What are the first steps to troubleshoot a drop in open rates after a platform switch?

The most critical steps include performing proper IP warming for new sending IPs, ensuring all email authentication records (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) are correctly configured, and verifying that your email content doesn't face rendering issues (like HTML clipping) on common email clients. You should also compare how your new platform tracks opens versus your old one.

How does using shared IP addresses affect open rates after a platform migration?

Even without a dedicated IP, your new platform's shared IPs will have their own reputation that needs to be established. If these IPs have been used by other senders with poor practices, it can negatively impact your deliverability. Additionally, your domain's sender reputation is tied to the new sending infrastructure.

How can I monitor my email deliverability and reputation after migrating platforms?

Regularly monitor your DMARC reports for authentication failures, use blocklist monitoring , and conduct email deliverability tests . Pay attention to bounce rates, complaint rates, and inbox placement across different providers. Consistent list hygiene and engaging content are also key.

Why do marketing automation platform switches cause drop in email open rates? - Sender reputation - Email deliverability - Knowledge base

Q: Is it normal to see a drop in open rates after switching marketing automation platforms?

Yes, it's very common. Different platforms use varying methodologies for calculating open rates, which can lead to a perceived drop even if your actual email engagement hasn't changed. This is often related to how they filter bot opens or define the denominator in the open rate calculation.

Switching marketing automation platforms can feel like a fresh start, promising new features and better efficiency. However, it's not uncommon to observe a perplexing drop in email open rates shortly after making the transition. This sudden decline can be frustrating, especially when you've ensured all your SPF and DNS entries appear correct and you're not even using a dedicated IP address.

The immediate assumption might be a deliverability issue, but the reality is often more nuanced. While deliverability certainly plays a significant role, other underlying factors can contribute to this perceived (or real) drop in engagement.

Understanding these potential causes is crucial for accurately diagnosing the problem and implementing effective solutions. It requires a deep dive into how email metrics are calculated, the journey of your email, and the state of your sender reputation with the new provider.

Discrepancies in open rate metrics

One of the most frequently overlooked reasons for a perceived drop in open rates after switching marketing automation platforms is a change in how these platforms calculate and report metrics. Different providers have different methodologies, which can lead to discrepancies that might initially appear as a decline in performance.

For instance, the definition of an "open" can vary. Most email service providers (ESPs) track opens using a tiny, invisible pixel (a 1x1 image beacon) embedded in the email. When the recipient's email client loads images, this pixel is loaded, and an open is recorded. However, some email clients block images by default, or automated systems (like bot clicks) might inflate numbers. Your new platform might have a more stringent or different method of filtering these non-human interactions.

Furthermore, some platforms may count clicks as opens, even if the tracking pixel didn't fire for that particular email, while others do not. This can significantly impact your reported open rates. If your previous platform included clicks in its open rate calculation and your new one does not, you'll see a drop even if your actual engagement hasn't changed. This is also true for how they handle unique opens versus total opens.

The denominator used in the open rate formula can also differ. Some platforms calculate open rates based on the number of emails sent, while others use the number of emails delivered (excluding bounces). A change in this denominator can naturally alter your reported rate without any change in recipient behavior. It is important to know how your open rate is calculated.

Metric	Platform A (Old)	Platform B (New)
Open tracking pixel	Standard 1x1 pixel	Advanced bot filtering
Clicks counted as opens	Yes	No
Denominator	Total emails sent	Emails delivered

Sender reputation and IP warming challenges

When you switch marketing automation platforms, you often move to a new set of IP addresses for sending emails. Even if you don't have a dedicated IP address, the shared IPs provided by your new ESP will have their own reputation. This new reputation needs to be established with mailbox providers like

Gmail and

Outlook.

The process of building trust with new IPs is called IP warming. It involves gradually increasing your email sending volume over time to demonstrate to mailbox providers that you are a legitimate sender. If you suddenly start sending high volumes from new IPs without proper warming, your emails are more likely to be flagged as suspicious and land in spam folders or be blocked entirely, leading to lower open rates.

Furthermore, even with shared IPs, there's a risk. Your new provider might have other users on those shared IPs who are engaging in poor sending practices, potentially leading to the IPs being listed on blocklists (or blacklists). You can use a blocklist checker or implement blocklist monitoring to keep an eye on this. A poor sender reputation, whether from a new IP or a problematic shared IP, directly impacts inbox placement, which then impacts your open rates. To better understand this, read how email blacklists actually work.

Old platform: established reputation

IP reputation: Warm and trusted, built over time with consistent sending.
Deliverability: High, as mailbox providers recognize the sending patterns.
Inbox placement: Consistent delivery to the primary inbox.

Technical configuration and content impact

Even if your SPF and DNS entries are correct at a basic level, migrating to a new platform often involves subtle changes to your email authentication setup (like DKIM signing). Sometimes, the drop in open rates can be attributed to configuration issues that were overlooked during the transition. For example, a new DKIM key or selector might not be properly set up, leading to authentication failures. You can learn more about why your open rates may drop with DKIM.

Email content and template design can also play a role. If your new platform uses a different rendering engine or adds more of its own code to your emails, it could inadvertently introduce HTML clipping issues, especially in clients like

Gmail. If your email is clipped, the tracking pixel at the bottom might not load unless the recipient clicks 'view entire message', leading to underreported opens. This could be a reason for why email templates cause open rate drops.

Other subtle changes, such as the sending domain or sub-domain, can also impact deliverability. While the main domain might remain the same, the actual sending domain used by the platform might differ, requiring a new reputation to be built specifically for that sub-domain. It's essential to verify every aspect of your DNS and email authentication records with the new platform.

Beyond technical configurations, the actual content and email list practices may need adjustment. If the new platform's automation capabilities encourage different sending frequencies or less personalization than before, this could negatively affect engagement. Mailbox providers pay close attention to user interaction, and a sudden shift in content relevance or sending volume can lead to emails being routed to spam.

Checking your technical setup

Email authentication: Ensure SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records are correctly configured for your new platform.
Sending domain: Confirm if the actual sending domain or sub-domain has changed and its reputation.
HTML validation: Check email templates for Mailchimp or HubSpot clipping issues, especially with open tracking pixels.

Subscriber engagement and list quality

A drop in open rates can also signal an underlying issue with your subscriber list's health or changes in recipient engagement behavior that are exacerbated by the platform switch. If your list contains a high percentage of inactive or unengaged subscribers, transitioning to a new platform might highlight this problem more clearly, especially if the new system is more efficient at identifying and filtering out poor quality addresses, or if you failed to properly migrate your suppression lists.

Effective segmentation and personalization become even more critical during a platform transition. If your new automation workflows are less targeted or personalized than your previous setup, recipients might find the content less relevant, leading to lower engagement and subsequently lower open rates. A blanket approach to emailing a large list, even if your list hygiene is good, can still trigger spam filters.

Furthermore, subscriber fatigue can set in if sending frequency increases without a corresponding increase in content value or relevance. It's important to monitor engagement trends closely and adapt your sending strategy. For more strategies, read our guide on why email engagement decreases after migrating. Maintaining a clean and engaged list is foundational to good deliverability and high open rates, regardless of the platform.

Before switching

List health: Potentially stagnant with inactive subscribers.
Segmentation: Could be basic or less refined.
Personalization: Manual or limited in scope.

After switching

List health: Opportunity to clean and re-engage, but initially lower numbers.
Segmentation: Can be enhanced with new platform features.
Personalization: Can be automated and scaled more effectively.

Views from the trenches

Best practices

Conduct thorough pre-migration audits of your email list and sending practices.

Implement a structured IP warming plan with gradual sending volume increases.

Verify all DNS records, including SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, are correctly configured for the new platform.

Continuously monitor your sender reputation and deliverability metrics after the switch.

Clean your email list and re-engage inactive subscribers before migrating.

Common pitfalls

Ignoring differences in open rate calculation methodologies between old and new platforms.

Failing to properly warm up new sending IPs, leading to spam folder placement.

Overlooking subtle changes in email authentication or sending domains.

Not accounting for potential HTML clipping issues in email clients.

Maintaining the same sending frequency or content strategy without adjusting for the new platform.

Expert tips

Use third-party deliverability tools to get an unbiased view of inbox placement.

Segment your audience and personalize content to improve engagement.

Regularly check blocklists (and blacklists) to ensure your sending IPs are clean.

Pay close attention to bounce rates and unsubscription rates as early indicators.

Consider A/B testing subject lines and email content on the new platform.

Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks says that if a company relies solely on marketing automation platform calculations, the drop could simply be due to different measurement methods, rather than actual performance.

2020-10-27 - Email Geeks

Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks says that shared IPs can have blacklisted addresses, which requires careful monitoring of each sendout, and it's important to check if the sending domain changed.

2020-10-27 - Email Geeks

Navigating your platform transition

A drop in email open rates after switching marketing automation platforms can stem from a variety of factors, ranging from subtle differences in how platforms measure metrics to significant shifts in sender reputation and underlying list health. It's rarely a single issue, but rather a combination of these elements.