Do emails without tracking pixels improve inboxing and response rates in B2B campaigns?
Matthew Whittaker
Co-founder & CTO, Suped
Published 6 Jul 2025
Updated 19 Aug 2025
6 min read
The question of whether emails sent without tracking pixels can lead to better inboxing and higher response rates in B2B campaigns is a pertinent one, especially with increasing privacy concerns and evolving inbox provider rules. Many B2B clients observe that their campaigns, when stripped of the ubiquitous 1x1 pixel image used for open tracking, seem to yield superior results.
This observation challenges the traditional reliance on open rate metrics, pushing us to consider the underlying factors that truly drive deliverability and engagement. It suggests that what we track, and how we track it, significantly impacts how our emails are received and perceived by recipients and, crucially, by inbox providers.
Let's explore the nuances of email tracking, its effect on deliverability and recipient behavior, and how B2B companies can adapt their strategies to achieve better outcomes without relying on potentially problematic pixel-based tracking.
The evolving role of tracking pixels in B2B email
A tracking pixel is typically a tiny, transparent 1x1 GIF image embedded in an email. When an email recipient opens the email, this image is loaded from a server, registering an email open. Historically, this has been a cornerstone for marketers to gauge campaign engagement, informing decisions about subject lines, send times, and content effectiveness.
However, the landscape of email privacy has shifted dramatically. With features like Apple Mail Privacy Protection, email clients now increasingly proxy or block the loading of these pixels, rendering open rate data unreliable. This change has led many B2B sales and marketing teams to rethink their metrics and approaches.
Beyond privacy, the presence of tracking pixels themselves can influence an email's path to the inbox. Inbox providers and corporate security filters constantly analyze email content for indicators of spam or malicious intent. The domain hosting the tracking pixel, the overall reputation of the sending infrastructure, and even the mere inclusion of external images can trigger deliverability issues.
The impact on deliverability and sender reputation
One of the most significant reasons B2B campaigns without tracking pixels might see better inboxing is the way spam filters and corporate security systems analyze incoming mail. These systems are designed to identify and filter out emails that exhibit characteristics of bulk marketing or unsolicited commercial email (UCE). A common indicator for such systems is the presence of tracking pixels, especially when they originate from domains with questionable reputations or those shared by many senders.
Email deliverability can be negatively affected by email open tracking. Your cold emails are more likely to go to spam if you track your open rate, as highlighted by Emailchaser.com. This is because the tracking pixel acts as an external resource. If the domain hosting this resource has a poor reputation, or if it's associated with known spammers, it can lead to your email being flagged or blocklisted (or blacklisted).
When you remove the tracking pixel, the email becomes simpler and less likely to trigger these automated flags. It often presents as a plain-text email, which closely resembles a personal, one-to-one communication. This simplicity can significantly improve its chances of landing in the primary inbox, avoiding spam folders or promotional tabs.
Impact on response rates and perceived legitimacy
Beyond technical deliverability, the perceived authenticity of an email plays a crucial role in B2B response rates. When a recipient receives an email that looks and feels like a genuine, direct communication, rather than a mass-marketed message, they are more likely to engage. Emails without tracking pixels often contribute to this perception of authenticity.
This aligns with the idea that actual one-to-one emails sent from a real person using a standard mail client should inherently achieve better delivery and responses compared to automated campaigns laden with tracking elements. The recipient's trust is higher, leading to a greater willingness to reply. A study by Belkins.io indicates that reply rates can soar significantly in well-executed campaigns.
In B2B, a reply is often a far more valuable metric than an open. It signifies genuine interest, a potential lead, and direct engagement. Therefore, if removing tracking pixels leads to even a marginal increase in replies, it represents a significant gain in campaign effectiveness, even if traditional open rates become less visible.
Tracked emails
Deliverability concerns: Higher risk of being flagged by spam filters or corporate security due to external requests for tracking pixels, especially if the pixel's domain has a poor reputation.
Perceived authenticity: May appear more like a marketing email, potentially reducing personal engagement.
Metric reliability: Open rates are becoming less accurate due to privacy features (e.g., Apple Mail Privacy Protection).
Untracked emails
Improved deliverability: Simpler email structure often bypasses spam filters that target external elements, leading to better inbox placement.
Focus on meaningful metrics: Shifts focus to replies, clicks, and conversions, which are more indicative of campaign success in B2B.
Alternative metrics and best practices for B2B
Given the declining reliability of open rates and the potential negative impact of tracking pixels on deliverability, B2B marketers should pivot towards more robust and meaningful metrics. Instead of focusing solely on whether an email was opened, emphasize actions that demonstrate true intent and engagement, such as clicks, replies, and conversions.
For B2B campaigns, a key strategy is to prioritize personalization and relevance over broad outreach. Even if you're sending to corporate addresses, tailoring the message to the recipient's specific role, industry, or stated needs can significantly boost engagement. This approach often naturally leads to more plain-text or minimalist emails, which are less likely to contain tracking pixels and are often perceived as more authentic.
Ultimately, the goal is to build a strong sender reputation and establish trust with your recipients. This is achieved through consistent deliverability, providing valuable content, and encouraging positive interactions. By focusing on these fundamentals, B2B campaigns can thrive regardless of their pixel-tracking status.
Best practices for B2B email deliverability
Focus on engagement metrics: Prioritize clicks, replies, and conversions over open rates as primary KPIs, especially when pixels are absent.
Maintain list hygiene: Regularly clean your email lists to remove inactive or invalid addresses, reducing bounces and spam trap hits. You can use Outlook's new sender requirements to improve deliverability.
Ensure email content is highly relevant and personalized to the recipient's role and company.
Segment your audience precisely to deliver messages that resonate, increasing engagement.
Regularly clean your email lists to remove inactive subscribers, improving overall deliverability metrics.
Prioritize calls to action that encourage direct replies or clicks to valuable resources.
Test different email formats (plain text vs. HTML) to see what resonates best with your audience.
Common pitfalls
Over-relying on open rates as a primary success metric, especially with pixel tracking disabled.
Sending mass, unsegmented campaigns that feel impersonal and trigger spam filters.
Using tracking domains that have a poor reputation or are shared by many senders.
Neglecting to properly authenticate emails with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC.
Ignoring recipient feedback, such as unsubscribes or spam complaints, which harm sender reputation.
Expert tips
Use clear and concise subject lines that accurately reflect the email's content to manage expectations.
Include a clear unsubscribe link, even in B2B emails, to allow recipients to opt-out gracefully.
Focus on building relationships and providing value, which naturally leads to higher response rates.
Monitor deliverability beyond open rates, looking at bounce rates, spam complaints, and direct replies.
Consider engaging with recipients directly on other platforms after initial email outreach for a multi-channel approach.
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks says they want to understand the testing data set for clients claiming better inboxing with no pixels, asking if the sender or content changed, particularly if they switched to plain text.
2019-04-23 - Email Geeks
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks says that if recipients typically never opened but still responded, it could indicate a filtering issue with an enterprise inbox provider that doesn't favor the pixel's hosting domain, noting similar experiences with sales tools and shared encoding websites.
2019-04-23 - Email Geeks
Final thoughts on pixel-free B2B email campaigns
The evidence suggests that emails sent without tracking pixels can indeed improve inboxing and response rates in B2B campaigns. This is largely due to how modern spam filters and corporate security systems perceive and process emails containing external tracking elements. By opting for simpler, more authentic-looking communications, businesses can enhance their deliverability and foster greater trust with their recipients, ultimately leading to more meaningful engagement and higher response rates.
Outlook's new sender requirements to improve deliverability.
