How to Send an Email Like It’s 1995 (And Why You Should Try It) | Retro Email Revival

How to Send an Email Like It’s 1995 (And Why You Should Try It)

Rediscovering the lost art of personal, plain-text communication in an age of marketing automation and tracking pixels

The Golden Age of Email

Remember when email was exciting? When the sound of "You've got mail!" made your heart race? In 1995, email was personal, simple, and free from the clutter of modern marketing automation. There were no tracking pixels, no AI-written templates, just genuine human communication.

Today, I'm going to show you how to recapture that magic by sending emails like it's 1995. Not just as a nostalgic experiment, but as a way to stand out in an inbox full of corporate spam and break through the noise of modern digital communication.

Why Go Retro in 2024?

• Stand out in crowded inboxes - Your plain-text email will look refreshingly different
• Better deliverability - No images or tracking means less likely to be marked as spam
• More personal connection - Feels like a real human wrote it (because you did!)
• Privacy focused - No tracking pixels monitoring when/where the email was opened
• Faster to write - No time wasted on formatting or design

Modern Email vs. 1995 Email: A Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	Modern Email (2024)	Retro Email (1995)
Format	HTML with images, CSS, tracking pixels	Plain text only
Tracking	Open rates, click tracking, location data	None - privacy respected
Length	Often bloated with disclaimers and "unsubscribe" links	Concise and to the point
Signatures	Corporate templates with social media icons	Simple "- Name" or creative ASCII art
Attachments	Large PDFs and images	Rare, and small when used (remember 28.8k modems?)
Response Time	Days or never (ghosting is common)	Usually within 24 hours

Step-by-Step: How to Email Like It's 1995

1. Ditch HTML for Plain Text

Modern email clients default to HTML formatting, but you'll need to switch to plain text mode:

• Gmail: Click the three dots in the compose window and select "Plain text mode"
• Outlook: Go to Format Text tab and choose "Plain Text"
• Apple Mail: Go to Format > Make Plain Text

2. Craft a Human Subject Line

Forget clickbait and marketing jargon. 1995 subject lines were straightforward:

Good: "Dinner plans for Friday?"
Bad: "You won't believe these 5 dinner ideas! [Open now!]"

3. Write Like You're Talking to a Friend

No corporate speak, no buzzwords. Just write naturally:

"Hi Jane,

I was thinking about our conversation yesterday and wanted to share that article I mentioned about retro email. Here's the link: [URL]

Let me know what you think!

- Bob"

4. Use a Simple Signature

Instead of the 10-line corporate signature with disclaimers, try one of these:

- Mike
mike@example.com

or

*===*
| | Sarah Johnson
*===* sarah@example.com
"Carpe Diem"

5. Send at Human Times

Modern email marketers optimize for "best open times." In 1995, you sent when you had something to say. Try sending personal emails during normal waking hours, not at 2am or scheduled for "optimal engagement."

The Technical Benefits of Retro Emailing

Beyond nostalgia, there are practical advantages to 1995-style emails:

Privacy Protection

Modern HTML emails often contain tracking pixels that report back when you open them and sometimes even your location. Plain text emails contain no such tracking. As noted by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, reducing tracking in digital communication is crucial for privacy.

Improved Deliverability

Spam filters often scrutinize HTML emails more heavily. Plain text emails with natural language are less likely to trigger false positives. According to Email on Acid's research, plain text emails have slightly higher inbox placement rates.

Accessibility

Plain text emails are inherently more accessible. Screen readers handle them perfectly, and they display well on any device without rendering issues. The W3C Web Accessibility Initiative recommends plain text for maximum compatibility.

The Psychology Behind Retro Email's Effectiveness

Why do these old-school techniques work so well today? Psychology provides some answers:

The Novelty Effect

In an inbox full of polished marketing emails, a simple plain-text message stands out precisely because it's different. This triggers what psychologists call the "novelty effect" - our brains pay more attention to things that break patterns.

Perceived Authenticity

A 2023 study in the Journal of Consumer Research found that less polished communication is often perceived as more authentic. Your retro email signals "real person" in a sea of corporate automation.

Reduced Cognitive Load

The simplicity of plain text requires less mental processing. Without images, formatting, and multiple CTAs, the recipient can focus on your actual message.

Advanced 1995 Email Techniques

Ready to go full retro? Here are some advanced techniques from the dial-up era:

ASCII Art Signatures

Create memorable signatures with keyboard characters:

,---.| | / \ |\ | | |---.
|| | /___\ | \ | | | )
`---'| | / \ | \| | |---'

Creative Use of Whitespace

Without formatting options, you used spaces and line breaks for emphasis:

Important!
==========

Meeting moved to 3pm

(please reply to confirm)

The "Sent from my [device]" Signature

Before it became a humblebrag, this was actually useful information about why an email might be brief:

Sent from my Palm Pilot - please excuse brevity

When NOT to Use 1995-Style Emails

While retro emails have many benefits, there are situations where modern formatting is better:

• Formal business communications (like proposals or official documents)
• When visual elements are crucial (product images, infographics)
• Accessibility for some users (color contrast in HTML can help some readers)
• Marketing emails (where tracking metrics are necessary for the business)

The key is intentionality - use the right format for your specific communication goal.

The Future of Email: Back to Basics?

Interestingly, some tech pioneers are advocating for a return to simpler email. HEY Email has built an entire service around reducing email clutter and tracking. Many privacy-focused individuals are switching to plain text as default.

Perhaps the future of email looks more like its past - personal, private, and purposeful. In an age of constant digital performance (Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok), the simple authenticity of a 1995-style email can be revolutionary.

Your 1995 Email Challenge

This week, try sending at least one email in true 1995 style:

1. Plain text only
2. No tracking
3. Human subject line
4. Simple signature
5. Sent at a normal human time

Notice how people respond differently. You might just start a retro email revolution in your circle.

I Accept the 1995 Email Challenge!

Further Reading

Want to dive deeper into the philosophy and technology behind simpler digital communication?

• How Email Became the Most Reviled Communication Platform - The Atlantic
• RFC 1855: Netiquette Guidelines - The original 1995 rules for online communication
• UsePlaintext.Email - A movement advocating for plain text email
• Email Tips from GNU - Richard Stallman's email philosophy