Understanding Open and Click Rates
The "open rate" and "click rate" are metrics for measuring email engagement in Bullhorn Automation. Each metric has its strengths and limitations, particularly when it comes to open rates, which are not always 100% accurate. This article will explain how email tracking works and how open and click rates are calculated.
Open Rates
How Opens are Tracked
In HTML emails, opens are tracked using a tracking pixel, an invisible image that is displayed when the recipient opens your email. When this image is downloaded from our web servers, the email is recorded as opened. The invisible pixel is also used to track website activity (page views, job views, etc).
Accuracy of Open Tracking
Several factors can cause open rates to be inaccurate:
- Privacy features like Apple MPP can inflate open rates.
- Recipients’ behaviors, such as previewing emails without fully opening them, can lead to over-reporting.
- Opens can be under-reported if readers’ email clients do not display HTML with images or if they choose to read emails without displaying images.
We do record an open for recipients who click a link (excluding the unsubscribe link) in your email, even if they don't download images. Note that neither opens nor clicks can be tracked for plain text emails.
How Open Rates are Calculated
To calculate the open rate for an email campaign, divide the number of unique opens by the number of emails sent, minus the ones that bounced.
Monitoring Open Rates
Despite not being 100% accurate, open rates are a useful measure of engagement over time. If your open rates start to decline, consider reviewing your sending frequency or content. Common factors for low open rates include:
- Sending too many or too few campaigns
- Subject lines that fail to grab attention
- Generic content instead of targeted messages for different segments
To keep track of the open rates:
- View campaign metrics after each send
- Compare metrics for specific campaigns
Click Rates
How Clicks are Tracked
When creating your email content, personalized links (clicks.careerbits.com or the 4th CNAME value for your domain are saved pointing to our servers. When an email recipient clicks a link, we record the click before redirecting them to the destination. For more information on using the 4th CNAME value to personalize these links please contact Bullhorn Support.
How Click Rates are Calculated
To calculate the click rate, divide the number of recipients who clicked by the number of emails delivered (sent minus bounced).
Click Rate vs. Click-to-Open Rate (CTOR)
CTOR is an alternative engagement metric calculated by dividing the number of recipients who clicked by the number of unique opens. Given the uncertainty around open rates, it is preferred to use the click rate (percentage of delivered emails that were clicked) over CTOR.
FAQ
Why do the metrics show strange click patterns or unusually high click rates?
This could be due to automated systems like virus scanners or corporate firewalls that inspect emails and follow links. This can cause clicks to be tracked in the system.
What is the impact of privacy features like Apple MPP?
In September 2021, Apple launched Mail Privacy Protection (MPP), a new feature which impacts how open rates are measured for Apple device users. This means open rates and click-to-open rates (CTOR) will become less reliable.
If metrics show repeated opens, is this accurate?
While the system records all opens, multiple opens can occur due to:
- Inbox preview panes
- Manually forwarded emails
- Emails shared online