And What You Should Track Instead
Let’s get this out of the way. Your open rate is not real. Well, not fully at least. It’s a rough guess based on a tiny image that may or may not have loaded. And thanks to modern spam filters and email security tools, even that guess is getting worse.
If you’re making decisions based on open rates alone, you’re basically flying a plane using only the fuel gauge. Not helpful. Not safe. So, why can’t open rates be trusted, what’s messing with them, and what can you should focus on instead?
How Open Rates Are Measured
Most email platforms measure an “open” when a tiny tracking image (a pixel) is loaded. If the image loads, the system says, “Great, someone opened this.”
Sounds simple, but here’s the problem: that image gets blocked, delayed, or opened by machines all the time.
What Breaks Open Rate Accuracy?
1. Email Security Gateways
Many businesses use tools like Proofpoint or Mimecast. These tools scan incoming emails for threats. Part of that scan includes opening the email in a safe environment. So your ESP thinks it was opened by a human. It wasn’t.
2. Apple Mail Privacy Protection
Apple now pre-loads email content in the background to hide real open behaviour. This means your pixel gets fired even if the person never read your email.
3. Image Blocking
Some email clients block all images by default. The reader might open your message, read every word, and you’ll still see “0 opens” in your report.
4. Proxy Servers
Some systems load email content through proxies that mess with the sender data. You may see opens from the wrong location or device.
Why This Matters
You might think:
- That subject line performed better
- That time of day was magic
- That audience is more engaged
But what really happened is Apple loaded your email early, a security bot scanned it at 3am, and your tracking pixel got eaten before anyone saw a thing.
Making strategy calls based on fake opens is risky. It leads to false positives, false negatives and wasted effort.
What Should You Track Instead?
Here’s what gives you real insight.
1. Click-Through Rate (CTR)
Did people click something in the email? This shows real engagement.
2. Reply Rates
Replies are gold. Spam filters love them, and they show your message landed, was read, and meant something.
3. Conversion Events
Track what happens after the click. Did someone apply for a role? Download something? Book a call?
4. Inbox Placement (if you can get it)
Some tools can show whether your emails are landing in inboxes, spam, or promotions folders. It’s rare, but powerful.
5. Trends Over Time
Open rates might be noisy, but if they suddenly drop off a cliff, that still tells you something changed. Watch for movement, not exact numbers.
How to Spot When Open Rates Are Off
- 90% opens but 0 clicks? Something’s fishy.
- High opens from one device or country? Could be a bot or gateway.
- Big jump after sending to Apple users? Probably Mail Privacy doing its thing.
Use your head. If the numbers don’t match the real-world response, trust the behaviour, not the pixels.
Still Worth Looking at Open Rates?
They’re not totally useless. Just not reliable on their own.
Think of them as temperature checks. Useful for spotting changes, not for making decisions. Use them alongside other metrics and you’ll get a fuller picture.
TL;DR
Open rates are no longer the trusted north star they used to be. Filters, bots and privacy tools have turned them into a guessing game.
Track real engagement. Focus on what your audience actually does, not just what your ESP thinks happened.
Want Help Tracking What Really Matters?
At Quinset, we help recruiters and marketers clean up their data and focus on real signals. From click tracking to conversion analytics, we help you see what’s working and fix what’s not.
Tired of chasing fake opens? Talk to us. We’ll show you where the real numbers live.
