High open rate and zero clicks: what to measure in email marketing
A high open rate misleads when the email asks for an action that happens outside it. Which metric to use for each goal and how to measure QR codes, sales calls and events.
The email marketing metrics that matter depend on what the email asks people to do. A high open rate on its own proves nothing: some opens are recorded by privacy features, without anyone reading the message. When the goal is a conversation, a registration or a visit, the right metric is the one that measures that action, even if it happens outside the email.
High opens and zero clicks: what happened
A credit union, one of our clients, sent an invitation to 2,573 people: 43.76% open rate and not a single click. Another send had a 31.71% open rate and, again, zero clicks. At first glance, the email had failed.
The detail was in the ask. In some of these sends, the call to action was to talk to the account manager or scan a QR code, actions that happen outside the email and that the tool's report cannot see. The email may well have been working, and the measurement had no way of showing it. This is the kind of number that lands in a report and confuses decision-makers, as we discuss in our post on marketing metrics for leadership.
Why the open rate lost accuracy
Opens are measured by an invisible image that loads when the message opens, and some apps load that image on their own. Apple's Mail Privacy Protection downloads remote content in the background, whether or not the person engages with the email. To your tool, that counts as an open.
In practice:
- the open rate goes up without more people reading;
- subject line tests based on opens become less reliable;
- automations triggered by “opened the email” fire for people who never saw the message.
Use opens as a trend within the same list, never as proof of interest.
Email marketing metrics for each goal
Before you send, define the action the email asks for and pick the metric that measures that action.
| Email goal | Main metric | How to measure |
|---|---|---|
| Drive traffic to the site or to content | click rate and on-page conversion | UTM on the link and a goal in analytics |
| Start a conversation with sales | replies and opportunities created | CRM, with the email as the source |
| Event registration | registrations per send | form with UTM or a source field |
| Attendance at an event or a branch | attendance attributed to the email | QR code with its own link, a code or a list |
| Customer relationship | clicks and unsubscribes over time | the tool's report, month by month |
When email works alongside sales, the source has to reach the CRM. That is the topic of our post on RD Station and CRM integration.
How to measure when the action happens outside the email
Every call to action outside the email needs a trail that leads back to the send. A few ways to create that trail:
- A QR code with its own link, carrying the send's UTM, pointing to a page that records the visit.
- A unique link per send, so people can confirm attendance or request contact in one click.
- A code or keyword mentioned in the conversation, which the account manager logs in the CRM.
- A source field on the registration form, with “email” as an option.
Agree with the service team on how the record will be made before the send, not after.
Bounces and list health
A high bounce rate drags down delivery for every send that follows. Track the bounce rate of each send and remove invalid addresses from your list. The step-by-step is in our post on email list cleaning.
In the report for leadership, the email marketing metrics that deserve the spotlight are the ones tied to results: clicks, replies, registrations and opportunities. The open rate shows up as context, next to bounces and unsubscribes.
Designing the email together with the way to measure it is part of our email marketing and automation work.
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Frequently asked questions
What is a good email open rate?
It depends on your list, your industry and how many people use apps with privacy protection. Compare against your own list's history, not market averages.
Why does an email get opens and no clicks?
The email may have no link, the call to action may ask for something outside the email, or the opens may come from privacy features. Check first what the email was asking for.
Should I stop looking at the open rate?
No. Use it as a trend within the same list and make decisions based on the metric tied to the send's goal.
