When is an open rate not the rate of opening...

Ok, that sounds a bit cryptic. What we mean is that you can't always rely on the reported number of people who have opened your email as being the actual number that did. That doesn't mean you shouldn't look at it - we do because it allows you to compare one email with another - but there are several reasons why the actual figure won't be dead on the mark:

• Most systems track  open rates by using a small graphic in the email that reports back when it loads. As many email providers block graphics, a reader might open an email and have it not register as being opened.
• Preview panes - that space beside your email that gives you a glimpse (or the whole content) of an email doesn't always report back either, so short emails can certainly be read without 'opening' them.
  
• Though rare these days, anyone reading your text-only or plain text version of your email gets to do so anonymously - there is no way of telling if they opened it or not.
  

Generally speaking. this means more readers actually open your email than we know about, so that isn't a bad thing. Just don't get bogged down in the actual numbers!

The next question is whether they have read the contents of your email but that is a topic for another time. In the meantime, talk to us for more information about email marketing.