What is Open rate?
The share of delivered emails that were opened. Privacy proxies inflate it, so treat it as directional rather than precise.
Open rate is the share of delivered emails that registered an open. It is tracked with an invisible pixel, which is exactly why it broke: Apple Mail Privacy Protection preloads messages on Apple’s servers, registering opens no human made. Lists heavy in Apple Mail readers can see rates inflated far beyond real behavior.
Open rate still earns a place as a directional signal. Sudden drops flag deliverability trouble, and relative differences between your own subject lines remain informative. Just avoid treating the absolute number as a count of humans, and lean on clicks when you need evidence of real attention.
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