Why You Can’t Trust Email Open Rates (And What to Track Instead)

Have you ever checked your email open rates and wondered, Are these numbers even real? If so, you’re not alone.

Just recently, a colleague of mine, Donna Lam, had an eye-opening moment when she checked her Aweber stats.

To her surprise, it showed that she had opened her own email six times, and that I had opened it four times!

While this might sound impressive, it raises an important question: Are open rates a reliable metric?

The short answer? Not really.

How Email Delivery Systems Track Open Rates

Email platforms like Aweber, Mailchimp, and ConvertKit track opens using an invisible tracking pixel, a tiny image embedded in the email. When the email is opened and the image loads, the system registers an “open.”

Open tracking works by embedding an invisible image that loads when a recipient opens your email. However, since plain-text emails don’t support images, their opens cannot be recorded. Additionally, some email providers block these tracking images, preventing accurate tracking.

But here’s where things get messy:

• If someone reopens the email multiple times, it counts as multiple opens.

 

• Some email providers automatically preload images (even if the recipient hasn’t read the email).

 

• Others block images by default, meaning the email could be read but never tracked as “opened.”

 

• Bots and spam filters sometimes trigger “opens,” further distorting the data.

 

So, What Should You Track Instead?

If open rates aren’t reliable, what should you focus on?

1. Click-Through Rates (CTR) : If your email contains a link, the number of people clicking it is a much better engagement indicator.
2. Replies & Responses : If people are responding to your email, that’s a strong signal of engagement.
3. Conversion Rates : Did the email lead to a sale, signup, or action you intended? That’s what really matters.
4. List Growth & Engagement Over Time : Are your emails consistently delivering value, leading to an active and growing audience?

 

The Real Takeaway

Open rates can be a nice-to-know metric, but they shouldn’t be your main guide when assessing email performance. Instead, focus on real engagement, clicks, replies, and conversions to measure success.

So next time you see an unusually high (or low) open rate, take it with a grain of salt!

Have you noticed any weird open rate numbers in your email marketing? Kindly share in the comments so we can all learn together!

Janice

PS: Perhaps a Free Discovery call is right for you? Let’s talk. Book a call @  calendly.com/janicedugas 🖥️ Thrilled to connect with you soon!

PPS: Not sure? Download your free guide, ‘Boost Your Digital Presence: 11 Steps to Increase Your Online Visibility’ and go toward enhancing your profitability and achieving your goals!

~~~

Janice Dugas, Authority & Visibility Growth Consultant | Helping Solo Business Owners Elevate Their Online Presence, Build Credibility & Increase Profitability Through Strategic Content, SEO & Digital Positioning.

~~~

#EmailMarketingTips
#ListBuilding

#SmallBizTips
#EntrepreneurLife
#MarketingForSmallBusiness
#BusinessGrowth