Summary
The consistent theme across these expert and marketer insights and documentation is that ProtonMail's 0% open rates are primarily a consequence of its robust privacy measures, specifically its aggressive blocking of tracking pixels. Therefore, diagnosing deliverability issues requires a shift in focus. Measuring engagement via click-through rates and conversions, coupled with robust email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), is essential. Additionally, proactively managing sender reputation and adapting measurement strategies to account for ProtonMail's privacy-centric approach are paramount.
Key findings
- Pixel Blocking: ProtonMail actively blocks tracking pixels by default, rendering open rates unreliable.
- Alternative Metrics: Click-through rates and conversions are more accurate indicators of engagement.
- Email Authentication: Implementing SPF, DKIM, and DMARC is critical for improving deliverability, especially with privacy-focused providers like ProtonMail.
- Sender Reputation: Maintaining a positive sender reputation helps to ensure emails are not marked as spam.
- Privacy Focus: ProtonMail prioritizes user privacy, influencing how emails are handled and tracked.
Key considerations
- Adapt Measurement: Adjust your email marketing strategy to measure success based on click-through rates, conversions, and other engagement metrics instead of relying solely on open rates.
- Implement Authentication: Ensure that SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are properly configured to authenticate your emails and improve deliverability.
- Monitor Reputation: Proactively monitor your sender reputation, bounce rates, and spam complaints to identify and address deliverability issues promptly.
- Content Value: Focus on creating valuable and engaging content that encourages user interaction and fosters trust.
- Testing: Use email testing tools to preview your emails in ProtonMail and other email clients to ensure proper rendering and identify potential issues.
What email marketers say
11 marketer opinions
ProtonMail's low open rates are primarily due to its strong privacy features, which block tracking pixels. Email marketers should focus on alternative engagement metrics like click-through rates, ensure proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), and maintain a good sender reputation. Testing emails with different clients, including ProtonMail, is crucial to identify rendering and deliverability issues. Ultimately, prioritize delivering valuable content and respecting user privacy.
Key opinions
- Pixel Blocking: ProtonMail actively blocks tracking pixels, making open rates unreliable.
- Alternative Metrics: Click-through rates are a better indicator of engagement.
- Authentication: SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are crucial for deliverability.
- Sender Reputation: Maintaining a good sender reputation is essential.
- Privacy Focus: ProtonMail users prioritize privacy, influencing email interaction.
Key considerations
- Engagement Focus: Shift from open rates to click-through rates and conversions.
- Authentication Implementation: Ensure SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are correctly configured.
- Reputation Management: Monitor bounce rates, spam complaints, and feedback loops.
- Testing: Use email testing tools to preview emails in ProtonMail.
- Content Value: Prioritize valuable content to drive engagement.
Marketer view
Email marketer from Senderlist shares that ProtonMail users are privacy-focused, and recommends not relying on open rates. They suggest that brands optimize for user engagement by using click tracking and valuable content to encourage interaction. Improving sender reputation and ensuring proper email authentication are also recommended.
7 Jan 2024 - Senderlist
Marketer view
Email marketer from Litmus shares insights that some email clients, like ProtonMail, prioritize privacy by blocking external content, including tracking pixels. It's important to consider that lower open rates might not always indicate deliverability problems but rather privacy settings in action.
24 May 2024 - Litmus
What the experts say
2 expert opinions
Experts emphasize that privacy-focused inboxes like Protonmail intentionally strip tracking pixels, leading to inaccurate open rates. To address this, they recommend shifting focus to engagement metrics like click-through rates and conversions, implementing strong email authentication methods (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), and actively managing sender reputation through monitoring and feedback loops.
Key opinions
- Pixel Stripping: Protonmail and similar services aggressively remove tracking pixels.
- Engagement Metrics: Click-through rates and conversions are more reliable indicators of campaign success.
- Authentication: SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are essential for improved deliverability with privacy-focused providers.
- Reputation Monitoring: Actively monitor sender reputation and engage with feedback loops.
Key considerations
- Adapt Measurement: Adjust your campaign measurement strategy to focus on metrics beyond open rates.
- Strengthen Authentication: Ensure robust implementation of SPF, DKIM, and DMARC.
- Proactive Monitoring: Regularly monitor sender reputation metrics and address issues promptly.
Expert view
Expert from Spam Resource responds that implementing robust email authentication methods like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC is crucial for improving email deliverability, particularly when dealing with privacy-conscious email providers like Protonmail. They recommend regularly monitoring your sender reputation and engaging with feedback loops to identify and address deliverability issues promptly.
31 May 2024 - Spam Resource
Expert view
Expert from Word to the Wise explains that privacy-focused inboxes such as Protonmail often employ aggressive measures like stripping tracking pixels, which can skew open rates. She suggests focusing on engagement metrics like click-through rates and conversions to gauge campaign success, and emphasizes the importance of strong sender authentication and reputation management.
2 Jan 2025 - Word to the Wise
What the documentation says
4 technical articles
Official documentation highlights that ProtonMail's privacy-focused image proxy strips tracking pixels, rendering open rates unreliable. To improve deliverability, implementing email authentication systems like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC is crucial. These protocols verify domain ownership and provide policies to prevent email spoofing and improve trust.
Key findings
- Image Proxy: ProtonMail uses an image proxy that removes tracking pixels.
- DKIM: DKIM verifies the domain name associated with a message.
- DMARC: DMARC builds on SPF and DKIM to prevent email spoofing.
- SPF: SPF specifies authorized mail servers to prevent domain spoofing.
Key considerations
- Adjust Expectations: Don't rely on open rates with ProtonMail due to pixel stripping.
- Implement DKIM: Configure DKIM to sign your outgoing emails.
- Implement DMARC: Set up a DMARC policy to handle unauthenticated emails.
- Implement SPF: Create an SPF record listing authorized sending servers.
Technical article
Documentation from DMARC.org explains that DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance) builds on SPF and DKIM to provide a policy framework for email senders and receivers, helping to prevent email spoofing and improve deliverability.
7 Feb 2022 - DMARC.org
Technical article
Documentation from RFC Editor defines DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM), an email authentication system designed to verify the domain name associated with a message, thereby improving deliverability and trust.
11 Jan 2023 - RFC-Editor.org
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