Summary
Low email open rates despite a high IP reputation and engagement are a complex issue arising from a combination of deliverability factors, flawed open tracking, and changing privacy landscapes. Mailbox providers prioritize user engagement, filtering emails based on content value, even with a good reputation. List fatigue, over-mailing, and irrelevant content contribute to subscribers ignoring emails. Authentication, proper DMARC implementation, and list hygiene are crucial, but content quality, segmentation, and rendering also play vital roles. Inaccurate open tracking results from Gmail's image caching, Apple's Mail Privacy Protection (MPP) inflating metrics, blocked tracking pixels, or pre-fetched opens. Seed testing limitations, high list churn diluting engagement metrics, and the unreliable nature of open rates as a primary KPI due to privacy changes further complicate the landscape.
Key findings
- Engagement-Driven Filtering: Mailbox providers filter emails based on user engagement, even with a good IP reputation.
- List Fatigue and Churn: Over-mailing, irrelevant content, and high list churn reduce engagement and open rates.
- Inaccurate Open Tracking: Gmail's image caching, Apple's MPP, blocked tracking pixels, and pre-fetched opens skew open rate data.
- Authentication and Configuration: While authentication protocols are crucial, improper DMARC implementation and deliverability factors such as complaints can hinder delivery and harm open rates.
- Segmentation Improves Results: Targeted emails increase engagement. Emails with improper rendering reduce engagement.
Key considerations
- Content Relevance: Prioritize creating valuable, relevant, and engaging email content.
- Email Frequency: Carefully manage sending frequency to avoid causing list fatigue.
- Audience Segmentation: Segment your audience for targeted and relevant messaging.
- A/B Testing: Employ A/B testing to optimize subject lines, content, and sender information.
- List Hygiene: Regularly clean your email list to remove inactive subscribers and reduce list churn.
- Adapt to Privacy Changes: Recognize the impact of privacy measures like Apple's MPP and adjust your tracking strategies accordingly.
- Alternative Engagement Metrics: Focus on other engagement metrics such as clicks and conversions to supplement or replace open rates as a primary KPI.
- Rendering across devices: Test email layout across multiple devices and email clients.
What email marketers say
12 marketer opinions
Low email open rates despite a good IP reputation and high engagement can stem from various factors. Engagement is key, even with good sender reputation, as mailbox providers filter based on content value. List fatigue, over-mailing, and irrelevant content also play a role. Authentication and proper DMARC implementation are crucial, but content, list hygiene, and segmentation are equally important. Inaccurate open tracking can result from Apple's Mail Privacy Protection, image caching, blocked tracking pixels, or issues with pre-fetched opens. Testing and rendering issues across different devices also impact engagement.
Key opinions
- Engagement Matters: Low engagement signals to mailbox providers that the content might not be valuable, leading to filtering despite a good IP reputation.
- List Fatigue: Over-mailing or irrelevant content can cause subscribers to become unresponsive, resulting in low open rates.
- Authentication and Alignment: Focusing on authentication and alignment can increase chances of inbox placement. Also improper DMARC can be a factor.
- Inaccurate Tracking: Tracking pixels may be blocked, or pre-fetched opens may be skewing the data, leading to inaccurate open rate measurements. Apple's Mail Privacy Protection impacts tracking. Google image caching changes can cause open tracking inaccuracies.
- Segmentation is important: Sending highly relevant emails to specific segments can significantly increase open rates.
Key considerations
- Content Quality: Ensure content is relevant, valuable, and engaging to maintain subscriber interest and improve open rates.
- Frequency: Adjust email sending frequency to avoid email fatigue and maintain a healthy level of engagement.
- Segmentation: Implement proper audience segmentation to target the right message to the right subscriber.
- A/B Testing: Continuously A/B test subject lines, sender names, and content to optimize for higher open rates.
- Whitelisting: Encourage contacts to add your sending address to their address book to improve deliverability and open rates.
- Rendering: Ensure emails render correctly across all devices and email clients to provide a positive user experience.
- Monitor Placement: Monitor which Gmail tabs your emails are landing in (Primary, Promotions, etc.) as this impacts open rates.
- List Hygiene: Focus on maintaining a clean and engaged email list to ensure optimal delivery and open rates, due to the impact of inactive or abandoned email addresses.
Marketer view
Email marketer from Sendinblue explains that while sender authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) and a good IP reputation are important, they aren't the only factors. Content quality, engagement, and list hygiene play critical roles in determining inbox placement and open rates.
22 Jan 2025 - Sendinblue
Marketer view
Marketers from Email Geeks suggest there might be issues with pre-fetched opens or the mechanisms that trigger such opens. They note that ESP's "real opens" seem fine and it is speculatated that some external issue is preventing accurate open tracking.
19 Mar 2023 - Email Geeks
What the experts say
4 expert opinions
Low email open rates despite a high IP reputation and engagement can arise from various complex factors. Seed testing isn't always indicative of subscriber experience, suggesting individual user interactions significantly influence deliverability. List churn, where many subscribers become inactive, dilutes engagement metrics, leading to artificially low open rates. Moreover, relying solely on open rates as a KPI is increasingly unreliable due to privacy changes and email client behavior; alternative metrics like clicks and conversions should be prioritized. Finally, incorrect DMARC implementation can hinder deliverability, causing emails to be rejected or marked as spam, negatively impacting open rates.
Key opinions
- Seed Testing Limitations: Seed testing provides a general direction but doesn't guarantee consistent delivery for all subscribers due to individualized user interactions.
- List Churn Impact: High list churn (inactive subscribers) dilutes engagement metrics, leading to artificially low open rates even with a good IP reputation.
- Open Rate Reliability: Open rates are increasingly unreliable as a primary KPI due to privacy changes and email client behavior.
- DMARC Configuration: Incorrect DMARC implementation can cause deliverability issues, leading to emails being rejected or sent to spam and, consequently, low open rates.
Key considerations
- User Interaction Analysis: Focus on analyzing individual user interactions rather than relying solely on seed testing for deliverability insights.
- List Hygiene Practices: Implement robust list hygiene practices to remove inactive subscribers and maintain a healthy and engaged email list.
- Alternative Metrics: Prioritize alternative metrics like clicks, conversions, and website visits to gauge engagement more accurately than open rates.
- DMARC Validation: Regularly validate DMARC implementation to ensure correct configuration and prevent deliverability issues.
Expert view
Expert from Word to the Wise explains incorrect DMARC implementation may lead to deliverability problems that eventually impact open rates despite a solid IP reputation, because it can cause legitimate emails to be rejected or sent to spam if authentication fails.
7 Oct 2023 - Word to the Wise
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks explains that seed testing provides a general direction for email delivery but doesn't guarantee consistent behavior for all subscribers. He suggests emails may be undergoing reputation changes and being sampled for user interaction analysis.
10 Feb 2023 - Email Geeks
What the documentation says
5 technical articles
Low email open rates despite high IP reputation and engagement are often attributed to various factors impacting deliverability and accurate open tracking. Gmail's image caching and Apple's Mail Privacy Protection (MPP) significantly skew open rate metrics. MPP inflates open rates by pre-loading content, while Gmail caching loads images without a true open. Deliverability is also influenced by sender reputation, authentication, list hygiene, and content relevance. Low engagement can decrease inbox placement. Emails landing in the Promotions or Updates tab in Gmail can lower open rates despite good deliverability. High complaint rates also negatively impact sender reputation and inbox placement.
Key findings
- Gmail Image Caching: Gmail's image caching loads images automatically, leading to inflated open rates.
- Apple Mail Privacy Protection (MPP): MPP pre-loads email content, including tracking pixels, inflating open rates and making engagement measurement difficult.
- Engagement and Deliverability: Low engagement signals to mailbox providers that emails are not relevant, decreasing inbox placement.
- Gmail Tab Placement: Emails landing in Promotions or Updates tab reduces open rates, even with good deliverability.
- Complaint Rates Impact: High complaint rates negatively affect sender reputation and can trigger spam filtering, reducing open rates.
Key considerations
- Adapt to Privacy Changes: Acknowledge and adapt to changes in email privacy policies (like MPP) and understand their impact on tracking.
- Monitor Gmail Tab Placement: Monitor which Gmail tabs your emails are landing in and adjust content and sending practices accordingly.
- Improve Engagement: Focus on improving email content and relevance to increase engagement and avoid being filtered as spam or placed in secondary tabs.
- List Hygiene: Maintain good list hygiene practices to remove unengaged subscribers and reduce complaint rates.
- Authentication: Ensure proper setup of email authentication protocols (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) to establish sender legitimacy.
Technical article
Documentation from Mailchimp highlights that various factors can affect email deliverability, including sender reputation, authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), list hygiene, and content. Low engagement can be a signal to mailbox providers that emails are not relevant, leading to decreased inbox placement.
14 Oct 2023 - Mailchimp
Technical article
Documentation from SparkPost explains that if emails are consistently landing in the Promotions or Updates tab in Gmail, it can lead to lower open rates, even if deliverability is good. Google's algorithm determines tab placement based on content and user behavior.
4 Oct 2021 - SparkPost
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