HubSpot Email Format Guide: Plain Text vs. HTML

Choosing between plain text and HTML email formats in HubSpot can seriously impact your open rates, clicks, and overall engagement. This guide walks you through the data-backed differences so you can send emails your subscribers actually read and act on.

What HubSpot Research Reveals About Email Formats

The source study from HubSpot’s marketing blog analyzed millions of emails to understand how design affects performance. Marketers often assume more visual elements are always better, but the research shows a more nuanced story.

HubSpot looked at how emails with different levels of HTML complexity performed and compared them against simpler, text-focused campaigns. The findings challenge the idea that heavily designed newsletters automatically win.

Plain Text vs. HTML: Core Differences

Before applying the insights in your HubSpot portal, it helps to clarify what you are choosing between.

What Is a Plain Text-Style Email?

In practice, most “plain text” emails sent through HubSpot are actually minimal-HTML emails that visually look like simple text messages. They:

• Use basic fonts and minimal formatting
• Avoid complex layouts or multi-column designs
• Rely mostly on written content and clear links
• Look similar to a personal one-to-one email

What Is an HTML-Rich Email?

HTML-rich emails typically lean into the full design capabilities of HubSpot email templates. They often:

• Use branded colors, imagery, and logos
• Include multiple sections or columns
• Feature buttons, icons, and promotional blocks
• Resemble mini web pages inside the inbox

Understanding this spectrum matters because HubSpot data shows performance shifts as you add more HTML elements and visual complexity.

Key Findings From HubSpot Email Testing

The HubSpot research team ran controlled tests to compare simpler emails against more visual versions. Here are some of the important patterns marketers should know.

1. More Design Does Not Always Mean More Engagement

As HubSpot tested emails with additional images, modules, and decorative elements, they found that increasingly visual layouts did not consistently improve click-through rates. In some cases, simplified layouts performed as well or better.

This suggests subscribers may scan for clarity and relevance first, not for design flourishes. Overly complex HTML can dilute your main call to action.

2. Personal, Text-Like Emails Often Feel More Human

Emails that resemble personal messages can build trust and encourage replies. HubSpot data indicates that text-focused formats can create a conversational feel that makes subscribers more likely to engage.

When campaigns are relationship-driven—such as onboarding sequences, nurture flows, or sales follow-ups—lower-friction, text-style emails can work especially well.

3. Branded HTML Still Has a Strategic Role

The HubSpot report does not argue that all HTML is bad. Branded designs are valuable when:

• You run promotional campaigns or product announcements
• You publish recurring newsletters with curated content
• You want strong visual alignment with your website and brand
• You need structured layouts for multiple offers or resources

The lesson is not to abandon HTML in HubSpot, but to align design intensity with the goal of each email.

How to Choose the Right Format in HubSpot

Use these steps to decide when to send a plain text-style message and when to use a richer HTML template in your HubSpot campaigns.

Step 1: Define the Primary Goal

Ask what matters most for the specific send:

• Response or reply? Consider a text-style email that looks personal.
• Brand awareness? Use a well-designed HTML template.
• Clicks to one key offer? Use a focused layout with minimal distractions.
• Showcasing multiple items? HTML modules and sections can help.

Clarifying the goal makes it easier to configure the right HubSpot email layout.

Step 2: Match Tone and Design to Audience Expectations

Within HubSpot, you may have different segments that expect different experiences:

• B2B buyers might respond well to simple, authoritative, text-style messages.
• Consumer lists may expect visual content, product imagery, and lifestyle design.
• Existing customers could benefit from a mix of short text updates and occasional HTML-rich announcements.

Aligning email style with each audience segment will help you apply the HubSpot research in a practical way.

Step 3: Start Simple, Then Add HTML Intentionally

Based on the study, a useful rule is to begin with a lean template in HubSpot and add formatting only when it supports clarity. You can:

1. Write the core message and call to action first.
2. Use a single column layout with one primary button.
3. Add only essential images or dividers that guide the eye.
4. Avoid unnecessary modules that compete for attention.

This approach keeps you from over-designing while still benefiting from HubSpot’s email builder.

Optimizing HubSpot Emails With A/B Testing

The strongest takeaway from the HubSpot research is to let data, not assumptions, drive your design decisions. You can reproduce the same style of testing in your own portal.

How to A/B Test Email Formats in HubSpot

Set up experiments to compare text-forward and HTML-rich versions of the same message:

1. Create two variations of an email: one simpler, one more designed.
2. Keep subject line, sender name, and main offer identical.
3. Only vary the visual structure and use of images or modules.
4. Send to a statistically significant portion of your list.
5. Measure open rate, click-through rate, and replies.

Repeat this process across several campaigns to identify patterns that are consistent for your audience. Over time, you will build a HubSpot-specific benchmark for how much design is effective.

Metrics to Watch in HubSpot Reports

HubSpot’s analytics dashboards make it straightforward to compare formats. Focus on:

• Click-through rate (CTR): Are simpler emails driving more action?
• Click map: Are subscribers finding and clicking your main button or link?
• Replies and forwards: Do text-like emails encourage conversation?
• Unsubscribes: Does one format correlate with lower churn?

Review these metrics by campaign type so you do not generalize from a single test.

Practical Tips for Better Email Design in HubSpot

Whether you favor plain text-style or HTML-rich emails, a few shared best practices emerge from the HubSpot findings.

• Keep one clear primary call to action per email.
• Use short paragraphs and ample white space.
• Limit the number of competing modules or offers.
• Ensure mobile responsiveness across devices.
• Test sends to multiple email clients before launching.

These guidelines help you stay aligned with what the HubSpot research indicates: clarity and focus usually outperform decoration.

Next Steps: Apply the HubSpot Insights to Your Strategy

The data-backed lesson is straightforward: instead of assuming that more HTML equals better performance, experiment with simpler, text-forward designs in HubSpot and let engagement data guide how much visual design you add.

If you need broader strategic support on email and CRM implementation beyond what HubSpot alone covers, you can find consulting resources at Consultevo. Combine strong strategy with the platform insights summarized here, and you will be well-equipped to choose the right balance between plain text-style and HTML emails for your audience.

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