Why is my California email list having low engagement?
Matthew Whittaker
Co-founder & CTO, Suped
Published 14 Jul 2025
Updated 16 Aug 2025
7 min read
I've been hearing a common frustration: email lists, particularly those focused on specific regions like California, sometimes experience bafflingly low engagement, even when open rates appear normal. It's a situation where your messages are seemingly reaching the inbox, yet the desired actions, such as clicks and conversions, are significantly lagging compared to other lists.
This can be perplexing, especially when you're confident in your list acquisition methods, like local partnerships and event attendees, and you're maintaining consistent content across segments. The immediate thought might be deliverability, but if emails are consistently landing in the Promotions tab, or directly in the inbox, the root cause likely lies elsewhere.
When you see a drastic drop in click-through rates and conversions from a specific geographic segment, it points to a disconnect between your message and the audience's interests or circumstances, rather than a technical email delivery failure. It's about optimizing for true engagement beyond just the open.
The true meaning of email engagement
It’s easy to focus solely on open rates as a primary metric for email engagement, but this can be misleading, especially with modern email client behaviors. Many email service providers (ESPs) track opens using a tiny, invisible pixel. When an email client like Google or Apple pre-fetches images to display them faster or for privacy reasons (like Mail Privacy Protection), it can trigger these pixels, falsely inflating your open rates. This means an email might be 'opened' by a proxy server without a human ever seeing it.
The impact of proxy opens
This phenomenon can particularly skew data for geographically targeted lists. For instance, many Google image proxies are located in California. So, if a significant portion of your audience uses Gmail, their 'opens' might appear to originate from California, regardless of their actual location. This can lead to a California list looking like it has high engagement at first glance, when in reality, many of those opens aren't from active human interaction. This is why you might be seeing open rate drops specifically in California.
To accurately gauge engagement, prioritize metrics like click-through rates (CTR) and conversions. While open rates are still useful for general deliverability monitoring, they are no longer a reliable indicator of active subscriber interest. If your inbox placement is dropping but engagement is the same, this suggests a different issue.
Focusing on these deeper metrics will give you a clearer picture of how your California audience, or any audience segment, is truly interacting with your emails.
Content relevance and audience mismatch
If deliverability isn't the primary problem, the next step is to critically assess your content's relevance to your Californian audience. Even if the list was built through local events and partnerships, the interests of a California-based audience might differ from those in other regions, or even within California itself, especially if your marketing includes virtual products or events.
Tailoring content and offers
Consider the specific needs or preferences of your California subscribers. Are the events or products you're promoting truly appealing to them? For virtual events, while location isn't a barrier, time zones can be. An event scheduled for 10 AM EST might be 7 AM PST, which is less ideal for engagement. Furthermore, economic factors can play a role; a higher cost of living might influence charitable giving or event attendance compared to other states. You might need to strategize for solving low email marketing engagement rates.
Re-evaluate your email creatives. Are there any suggested donation amounts or pricing that might be off-putting in the Californian context? Sometimes, small tweaks to your messaging, offers, or even the timing of your sends can significantly impact how your audience responds.
Technical factors influencing trust and engagement
Even with good inbox placement, underlying technical factors can subtly impact engagement. This isn't about outright spam filtering but rather about maintaining a strong sender reputation that encourages recipients to trust and interact with your emails. Ensuring your domain has a solid reputation is crucial. Understanding your email domain reputation is key.
Sender authentication and rendering
Verify that your email authentication protocols like DMARC, SPF, and DKIM are correctly configured across all sending domains and subdomains. Inconsistent or missing records can subtly lower trust, even if emails aren't immediately blocklisted. While your emails might not be going to the spam folder, a weak reputation can still lead to lower engagement over time.
Another often overlooked aspect is how your emails render across different email clients, especially on mobile devices. If a significant portion of your California audience uses a particular email client that experiences rendering or security problems with your campaign design, it could be hindering engagement. Always preview your campaigns in various environments to ensure a consistent and positive user experience.
Optimizing for clicks and conversions
Ultimately, the goal is not just to get opens or even clicks, but to drive conversions. If your click-through rates are poor despite decent opens, it suggests that while your subject lines might be compelling enough to get the open, the content within isn't motivating the next step. This is a common challenge, and it's essential to identify and fix low email engagement issues.
Enhancing the conversion pathway
Review your calls-to-action (CTAs). Are they clear, prominent, and compelling? Is the value proposition immediately evident? Sometimes a small change in CTA wording or placement can make a big difference. Additionally, consider the landing page experience after the click. Is it mobile-friendly, fast-loading, and directly relevant to the email's content? A disjointed experience after the click can quickly lead to users dropping off.
Segment your California list further if possible. Are there distinct sub-groups with different interests or behaviors? Running A/B tests on subject lines, email content, CTAs, and even send times can provide valuable insights into what resonates specifically with your California audience. This iterative testing process can significantly increase email click-through rate over time.
Views from the trenches
Best practices
Ensure your list segmentation is based on explicit data, not just inferred location from opens, especially with proxy servers.
Prioritize click-through rates and conversions over open rates as key performance indicators for true engagement.
Tailor content, offers, and send times to align with the specific preferences and time zones of your California audience.
Regularly test email rendering across various popular email clients to ensure a consistent user experience.
Common pitfalls
Misinterpreting high open rates due to proxy servers as genuine engagement.
Sending the same generic content to all segments without considering regional differences or economic factors.
Overlooking the user experience on landing pages after an email click, leading to lost conversions.
Not thoroughly testing email campaigns across different email clients and devices.
Expert tips
Implement robust email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) for all sending domains to build and maintain trust.
Analyze historical data for your California list to identify patterns in successful content or optimal send times.
Consider running small, targeted campaigns to test different value propositions or messaging angles.
Actively solicit feedback from your California subscribers to understand their preferences directly.
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks says that low engagement on a California list might not be a deliverability issue if emails are reaching the inbox, suggesting the content itself might not resonate with the audience's preferences or needs.
2023-02-09 - Email Geeks
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks warns that using geolocation based on opens can be misleading because many Google image proxies are in California, making it appear as though recipients are in CA when they may not be.
2023-02-09 - Email Geeks
Summary and next steps
Addressing low engagement for your California email list requires a multi-faceted approach that looks beyond surface-level metrics like open rates. It's about understanding your audience, refining your content strategy, and ensuring a seamless user journey from email to conversion.
By shifting focus to actionable metrics like click-through rates and conversions, you can gain a clearer picture of true engagement. Then, by tailoring your messaging, considering regional nuances, and ensuring a robust technical setup, you can turn a low-engagement list into a highly responsive one. Remember, effective email marketing is a continuous process of testing, learning, and adapting to your audience's evolving needs and behaviors.
Google or 
Apple pre-fetches images to display them faster or for privacy reasons (like Mail Privacy Protection), it can trigger these pixels, falsely inflating your open rates. This means an email might be 'opened' by a proxy server without a human ever seeing it.
Google image proxies are located in California. So, if a significant portion of your audience uses Gmail, their 'opens' might appear to originate from California, regardless of their actual location. This can lead to a California list looking like it has high engagement at first glance, when in reality, many of those opens aren't from active human interaction. This is why you might be seeing open rate drops specifically in California.
