Why are email open rates high despite low engagement?

Email marketer from HubSpot explains that email pre-fetching by certain email clients, including Gmail, causes inflated open rates. Gmail pre-fetches images, registering an open even if the recipient hasn't actively opened the email.

Email marketer from Email Geeks suggests analyzing the time difference between delivery and open events and looking for accounts that clicked every link in an email. She also recommends using Klaviyo to rank clickers by the number of clicks and identifying accounts with bot-like activity.

Email marketer from MarketingForum.com answers that poor segmentation leads to sending irrelevant content to subscribers. If the emails are not targeted to their interests, the open rate might be high but the engagement will be low.

Email marketer from Reddit's EmailDrips subreddit responds that if the subject lines are very clickbaity, but the content within the email doesn't deliver on the promise, it can result in a high open rate but low CTR.

Email marketer from Email Geeks explains that high open rates in Klaviyo are often normal due to Apple MPP and Gmail pre-fetching. She recommends spot-checking activity in Klaviyo to see rapid successions of email opens. Stephanie suggests focusing on more valuable subsets of the audience to improve click rates and using the open rate as a trend line to detect major swings.

Email marketer from NeilPatel.com responds that marketers should focus on metrics beyond open rates, such as click-through rates, conversion rates, and revenue generated from email campaigns. These metrics give a clearer picture of true engagement.

Email marketer from ActiveCampaign shares that subject line testing is key. Over-promising in the subject line can drive opens but fail to deliver, causing low engagement. Consistent testing will lead to more realistic metrics.

Email marketer from G2 Learn Hub shares that if a large percentage of your email list is inactive or contains bot accounts, open rates may be artificially inflated. These addresses may open emails automatically, without genuine interest. Regular list cleaning is recommended.

Email marketer from Email Geeks suggests checking "real" or "human" open rates within the ESP, as the total unique opens might be inflated due to prefetch/pre-caching situations like MPP. He also mentions that list checking tools may not be effective for Gmail users.

Email marketer from SuperOffice explains that sending too many emails can lead to subscriber burnout. Even if they open initially, they're less likely to engage in the long run, resulting in high opens, but low overall engagement due to oversaturation.

Email marketer from the EmailGeeks forum explains that If your domain reputation is low, some email providers may automatically mark your emails as read or send them directly to spam, which affects deliverability and engagement.

Email marketer from Campaign Monitor explains that a poorly designed email might have a high open rate but a low click-through rate because the content is not visually appealing or easy to navigate. The email design impacts engagement.

Expert from Spamresource.com explains that bot activity is a primary contributor to high open rates with low engagement. They suggest many bots automatically open emails, skewing the open rate metric.

Expert from Wordtothewise.com answers that a mismatch between subject line promise and email content is a significant driver of high opens but low engagement. Delivering on the subject line's promise keeps users engaged.

Expert from Email Geeks suggests focusing on more interesting measures than open rates, as they are a garbage metric. However, dips and downward trends in open rates can indicate delivery issues.

Documentation from Apple answers that Mail Privacy Protection hides the recipient's IP address so senders can’t link it to other online activity or determine their location. Also prevents senders from seeing if an email has been opened.

Documentation from Litmus shares that factors like images being automatically downloaded when the user opens their inbox, and aggressive spam filtering influence open rates. With the release of MPP this has further skewed data.

Documentation from Mailchimp explains that Apple's Mail Privacy Protection (MPP) inflates open rates. MPP pre-loads email content, which registers as an open even if the recipient doesn't actually open the email. This makes it harder to accurately gauge true engagement based solely on open rates.

Documentation from SendGrid answers that high open rates coupled with low engagement could mean that your subject lines are compelling, but your content is not resonating with your audience. It can also be misleading due to privacy changes.