Hey it’s Idris from Retentiononly.
Quick insight that surprises a lot of ecommerce brands:
Some of the highest-revenue emails we send have zero design.
No images.
No buttons.
Just text and one link.
Why?
Because inbox providers treat plain text emails like human emails, not promotions.
And that changes everything.
Here’s how we use plain text emails and the exact angles that consistently work, based on analyzing 100+ top ecommerce newsletters and deploying these emails across client accounts.
If you want to see 7 exact real examples and a full breakdown of why these emails work, watch this YouTube video here: https://youtu.be/NH-dV5voF88
Why plain text emails work so well
Inbox providers like Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo look at signals.
A fully designed email with:
• 10 images
• Multiple links
• Buttons
• Tracking-heavy structure
Screams “promotion”.
A plain text email with:
• Copy
• One link
Looks like something you’d send to a colleague or friend.
Result:
• Better inbox placement
• More opens
• More clicks
• More revenue
That’s why you should mix plain text emails into your campaigns, flows, surveys and promotions.
7 plain text email angles you should be using
1) Price objection handling
Subject Line: This is why we’re not cheap
Use this when people think your brand is expensive.
Structure:
• Acknowledge the objection
• Explain why cheap alternatives fail
• Explain why your product costs more
• Reinforce safety, quality, long-term value
• Add social proof
• CTA
We’ve used this dozens of times across brands.
It works especially well in welcome flows and pre-sale education.
2) “You deserve this” (desire visualization)
Subject Line: You deserve this →
Paint the picture of life after the product.
Talk about:
• Confidence
• Ease
• Peace of mind
• How they’ll feel, act, show up
Then connect that outcome to your product.
This angle works for almost every category if you focus on the end state, not the features.
3) Comparative price anchoring
Subject Line: Dermatologists charge $700 for this
Structure:
• Start with a bold price comparison
• Show how the common solution is expensive, painful, inconvenient
• Position your product as faster, cheaper, easier
• Use a simple comparison table in text form
• Close with urgency + guarantee
This angle works extremely well when your product replaces:
• Treatments
• Services
• Subscriptions
• Appointments
Subject Line: Why 1,000,000+ people love this
Structure:
• Lead with social proof
• Reinforce benefits
• Restate the offer
• Explain why they should act today
• Add urgency and FOMO
This is a perfect second or third promo email during a sale.
5) Store credit (highest-revenue angle we’ve tested)
Subject Line: $14.71 store credit added to your account
Instead of saying “20% off”, you say:
“You’ve been credited $14.71 to your account. Expires in 4 days.”
Why it works:
• Reciprocity (you gifted them something)
• Urgency (it expires)
• Feels system-generated, not promotional
• Random numbers feel more real
Tie the credit to a minimum spend.
This angle has generated more revenue than classic discounts across multiple clients.
We even used it successfully during Black Friday.
6) Surveys (always plain text)
Subject Line: Quick Question
If you want feedback, don’t design it.
Plain text survey emails get:
• Better deliverability
• Higher open rates
• Higher click rates
We’ve seen 10%+ CTR on simple 4-line survey emails.
Subject line:
Quick question
That’s it.
7) Founder emails (liking + trust)
Subject Line: Here is a message from our founder
Send emails “from the founder”.
Talk like a human.
Acknowledge you’re a small business.
Restate the offer.
Sign with real names.
People buy from people, not brands.
This is a great reminder email during sales when your list is getting fatigued.
Here you can get access to a Miro board with all of these 7 plain text emails:
Final thought
Plain text emails aren’t a replacement.
They’re a multiplier.
Use them to:
• Improve deliverability
• Break pattern fatigue
• Increase trust
• Drive revenue with less friction
If you’re only sending designed emails, you’re leaving money on the table.
Mix this in.
Test it.
Keep it simple.
Cheers,
Idris
P.S.
If you run an ecommerce brand doing at least $100k/mo USD and you want have to have a free audit to uncover problems and hidden opportunities to generate more revenue and profits with email marketing, book a call here ».