Open rate vs click metrics: which to trust now

Open rate vs click metrics: which to trust now
A framing line: Apple MPP broke open rates, and the best reads tell you what to steer by instead.

🧪 Tests
— Apple MPP impact study — made the cut for the blunt verdict: ~50%+ of your opens are now machine-prefetched ghosts.
— Click-to-open recalibration piece — worth your time because it rebuilds your dashboard around clicks and conversions, not phantom opens.

📥 Swipe
— Engagement-proxy roundup — picked it for the replacements: reply rate, scroll depth, and last-click recency as real signals.

🚀 Deliverability
— Gmail's engagement-window note — earned its spot for why clicks still matter to placement even when opens lie.

Bottom line: keep opens for trend lines, never for absolute decisions. Click and convert are your steering wheel.
Saved you ~2 hours.