How to Interpret Email Newsletter Open Rates

When it comes to email marketing and newsletters, one statistical favorite is the "open rate". This number, whose goal it is to indicate how many people open a certain mailing, does have its value, but you should be aware of how it is generated, and what this means for the open rate's interpretation.

Interpret Email Newsletter Open Rates

• The generation of open rate statistics relies on images in HTML emails, downloaded when the message is opened. People whose email clients do not support HTML or people who are not online when they open the message are not counted.
• Most email programs have a preview pane where messages are opened — and counted — whether the recipients actually reads them or not.

The open rate can be an indicator on a broader scale, though. It can be particularly interesting to watch the trend, for example, and surprising declines probably indicate a distribution problem.