How to create a text-only email

You will learn

Learn how to send a simple text-only email in Klaviyo. Text-only emails can contain limited formatting and images, but are generally much simpler in style and structure than HTML emails (e.g., those built in Klaviyo’s drag-and-drop editor). 

About text-only emails 

Text-only emails are a great option if you want your message to have a very personal feel. These emails can look similar to a message you send from your personal inbox, and generally contain less branded content and design elements than a standard HTML email. 

A text-only email can be a good option for: 

• A message in a welcome series
  You can include a text-only email as a message in your welcome flow with a personal note about how your company got started or what sets you apart from other brands. 
• Apology emails
  When your company has made a mistake and needs to notify your customers about it, consider sending a text-only email.
• Text-heavy messages
  If you’re sending a long email that is mostly or entirely text, a text-only email will be easier for screen readers, smart watches, and other assistive technology to read your message. 

Text-only emails are often most impactful when signed by a member of your team (e.g., your founder/CEO). While they aren’t right for every use case, text-only emails often see higher click rates than fully designed HTML emails. 

How to create a text-only email 

Create a text-only campaign email

1. Navigate to the Campaigns tab in Klaviyo. 
2. Click Create Campaign. 
3. Choose Email and click Create Campaign.
4. Choose a name, recipients, and tracking settings for your campaign, then click Continue to Content. 
5. In the additional options (three dots) menu, select Switch to text only editor. 
   

Once you’ve created your text-only email, learn how to send it as a campaign. 

Create a text-only flow email

To create a brand new text-only email: 

1. Navigate to the Flows tab in Klaviyo. 
2. Choose an existing flow you’d like to add a text-only email to, or click Create Flow and proceed through the steps to configure a new flow.
3. Once you’ve opened your flow, drag in an Email action.
   
4. Click the message you just added.
5. In the message sidebar, open the additional options (three dots) menu and select Create text only email.
   

To replace an existing flow email with a new text-only email: 

1. Select the email in your flow. 
2. From the additional options (three dots) menu, select Change template. 
   
3. On the following page, open the additional options (3 dots) menu and select Change template. 
   
4. Choose Text Only.
   

Once your flow email is ready to set live, learn how to turn on your flow. 

Design and draft a text-only email

1. Once you've created a text-only campaign or flow email, write your message in the text editor.
   
   Note that you can add personalization (e.g., a first name variable), include images, change font styles and colors, add bullet points or numbered lists, and use other limited styling options. To add images, click Source and add an HTML image tag: <img src="YOUR_IMAGE_URL">
   
2. When the message is ready to send, click Save Content.  

Emoji and text-only emails

As of February 2024, all emoji are supported in all Klaviyo email editors (i.e., the drag-and-drop editor, hybrid editor, text-only editor and custom HTML editor).

Additional resources

• Message personalization reference
• Accessibility in emails and forms best practice reference
• How to add an unsubscribe link to Klaviyo emails