The metric that matters

Your cold email open rates are lying to you.

And tracking them is actively hurting your deliverability.

Let me explain.

Problem #1: Apple Mail Privacy Protection

Since 2021, Apple Mail automatically loads tracking pixels for all emails — even ones the user never opens. If your prospect uses Apple Mail (and roughly 50% of professionals do), every email shows as "opened" in your dashboard.

Your "65% open rate" might actually be 30%.

You're making decisions based on fake data.

Problem #2: Tracking pixels add HTML

Cold email should be plain text. No images. No HTML. No formatting. Just words.

The moment you enable open rate tracking, your email tool inserts an invisible 1x1 pixel image into the email body. That image is loaded via HTML.

Spam filters detect HTML in cold emails. It's a signal that the email is automated, commercial, or promotional. Your deliverability drops.

So by tracking open rates, you're literally causing more of your emails to land in spam. You're measuring something that makes the thing you're measuring worse.

Problem #3: Open rates don't predict revenue

I've seen campaigns with 70% open rates and zero replies. I've seen campaigns with 35% open rates and 15% reply rates.

Open rate tells you ONE thing: your subject line worked. That's it. It doesn't tell you if the message resonated. It doesn't tell you if the prospect is qualified. It doesn't tell you if they'll reply.

A great subject line with a bad message = opens but no replies.

A decent subject line with a great message = fewer opens but more replies.

Which one do you want?

The only metric that matters for cold email: Positive Reply Rate.

Not total reply rate (that includes "unsubscribe me" and "stop emailing me").

Positive. Reply. Rate.

Someone read your email, understood what you do, and said "tell me more" or "sure, send it over" or "when are you free?"

Here's what good looks like:

"But how do I know if my emails are landing in the inbox?"

Use mail-tester.com. Send a test email to their address. They'll tell you your spam score. Do this weekly.

Check Google Postmaster Tools for your sending domains. It shows your domain reputation and spam rates.

These tools give you deliverability data without hurting your deliverability. Open rate tracking does the opposite.

What about click-through rates?

Same problem, amplified.

Links in cold emails are even worse for deliverability than tracking pixels. A link from an unknown sender = suspicious. Spam filters flag it immediately.

Rule: Never put a link in your first cold email.

The first email's job is to get a reply. That's it. Not a click. Not a visit. A reply.

Links go in the follow-up, after they've engaged. After they've said "tell me more." After you've earned the right to send them somewhere.

Your action step:

1. Turn off open rate tracking in Instantly

2. Remove any links from your first email

3. Track only positive reply rate

4. Run mail-tester.com on your domains weekly

5. Verify every email before sending via Reoon

Simpler. More accurate. Better deliverability.

Keep dominating,

Tanyo