Why You Don’t Know Your REAL Email Open Rate

Tee Riddle Old Archives

Apr 11

Why You Don’t Know Your REAL Email Open Rate

I’ve mentioned before that I need to work on the quality of our list and increasing our email open rate is at the top of the list. In fact, I was going to send out a few messages and then delete everyone that didn’t open any of them. I’m glad I didn’t. I found this thread on the Warrior Forum: Aweber Stats explained. It looks like I will have to find another way to get rid of inactive subscribers. Basically, the email open rate stats we get from any autoresponder should be used as a guide only. There are several reasons opens are not or can not be counted and other reasons some counted as opens may not have actually been opened.

The way we determine how many emails were opened is by embedding an tiny invisible image into your HTML message. Each time this image is ‘downloaded’ from the server another email open is counted.

So what about text emails? Not counted. What about email clients where the ‘images’ are turned off? Not counted. What about filters that prevent images from displaying? Not counted. Starting to see why our email open rate isn’t exactly a 100% accurate measure? On the other side of the table we have some emails shown as open because of the email client’s preview pane. The image is requested so the email is considered open even though the subscriber may simply delete it from there.

So what’s a marketer to do? Continue on I guess. It’s just statistics. Get a great email auto-responder, build your list, promote your products and build relationships. As for the Extreme Ezine, I’ll work on increasing our open rates as well as the click throughs. Eventually I may still think of a tactic to dump the dead weight but in the mean time we’re pushing forward. Any thoughts on the matter? Do you have a list?

No disclaimer required: You will find my affiliate link in the article above for AWeber. I’ve been using AWeber exclusively and it’s one of my top recommended products. Even though I can gain financially should you use my affiliate link, the truth is I would recommend AWeber without a financial incentive.

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About the author

Tee Riddle wrote 33 articles on this blog.

Tee Riddle is a social media enthusiast and co-founder of a weekly Twitter chat, dubbed #gardenchat. He has many hobbies and also blogs about vegetable gardening at Veggie Gardener.

Related posts:

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  2. The Battle For Email Deliverability
  3. Top 10+ Email Marketing Tips
  4. Effectively Using An Email Signature
  5. The Extreme Newsletter
  • Email marketing is one of those topics that seems to go under the radar these days and although email is most widely known; at the same time its also underutilized by a lot of online marketers including offline local business.
  • weiston W. West
    Hi,
    I am looking for a program that let me know when my send emails are read.
    I need a minimum of 3-months trial, this will give me time too learn the program.

    Winston
  • I haven't seen many products with a 3mo trial, Aweber is $1 for the first month, your should be able to figure it out in a month huh?
  • I use Outlook and it does not automatically download images. Usually I only bother clicking the button to download images if it looks like one of the images was crucial for the content. So a lot of people using outlook simply wouldn't be downloading the stat counting graphic.

    A lot of web related stats are never really completely accurate. So it's best to take those stats with a grain of salt and never overreact to them. Use them to analyze trends, but never assume the numbers are guaranteed.
  • I was wondering on how the open rates worked in Aweber. I have a niche list that looks like it's no fully responsive so I was about to delete the names of the no open rates. I'm glad I found this article in time now I'll start adding a small image like you said to do see if I can find my true open rate on my niche newsletter.
    .-= Mario@Halloween_Super_Affiliate_review´s last blog ..Halloween Super Affiliate – How To Make Money With Halloween Niche =-.
  • I feel that if you change your email service and open rates rise, it was a good idea. But if they fall, then it was a bad idea. This is assuming everything else remained unchanged. This kind of thing is great intelligence. First, one should try to take the regular steps at optimizing your email and improving your open rate.
    .-= Brian@langley movers ´s last blog ..Welcome to Budget City Movers, the Best Choice for your Relocation Needs =-.
  • hi Brian,
    Just a follow up on your post about google indexing blog comments. I made another comment on that post with the word "shizlextreme" about three weeks after the original post, plus I used the word on my comment here (above). If you search google for "shizlextreme", you'll see both posts are indexed! And after only two days! :) So not only does google index comments, but it also finds and indexes comments made at a later date (i.e. three weeks later). Google ROCKS! ~ Steve
    .-= Steve | Trade Show Guru´s last blog ..Cheap Trade Show Displays Aren’t Always Cheap =-.
  • hey Brian,
    Neat trick on putting the image in your email and then counting the number of hits...
    Anyway, I don't do email marketing, but I do wish I had a better idea of how many of my emails even make it through in the first place. I have people say "I didn't get your email" on a regular basis because of spam filters and "false positives" (and my emails are totally legit and wanted). So I wish there was a better way of just making sure people even get your email, much less open it, if that makes sense.
    Steve, aka "mr shizlextreme" :D
    .-= Steve´s last blog ..Cheap Trade Show Displays Aren’t Always Cheap =-.
  • Hi Brian.
    My e-mail don't open image automatically. I have receive some image with a trojan virus before, I will make sure the image is OK before I open them. If you put your picture in your signature or below the e-mail, I will most probably not open the image.
    Just want to share that.
    See you around.
    .-= lunaticg´s last blog ..£1 Falmouth banknote sold for £500 =-.
  • Raymond@painters in mississaug
    A lot of factors point out that the email open rate is not 100 % accurate. I wonder then how and why it is used for statistics. Does that leave any room for discussion?
  • I'm confused, what tiny invisible image embedded into an HTML message?

    I know of the tick box to make your link trackable in both text and HTML emails...no idea what this is all about though?
    .-= Dennis Edell @ Direct Sales Marketing´s last blog ..DEDC Remains DoFollow – BUT… =-.
  • Hi Dennis, That tick box changes your links into tracking links to see what was clicked. Open rates tells how many emails were opened but that stat is very limited and only works with HTML emails.
  • Sorry yea, I read the official thing from Tom afterward.....duh on me. lol

    I always do each one in both HTML and text anyway.
    .-= Dennis Edell @ Direct Sales Marketing´s last blog ..New Updated Long Detailed Comment Policy Coming very SOON! Among Others… =-.
  • I don't have a list. I did add that ratepoint widget to maybe do a newsletter now and then. I don't need a list and do affiliate marketing.
    I'm not lining people up for the kill and thought it was funny when some non descript blogger mentioned I'm not about money or ebooks or something like that NO I'm all about money I just keep my blogging seperate, I knew from day one Bloggers are the worst customers I go after FAT CHICKS :) LOL
    I may get an aweber because I do like the way you can bounce people from page to page and other slick tricks I see Super Affiliates do when they offer the scammy "products" I don't need to beat people :) I rather be broke.Anyway to each his own I would sign up for your newsletter and surprised I don't get one I don't think ? Well will sign up now, Did you ever monetize your newsletter ? Now that's what I'm looking to do :)
    Not have people pay but swap ads or charge a good rate to add peoples banners or mention their 'Products " Hope all is well. Thanks for the continued support it's very much appreciated especially now days when a blogger will stick ya in the back in a sec :) Oh well going take more than that to set back the KID LOL :)
    .-= John Sullivan´s last blog ..Can America survive without Nukes ? =-.
  • You go after those corn fed girls of Nebraska lol.

    The only ad I've sent in a year is an offer for five domains for $100 on Friday. But that is about to change. I'm going to start using my list for email marketing since that's what it is, an ezine. I went from not promoting every crap product to not promoting at all. Time to go back to selective products or I may as well shut this thing down. Don't worry, I wont send more than ten or twelve emails a day ;)
  • I'm glad you didn't just delete those that didn't open the e-mail, as you now know, there's no surefire way to find out the opening percentage of newsletters :)

    But I guess the current method is still good for statistics, to determine whether or not opening rate is going up or down, but as a "this many people read our last e-mail"-value, it's no good.
    .-= Klaus @ TechPatio´s last blog ..Google Street View – More Funny Pictures (Part 2 of 2) =-.
  • I'm glad too Klaus, I was about to make a serious boo boo ;)
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