Email Open Rates and Inbox Placement
An open rate tells you how many recipients opened your email, but it only counts the messages that actually reached the inbox in the first place. Inbox placement — whether your mail lands in the inbox or the spam folder — is the hidden factor behind every open-rate figure.
Understanding the relationship between the two helps you interpret your email reports honestly and focus on the right improvements.
Why Placement Comes First
No matter how compelling your subject line, an email in the spam folder is rarely opened. Improving placement often lifts open rates more than any tweak to the message itself.
Improving Both
The same good habits help your mail reach the inbox and earn opens once it gets there.
- Authenticate your mail with SPF, DKIM and DMARC.
- Send only to people who opted in and stay engaged.
- Write clear, honest subject lines that match the content.
- Remove inactive and bouncing addresses regularly.
A Note on Measurement
Open tracking has become less reliable as some mail apps pre-load images. We treat open rates as a trend indicator rather than an exact count, and look at clicks and replies for a fuller picture.
If you need a hand with any of this, your Progressive Robot delivery team is ready to help. Raise a ticket from the Support area of your client portal or speak to your account manager and we will guide you through the next steps.