Why have my email open rates declined since February?
Matthew Whittaker
Co-founder & CTO, Suped
Published 21 Jun 2025
Updated 19 Aug 2025
7 min read
Many email marketers and businesses have noticed a significant downturn in their open rates, particularly since February. If you've experienced this, you're not alone. This recent shift isn't just a coincidence or a problem isolated to a few senders, it's a widespread phenomenon driven by major changes in the email ecosystem.
The feeling that "something happened" in February is quite accurate. New sender requirements introduced by major mailbox providers like Google and Yahoo are at the heart of this. These changes mandate stricter email authentication and spam prevention measures, impacting how your emails are perceived and delivered.
Beyond these new requirements, the very nature of email open rate tracking has become more complex and less reliable. Privacy features, particularly Apple's Mail Privacy Protection, have significantly skewed open rate data, making it harder to get an accurate picture of subscriber engagement. While open rates can still serve as a signal, they are no longer the definitive metric they once were for deliverability. This article explores the primary reasons behind the recent decline and what steps you can take.
The most prominent reason for the decline in email open rates since February is the heightened emphasis on email authentication. Both Gmail and Yahoo have rolled out stringent requirements for bulk senders. This means if your domain isn't properly authenticated using DMARC, DKIM, and SPF, your emails are far more likely to be sent to the spam folder, or even rejected entirely.
When emails land in spam or are blocked, they won't register as opens, leading to a noticeable drop in your metrics. Many senders who previously got by with less rigorous authentication now find their emails silently failing deliverability checks. It's a fundamental shift that has reset expectations for email security practices.
Implementing DMARC, SPF, and DKIM with policies that ensure alignment is no longer optional; it's a critical requirement for maintaining good inbox placement. If these records are misconfigured or missing, it can severely impact your sender reputation and, consequently, your open rates.
Before February 2024
Email authentication was recommended but not always strictly enforced for all senders, especially those sending lower volumes. Mailbox providers might have delivered emails with weaker authentication to the inbox, albeit with some risk.
Relaxed Policies: Some emails might have reached the inbox even with only SPF or DKIM, or a lenient DMARC policy (p=none).
Lower Bar: Senders could often achieve acceptable open rates without a fully optimized authentication setup.
Deliverability and sender reputation
Beyond authentication, a drop in open rates can also signal underlying deliverability issues. Even if your emails are authenticated, other factors can cause them to land in spam folders or be blocked. These include your sender reputation (IP and domain), content quality, and list hygiene.
One common issue I've observed is being placed on a blocklist (or blacklist). Mailbox providers use these lists to identify and block mail from senders associated with spam or malicious activity. If your sending IP or domain lands on a public or private blocklist, it will severely impact your deliverability, causing open rates to plummet.
Another factor is an increase in deferral or transient errors. Recently, Gmail has been seen deferring mail due to "unexpected volume of unsolicited mail from your DKIM/SPF domain." This indicates that even with proper authentication, if Gmail perceives your sending volume or content as suspicious, it will temporarily block your emails, leading to a drop in observed opens.
Clean Your Lists: Segment and remove unengaged subscribers to improve list quality and engagement.
Reporting discrepancies or technical issues
Even if your emails are landing in the inbox, an unexpected drop in open rates could be due to changes in how opens are being tracked or reported by your Email Service Provider (ESP). The accuracy of open rates has been increasingly challenged by privacy features, but sometimes the issue is simpler: a reporting discrepancy.
One often overlooked aspect is the placement of the tracking pixel. Most open rate tracking relies on a tiny, invisible pixel image loaded when the email is opened. If your email content has grown longer, or if there were recent template changes, the pixel might not be loading reliably, leading to underreported opens. This can happen if the email content gets "clipped" in some email clients, meaning only a portion of it is displayed by default, and the pixel is at the end.
Additionally, check if your ESP (e.g., Mailchimp, Flodesk Klaviyo) has changed how they report opens. Sometimes, a platform update or a switch to a new provider can alter how metrics are calculated and displayed. This doesn't mean your actual deliverability has worsened, but rather that the reporting methodology has changed.
Content and audience engagement
While technical factors play a crucial role, it's also important to consider the human element behind your emails. Even with perfect deliverability, if your subscribers aren't motivated to open, your rates will suffer. Content relevance and audience engagement are evergreen factors in email marketing success.
Have you changed your subject line strategy recently? A compelling and personalized subject line is your first (and often only) chance to capture attention in a crowded inbox. If your subject lines have become generic, misleading, or less engaging, fewer people will click to open.
Your audience list also matters. Over time, email lists naturally degrade as subscribers change addresses, become inactive, or simply lose interest. Sending to an unengaged list not only hurts your open rates but can also negatively impact your sender reputation, as mailbox providers interpret low engagement as a sign of irrelevant or unwanted mail. Regular list cleaning and segmentation are vital to maintaining a healthy list and maximizing engagement.
Views from the trenches
Best practices
Actively monitor your DMARC reports to catch authentication failures early and identify issues that could impact deliverability.
Regularly clean your email list by removing unengaged subscribers and invalid addresses, focusing on quality over quantity for better performance.
Segment your audience and personalize content and subject lines to increase relevance and encourage higher engagement rates.
Implement a consistent sending schedule to build anticipation and ensure your audience knows when to expect your emails.
Common pitfalls
Over-relying solely on open rates as the primary measure of email campaign success, especially with privacy changes skewing data.
Neglecting proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), which is now critical for inbox placement with major mailbox providers.
Failing to monitor your sender reputation and blocklist status, leading to unexpected drops in deliverability.
Ignoring list hygiene and continuing to send to unengaged or inactive subscribers, which can harm your overall sender score.
Expert tips
Prioritize click-through rates and conversion metrics over open rates, as they offer a more accurate reflection of actual engagement and ROI.
Investigate any sudden changes in open rates, as they can still act as a 'canary in the coal mine' for underlying deliverability or technical issues.
Ensure all tracking links have valid SSL certificates, as expired certificates can cause emails to land in spam folders.
Analyze data on a per-domain or per-mailbox provider basis to pinpoint specific issues, rather than relying on aggregated overall metrics.
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks says a shared IP could be causing issues if someone else is having problems, similar to 'a kid in the pool pooping'.
March 21, 2024 - Email Geeks
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks says to begin by looking at other data and comparing it, and to also check if the mail is being sent technically correctly.
March 21, 2024 - Email Geeks
Moving forward with confidence
Understanding why your email open rates have declined since February requires a multi-faceted approach. It's rarely a single issue but rather a combination of technical shifts, reporting nuances, and audience engagement dynamics. The new authentication requirements are certainly a major player, pushing senders to prioritize proper email security.
While open rates may be less reliable as a standalone metric, a sudden, sharp decline almost always warrants investigation. It's often a sign that your emails are not reaching the inbox at all, or are being severely filtered to spam. Focus on gathering comprehensive data, including click-through rates, conversions, and Postmaster Tools data, to get a clearer picture of your email program's health.
By addressing technical foundations, maintaining a healthy sender reputation, and continuously optimizing your content for engagement, you can navigate these changes and ensure your messages continue to resonate with your audience, regardless of how open rates are measured.
