Use this guide to edit the plain text version of emails created in the legacy email composer. You will learn how to open the plain text editor, generate text from your HTML design, customise it, and validate it before sending.
Quick Reference (Advanced Users) - Click to Expand
- Open your legacy email, go to the Design tab, finish editing the HTML version, and click Save.
- In the right column, click Edit Plain Text Version to open the plain text editor.
- Click Generate from HTML to create the plain text version from your current HTML content.
- Edit the plain text as needed, using Personalization and Opt-Out Link to insert required fields and links.
- If you use Custom Headers or Footers, update their plain text versions separately under Content > Email Headers and Content > Email Footers.
- Go to the Review tab and open Validate Message to confirm that the plain text version meets CAN-SPAM requirements before sending.
Most people receive and view their email messages in an HTML format, and a lot of time and effort goes into creating high-quality HTML designs. However, there are still email clients and mail servers that accept only plain text.
When a message is sent from Act-On, two versions are sent in the same email: an HTML version and a plain text version. The recipient's email client will render either the HTML version or the plain text version based on its settings.
Act-On allows you to format and test the plain text version of your legacy email so you can customise your message for recipients who do not receive HTML.
Requirements
- Finish editing the written content of your HTML message before you edit the plain text version. Changes to layout and style will not affect plain text and can be made later.
- If you use Custom Headers, go to Content > Email Headers first and update the plain text version of your custom header there.
- If you use Custom Footers, go to Content > Email Footers first and update the plain text version of your custom footer there.
Open the Plain Text Editor
- In a legacy email, go to the Design tab.
- Finish editing the HTML version of your design, then click Save.
- In the right column, click Edit Plain Text Version.
- The Edit Plain Text Version panel opens with a generated plain text version of your message.
Using the Plain Text Editor
When you open the plain text editor, Act-On displays the default generated plain text content based on your HTML message. You can keep this as is or edit it for clarity, accessibility, and compliance.
Generate from HTML Version
- To use this option, you must first Save your email message. Once saved, open Edit Plain Text Version.
- Any changes you make to the HTML version of your message will not appear in the plain text version until you Save the HTML design and then click Generate from HTML again.
- If you have edited the plain text version, clicking Generate From HTML will overwrite those plain text edits with a new generated version.
When you click Generate from HTML, the message is converted to plain text as follows:
| Section | Converted Text | Editing |
|---|---|---|
| Header | The text version of the default or custom header. This is not a direct HTML-to-text conversion. |
Edit directly in the plain text editor. To change the default header text for future messages, generate and edit the plain text version under Content > Email Headers. |
| Body |
Rich text content is converted to plain text. Hyperlinks appear as text with the URL on a line below the linked text. Images are identified and a link to the original hosted image is included in the plain text: |
Edit the body content directly in the plain text editor. You can shorten or rewrite text to make it easier to read in a text-only email. |
| Footer | The text version of the default or custom footer. This is not a direct HTML-to-text conversion. |
Edit directly in the plain text editor. To change the default footer text for future messages, generate and edit the plain text version under Content > Email Footers. |
Clear
The Clear button removes all generated text from the plain text editor. Use this if you prefer to write your own text-only version from scratch.
Any custom text you create must still meet message validation and CAN-SPAM requirements. See Validating the Plain Text Version for details.
Personalization
Personalization fields in the plain text version work the same way as in the HTML message. Use the Personalization button to insert fields such as first name, company, or account owner.
When you add personalization, it is a good practice to specify alternative text to display when the field is empty for a contact. This helps avoid blank or awkward text such as “Hi ,”.
Opt-Out Link
The Opt-Out Link button inserts the plain text version of the opt-out link into your message. This link works as a one-click unsubscribe (unless you have Subscription Management enabled).
An opt-out link is required for CAN-SPAM compliance in both the HTML and plain text versions of your message.
For more information and options for opt-out links, see: How to Add an Opt-Out Link.
Validating the Plain Text Version
After you save the plain text version, go to the Review tab and open Validate Message to review and validate your message before sending. Just like the HTML version, any marketing email must meet CAN-SPAM requirements.
Plain text messages are validated for the following elements:
| Element | Plain Text |
|---|---|
| Opt-Out Link | Use the Opt-Out or Personalization button to insert a valid opt-out URL. Alternative opt-out links for Subscription Management appear in the Sender Field drop-down in the Personalization menu. |
| Sender Name | Include your company name, for example: {{Account.COMPANY}}
|
| Sender Address | Include your physical mailing address, for example: {{Account.BIZ_ADDRESS}}
|
The default footer contains all required information. If you use a custom footer, you may need to edit the plain text version to include the account name and address as shown above.
For more information on validation, see How to Validate an Email for Sending.
FAQs
I clicked on "Generate from HTML Version" and the plain text did not update.
If you change the message body and need to update the generated plain text, first click Save in the legacy email composer. Then return to Edit Plain Text Version and click Generate from HTML Version again. The plain text version is only refreshed when the HTML changes are saved.
Why is my email header or footer different when I generate the plain text?
Email headers and footers are managed separately from the message body and do not convert directly from HTML. Each has its own plain text version.
If you are using a custom header, go to Content > Email Headers and update the plain text version there.
If you are using a custom footer, go to Content > Email Footers and update the plain text version there.
After you update your custom header or footer, return to your message and click Generate from HTML Version to refresh the generated plain text.