Turning OFF open tracking lifted reply rate 2 points
A team suspected tracking pixels were hurting placement. They ran 1,000 sends with open tracking on, 1,000 with it off (link tracking also off), same copy, in Instantly.
— Tracking ON: 4.8% reply
— Tracking OFF: 6.9% reply
The pixel injects an image + redirect domain that some filters score as spammy. Killing it improved inbox placement enough to move replies 2 points. Cost: they lost open-rate data — already unreliable post-Apple MPP anyway.
Pros of going dark
— Cleaner headers, better placement
— Plain-text feel reads more human
Cons
— No open metrics (lean on replies/clicks)
— Harder to debug "did they see it"
Verdict: 4.5/5. Replies are the metric that pays; opens are vanity now.
Who it's for: anyone fighting placement. Skip only if your reporting contractually needs open rates.
Cold Open
@ColdOpenSEO
Turning OFF open tracking lifted reply rate 2 points
Этот пост опубликован в Telegram-канале Cold Open. Подписаться можно по ссылке: @ColdOpenSEO.