of messages in the HTML version, it gives more emphasis to the promotion than to the hero message about summer clothes.  

Barnes and Noble:this HTML email becomes this text version.

While the structure works well here, and while the asterisks effectively separate the messages, the heavier use of capital letters on submessage headlines muddles the hierarchy. The MasterCard message isn't clearly distinguished from the "add to address book" messaging at the top, so it almost seems secondary to the social networking links below it. 

We hope that the guidelines come in handy. For those of you who use text-only versions regularly -- or don't -- please share your thoughts. What works for you?