The 3 Types Of Text-Based Emails You Should Be Sending

Hey it’s Max from The Inbox Newsletter.

Today I want to break down one of my favorite email formats that works for every brand we run: text-based emails.

They’re high impact, require zero design time, and feel like a real message in the inbox… which makes them the perfect pattern interrupt against your graphic-heavy sends.

Let’s get into it!

3 Types Of Text-Based Emails

A good rule we go by is 25% of your emails should be text-based, and for brands where they work really well you can push it up to 50-75%.

Here are the 3 types of text-based emails you can plug into your calendar:

1. Short-Form SMS Style

Underrated and not used enough.

This one is not much of a copywriting lift. We keep this to under 30 words or less.

Works great for restocks, flash sales, and urgent announcements where the short length itself creates the urgency.

It's hilarious how much better this works than any thought-out, longer message you send

Set this up as an A/B test with your next text-based email

2. Medium-Form

This is probably the most used format across any brand’s calendar. Reason being is you can slot any type of content into it (a story, a recommendation, an educational breakdown, a personal update).

The main structure is a personal intro, followed by the body where you tell your story or drop your insight, then one CTA at the end, and a P.S. that either restates the CTA or adds one final hook.

I’d recommend using this one for founder messages, personal recommendations, educational breakdowns, and story-driven product pitches.

3. Long-Form Direct Response

To my fellow cracked copywriters who love the actual craft, this one is for you. This is where the true craft of copywriting comes in. It’s in these that you’re telling a story, building tension, opening loops, handling objections, and writing every line to pull the reader into the next one.

You’ll see these being used mainly for emotional stories.

I love seeing these specifically for supplement brands because you can really dig into the pain or the outcome a customer is chasing and tie it back to why your product is the fix.

Formatting Rules For Plain Text Emails:

When using all 3 across your campaigns and flows, there’s some general rules you should apply to make sure these are highly effective in standing out in the inbox and getting the click.

1. Avoid big walls of copy in big blocks

Nothing kills a text-based email faster than a dense block of copy. The second a subscriber sees it they’re clicking out.

A few things to keep it scannable:

• Bold the main points as visual anchors for the reader

• Use frequent line breaks and keep paragraphs to one or two sentences

• Use bullets for any lists

• Break up anything longer than 2-3 lines. White space does a lot of the work here

2. Always Try To Include A P.S.

The P.S. is one of the first places subscribers look when they skim to the bottom! So treat it as your second shot to convert them.

Use it to restate the CTA, add urgency, or drop one final reason to click.

3. Don’t Use Too Many CTAs

One CTA at the end of the body, repeated once in the P.S. That’s it.

Text emails work because they feel personal and simple. Stacking links throughout makes them read like a graphic sales email wearing a plain-text costume.

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Email Inspiration Of The Day

Brand:
Late Night Epiphanies

Email Design:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nwWdeZ6ZKvJm6ETzESogwudZaMTbuame/view?usp=drive_link

Notes:
Love these quick and abrupt emails… Sometimes less is more!

Reply to this email if you have any questions or further content you want covered.

Cheers,

Max Sturtevant | Well Copy

P.S
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