Summary
A high email open rate with poor performance (low clicks, conversions) suggests several interconnected issues. Mail Privacy Protection (MPP) inflates open rates, making them unreliable. Therefore, marketers must shift focus from open rates to metrics like CTR, conversions, and ROI to accurately gauge campaign success. The content's relevance, value, and alignment with subject line expectations are crucial. Poor design and user experience contribute to low engagement. Targeting the right audience and setting clear campaign goals are essential. Effective strategies involve A/B testing, audience segmentation, personalization, and strong calls to action.
Key findings
- MPP Skew: Mail Privacy Protection inflates open rates, distorting performance metrics.
- Beyond Vanity Metrics: Focus on meaningful metrics: CTR, conversions, ROI, not just open rates.
- Content-Expectation Mismatch: Subject line lures opens, but content fails to deliver, leading to low clicks.
- Relevance and Value Deficit: Content isn't valuable or relevant to the audience, resulting in low engagement.
- Poor User Experience: Difficult navigation and unappealing design hinder engagement.
- Audience-Content Mismatch: Sending to the wrong audience leads to poor engagement.
- Weak CTAs: Unclear or uncompelling calls to action reduce click-throughs.
Key considerations
- Recalibrate Metrics: Prioritize performance metrics beyond open rates.
- Enhance Content: Create relevant, engaging, and valuable content aligned with audience expectations.
- Optimize User Experience: Improve email design for easy navigation and visual appeal.
- Refine Targeting: Segment audience and tailor content to their interests and needs.
- Strengthen CTAs: Use clear, compelling calls to action to drive clicks and conversions.
- A/B Test Continuously: Experiment with subject lines, content, and design to optimize results.
- Define Campaign Goals: Establish clear, measurable campaign objectives to evaluate success beyond open rates.
What email marketers say
10 marketer opinions
A high email open rate coupled with low engagement (clicks, conversions) suggests several potential issues. Mail Privacy Protection may inflate open rates, skewing true engagement metrics. Beyond open rates, marketers should focus on metrics like click-through rate (CTR), conversion rates, and ROI to gauge campaign success. Content relevance is crucial; the email body must deliver on the promise of the subject line and provide value to the recipient. Design and user experience play a significant role; emails should be easy to navigate and visually appealing. Lastly, aligning campaigns with specific goals, segmenting audiences, and testing various CTAs can optimize email performance.
Key opinions
- MPP Impact: Mail Privacy Protection can significantly inflate open rates, making them unreliable as a sole measure of success.
- Vanity Metric Trap: Focusing solely on open rates is misleading; prioritize metrics aligned with business goals, such as CTR, conversions, and ROI.
- Content Disconnect: A mismatch between subject line and email content can lead to high opens but low clicks. Ensure content aligns with user expectations.
- Relevance is Key: Irrelevant or unengaging content fails to resonate, resulting in low CTR. Personalize and segment to deliver valuable content.
- Design Matters: Poor design and user experience can hinder engagement. Optimize email layout and navigation for better results.
Key considerations
- Refine Measurement: Move beyond open rates and track meaningful metrics that reflect business outcomes.
- Improve Content: Craft compelling and relevant content that caters to the audience's interests and needs.
- Optimize Design: Ensure emails are visually appealing, easy to read, and simple to navigate on all devices.
- Segment Audience: Divide your audience into smaller groups based on demographics, behavior, and preferences to deliver targeted content.
- Test and Iterate: Experiment with different subject lines, content, and CTAs to identify what resonates best with your audience and continuously improve campaign performance.
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks shares that a low click rate, in relation to the open rate, can indicate that Apple's Mail Privacy Protection has skewed the data significantly and to look for a clear CTA.
15 Mar 2023 - Email Geeks
Marketer view
Email marketer from ActiveCampaign states that if you have a good open rate and a bad click rate it may be due to the email being bad to view, and difficult to navigate. They suggest testing different designs.
21 May 2025 - ActiveCampaign
What the experts say
2 expert opinions
Experts emphasize that simply being in the inbox is valuable for brand recall, but direct metrics are more important. Content needs to be engaging, targeted, and drive action, mitigating the cost of losing subscribers due to opt-outs when performance is poor despite high open rates.
Key opinions
- Inbox Presence Matters: Merely being in the inbox has value for reminding people of your brand.
- Direct Metrics are Crucial: Focus on actionable metrics over vanity metrics like open rates.
- Compelling Content Required: Content must be engaging and drive a specific action from a target market.
- Opt-out Cost: Poor email performance can lead to opt-outs, creating a cost that needs to be considered.
Key considerations
- Prioritize Actionable Data: Track and act upon direct metrics like click-through rates and conversions.
- Target Content Effectively: Develop content specific to your target audience to engage them and drive desired actions.
- Evaluate Opt-out Impact: Assess the potential long-term cost of losing subscribers due to unengaging email campaigns.
- Balance Brand Awareness with Action: While visibility matters, ensure emails provide value and a clear call to action.
Expert view
Expert from Word to the Wise, Laura Belgray, responds that despite the importance of high open rates, it is more important to include information that is not bland, and is something that will have a call to action for a specific target market. The content should have a compelling effect.
22 Feb 2022 - Word to the Wise
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks explains the importance of being in the inbox and reminding people you exist, but emphasizes the importance of direct metrics. He suggests presenting the data as a funnel and highlighting the cost of losing contacts due to opt-outs compared to the desired actions achieved.
10 Feb 2024 - Email Geeks
What the documentation says
4 technical articles
Documentation suggests that a high open rate coupled with a low click-through rate points to issues with email content, call-to-action, or audience targeting. Solutions involve A/B testing content, segmenting audiences for personalized messaging, and ensuring the offers are compelling and relevant to the subscribers.
Key findings
- Content Issues: High open rates and low click rates often indicate that the email content is not engaging enough for the audience.
- CTA Problems: Weak or unclear calls-to-action can contribute to low engagement, even with high open rates.
- Audience Mismatch: Sending emails to an inappropriate audience can lead to poor engagement, despite the potential for opens.
Key considerations
- A/B Testing: Employ A/B testing to experiment with different subject lines and content to determine what resonates best with your audience.
- Audience Segmentation: Segment your audience to deliver more personalized and relevant content, improving engagement and results.
- Compelling Offers: Craft offers and content that are genuinely valuable and encourage subscribers to take action.
- Targeted Sending: Ensure that your emails are being sent to the appropriate audience based on their interests and needs.
Technical article
Documentation from Oracle suggests that you need to improve the engagement rate by sending to a more appropriate audience that the content is targeted at.
16 Jul 2021 - Oracle
Technical article
Documentation from Sendinblue explains that if your open rates are high but your click-through rates are low, this could be a sign that your email content isn't engaging enough. They recommend segmenting your audience to deliver more personalized and relevant content, which can increase engagement and drive better results.
9 Jun 2025 - Sendinblue
Are abuse reports and feedback loops (FBLs) still useful in email marketing, and how do they work with different email clients?
Do email clicks improve inbox deliverability?
Do email replies improve deliverability and sender reputation?
Do ISPs re-fetch email tracking images, and what causes delayed email opens?
Does Gmail accurately track email opens?
How accurate is email client market share data when Apple Mail intentionally opens messages?
How can I improve email click rates when my manager disagrees with segmentation and sunsetting campaigns?
How can I improve email deliverability and open rates for a client with a bad domain reputation, especially with Gmail, and what strategies should I use for unengaged users?
How do AI assistants and MPP impact email open rates, and what are better metrics to measure outbound campaign effectiveness?
