TL;DR
- The Brand & Goal: BrickHouse Nutrition, a supplements company, ran two email marketing tests in Klaviyo during American Heart Month to see which email style—plain text vs. designed—best drives engagement and revenue.
- Key Findings: Plain text emails appeared more personal, boasting higher open and click rates, and ultimately generated more total sales compared to the more polished, image-heavy templates.
- Why It Worked: Subscribers responded well to a direct, founder-focused tone, which likely improved deliverability, built trust, and led to stronger conversion.
- Overall Impact: Authenticity and simplicity can sometimes outperform design-heavy emails—especially for a health-focused brand aiming to establish credibility with consumers.
1. Introduction
BrickHouse Nutrition, an ecommerce brand specializing in science-backed supplements, sought to optimize their email marketing performance leading into American Heart Month. With health-conscious customers increasingly looking for credible advice on heart health, the company tested two email formats within Klaviyo—one fully designed newsletter referencing a blog post, and one plain text email written “from the founder.”
2. Objectives
- Boost Click Rates and Conversions: Identify which email format would lead to higher engagement (CTR) and ultimately drive more sales.
- Validate Personal Touch vs. Brand Look: Determine whether a personal, founder-focused approach resonates more than a brand-centric, visually designed template.
3. Hypothesis
The team hypothesized that the more personal, plain text email from the founder might outperform the designed newsletter, primarily due to:
- A less “promotional” look in the inbox, potentially bypassing image heavy deliverability.
- Authenticity and trust conveyed by a direct message from the founder.
4. Methodology
- Test Approach: A/B split test in Klaviyo. 50% to each variation.
- Segment: One A/B test was sent to the full list of subscribers. One A/B test was sent to a 60day engaged audience.
- Duration: The attribution window is 5 day click, 5 day view.
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KPIs:
- Open Rate (primary indicator of subject line and sender credibility).
- Click Rate (engagement indicator).
- Placed Orders & Revenue (ultimate performance measure).
5. Implementation Details
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Variation A (Designed Newsletter):
- Format: Visually appealing header, a clear CTA to a dedicated blog page on “Heart Health Over 50,” and product images with CTAs below.
- Goal: Leverage design elements to pique interest and encourage clicks to the blog.
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Variation B (Plain Text Email “From the Founder”):
- Format: Text-only, direct message tone, founder’s signature at the end. A hyperlink to the blog. And a lower hyperlink to the online store.
- Goal: Convey authenticity, build personal rapport, and prompt direct click-throughs to the store or blog article link.
Both variations used the same subject line/preview text to isolate the effect of the email format itself. Links were tracked separately in Klaviyo to measure click-throughs and subsequent purchases.
6. Results
Test 1: Heart Health Over 50 Campaign
- Plain Text outperformed the Designed Newsletter in open rate (62.69% vs. 58.56%) and click rate (0.93% vs. 0.91%).
- Overall revenue also favored the plain text version, yielding an extra $3,458 in sales.
- While the average revenue per purchasing recipient was slightly higher for the designed version ($108 vs. $105), the sheer volume of additional orders in the plain text variant drove a higher total return.
Test 2: American Heart Month Campaign
- Plain Text outperformed the Designed Newsletter again
- Open rate was significantly higher (43.75% vs. 39.72%).
- Click rate improved (0.79% vs. 0.50%).
- Revenue was boosted by 13% ($20,996.85 vs. $18,649.80).
- Interestingly, for this campaign, the average revenue per purchasing recipient was also slightly higher in the plain text group ($109 vs. $108).
7. Analysis
- Personal Touch Resonates: The consistent lift in open rate and total revenue suggests subscribers responded to the founder’s direct style. With more authentic language and no heavy graphics, the emails felt more personal and less like promotions.
- Conversion Path: While the designed template offered more visual cues, the plain text’s straightforward CTA performed better. Even though the average revenue per purchaser in Test 1 was slightly higher for the designed variant, the stronger open and click-through volume in plain text compensated, producing higher total revenue overall.
8. Conclusion
In both tests, plain text emails outperformed the designed newsletters in open rates, click rates, and total revenue. This outcome highlights the power of a personal approach—especially for a health and wellness brand with a dedicated founder story. The data also suggests that balancing authenticity and directness can pay off significantly in the inbox.
By focusing on authenticity and experimenting with design vs. text, BrickHouse Nutrition has proven that a personal, founder-led approach can significantly enhance newsletter campaign performance. This win underscores an essential principle in the health and wellness sector: trust and relatable communication often drive more substantial, more sustainable customer engagement.
