What does OPENED really mean?

Hi all,

I have a quick question. I have sent out a total of 4 emails to date. Each has contained links (between 1 and as many as 4) to PDF files I have on my server. I have consistently gotten about a 33% OPEN rate but very few clicks. For example, this morning 49 recipients OPENed my email but one 1 clicked any of the 3 links on my email....

This is my question. What does OPEN really mean? Is it possible that my emails are getting through any kind of spam filters but the recipients are seeing them in their in-box and simply clicking them and hitting delete, thus not really OPENing them but deleting them?

Would love to hear if anyone has any insight into this as it is pretty important to ALL our results.

Thanks everybody.

Josh Beatman

Tags: email, results

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Chris Ewald on June 29, 2009 at 1:34pm: Hi Josh,

Great question. An "open" is counted when the images in the HTML version of your email are downloaded or turned on. Most email clients default to "images off" initially -- I have them turned off in my Outlook, but have my Yahoo account set to "Always show images, except in Spam folder."

Here's some additional info from the VerticalResponse knowledge base:

An open is tracked by a hidden pixel placed in an HTML email. Once the pixel is activated, an open is registered. An open is also registered if a recipient previews the email message in a preview pane if the email client is set to "show images."

Note: As tracking opens relies on an image render it's not possible to track opens for text-only or text versions of the email messages. Additional image blocking in the email client will prevent an open from being recorded.

Hope that's helpful! --Chris.

Permalink Reply by Josh Beatman on June 29, 2009 at 1:43pm: Thanks Chris. That makes it all clear.

JB

Permalink Reply by Ann Marie Popko on June 29, 2009 at 7:32pm: Could you clarify this:
"Additional image blocking in the email client will prevent an open from being recorded."
Does this mean that if my email server makes you "click to show images", then that email will not count as an "open"? Thanks

Permalink Reply by Chris Ewald on June 30, 2009 at 7:00am: Hi Anne Marie,

Yes -- that's correct. Either the images have to be downloaded once the email is received (if the default setting of the email client requires the recipient to "click to show images" to see the graphical components of the HTML email), or the email client has to be set to "always show images" prior to the email being received for the viewing of that email to register as an open.

Cheers, --Chris.