Definition
Multipart/alternative is a MIME format that includes both plain-text and HTML versions of a message. Clients choose the version they can render best.
Including a real text version improves accessibility and spam scoring.
Multipart email carries both text and HTML, improving accessibility and spam scoring. Clients choose the version they can render best. Including a real text part rather than a placeholder is the right approach.
Why Send Both
A text version serves accessibility and clients without HTML.
Spam filters read the text part alongside the HTML.
Why It Matters
Multipart email carries both text and HTML, improving accessibility and scoring. Understanding it is a small change with broad benefit.
Best Practices
- Always include a useful text version, not a placeholder.
- Keep the text variant consistent with the HTML message.
- Test what the recipient sees with images blocked.
- Avoid empty or misleading text parts.
- Let the ESP build both parts.
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Related Glossary Terms
Abuse Complaint
An abuse complaint is a report from a recipient who marks an email as spam, which negatively affects sender reputation and deliverability.
Alt Text
Alt text is the written alternative to an image in an email, displayed when images are blocked, slow to load, or consumed by screen readers.
AOL Mail for Email Marketers
AOL Mail is a legacy email provider with specific deliverability requirements and rendering quirks, now operating as part of the Yahoo+AOL network under shared infrastructure.
Email Authentication Protocols
Email authentication protocols are technical standards that verify the identity of an email sender, helping mailbox providers distinguish legitimate mail from spam and phishing.
BIMI
BIMI (Brand Indicators for Message Identification) is an email standard that allows brands to display their logo next to their emails in supported email clients. It requires DMARC enforcement at quarantine or reject policy.
Bounce Management
Bounce management is the process of handling emails that are rejected by mailbox providers, including classification, removal of bad addresses and protection of sender reputation.
Frequently Asked Questions
A MIME type that bundles a plain-text and HTML rendering of one message. Multipart email carries both text and HTML, improving accessibility and spam scoring.
Accessibility, clients without HTML, and spam scoring. Clients choose the version they can render best.
No, clients choose the best-supported part. Including a real text part rather than a placeholder is the right approach.
Some clients and filters treat it poorly. Multipart email carries both text and HTML, improving accessibility and spam scoring.
Most ESPs generate the text part automatically. Clients choose the version they can render best.