Have you ever examined your campaign performance and been astonished by how the open rate exceeded the number of emails you sent? Then you wonder, “How can an open rate be over 100%?”.
Ideally, your open rate should be at most 100% since this shows more individuals opened your email than it was delivered to.
I have also been in the shoes of recently when I sent out an email campaign to my recipient. I was startled when I realized that my open rate had risen above 100%. This motivated me to research how an open rate can be greater than 100%.
In this blog article, I am going to discuss with you what I found out in my research, the various reasons why an open rate may be over 100%, and how an open rate can be over 100%.
Read our comprehensive guide on what a click-to-open rate is.
So let’slet’s dive in.
What Are Some Reasons An Open Rate Can Be Over 100?
Open rates reflect the proportion of individuals who open an email sent to a list of subscribers and are an essential indicator for assessing email campaigns’ performance.
Moreover, if an open rate is above 100%, it might be a sign of either a successful campaign or an error with the tracking.
The most prevalent reasons an open rate can be above 100% are.
1. Recipients open the same email numerous times.
If receivers are opening the same email several times. This can lead to a 100% open rate. It happens if the receiver is re-opening the email at a later time to study the content
2. Multiple emails sent to the same address.
Another reason for an over 100% open rate is multiple emails sent to the same address.
This happens when a subscriber is added to the list several times or when a single email is delivered many times. This might result in the same email being monitored many times, resulting in an open rate that is unreasonably high.
3. Subscribers forwarding the email to many persons.
If subscribers are sending the email to several others, this may also result in an above 100% open rate. When this occurs, each receiver will be considered as having opened the email, resulting in a greater open rate.
4. Subscribers click on several links in the same email.
Subscribers clicking on many links in the same email is one of the reasons an open rate might be above 100%.
This is because each time the receiver clicks on a link in the email, it is recorded as open. So, if a subscriber clicks on numerous links in the same email, it will be reported as many openings, resulting in an open rate that is excessively high. Please read our guide on how to measure email open rates.
This may be particularly frequent with emails that feature many calls to action or links to various pages on a website.
5. Tracking errors
This is the most prevalent reason for an over 100% email open rate. There might be tracking issues that lead to incorrect open numbers. This may occur if the tracking code needs to be correctly placed into the email or if the tracking software needs to be updated periodically.
This may lead to errors in the actual open rate computations, resulting in an open rate that needs to be lowered.
Hence, although an open rate above 100% might be a sign of a successful email campaign, it can also signal errors with the tracking.
To guarantee accurate open rate figures, marketers should ensure their tracking code is correctly included in their emails and that their monitoring software is routinely updated.
How Can An Open Rate Be Over 100?
An open rate of more than 100% is usually indicative of an error in the monitoring system used to assess email open rates.
A variety of factors, including an incorrect tracking code in the email, an incorrect setup of the tracking system, or a system fault, may cause this mistake.
There is always a tracking code that notifies the tracking system when an email is being opened. The tracking system then reads this code and records when the email was opened.
In some circumstances, the tracking code might be incorrectly configured, causing the tracking system to record numerous open events for the same email. This may lead to an open rate of more than 100%.
Another common reason for an open rate greater than 100% is an inaccurately configured tracking system.
For instance, if an email is configured to be tracked when it is opened, but the email is opened many times by a single receiver, the tracking system will record each time the email is opened, resulting in a greater open rate than 100%.
Lastly, a bug in the tracking system may sometimes result in an open rate of more than 100%. This is often triggered by a tracking system flaw that leads it to report numerous open events.
What Factors Could Contribute To A High Open Rate
Various factors might contribute to a high open rate.
Subject line
The subject line plays an important influence on the open rate since it is the first thing the receiver sees. A good subject line should be brief, appealing, and related to the content of the email. If the subject line is unclear or off-topic, then individuals are less likely to open the email.
Sender reputation
the sender’s reputation is a crucial factor in a high open rate. Receivers are likelier to open emails from people they know and trust. If the sender is an unfamiliar name, then receivers may be less likely to open the email.
Timing
the time of the email also plays an essential factor in the open rate. It’sIt’s vital to send emails when individuals are most likely to be active on their email, such as in the morning or late afternoon. Sending emails at the incorrect time of day might result in fewer people opening them.
Please read our guide on when to send emails.
Content
The content of the email is equally significant. Recipients are more likely to open emails with helpful content targeted to their interests. If the content is functional or appealing, then people could respect it.
It’sIt’s crucial to evaluate each of these variables to enhance the open rate. Please read our guide on how to get customers to open your email.
What Are The Benefits Of An High Open Rate?
A high email open rate suggests that a significant number of individuals on your email list are opening and interacting with your emails.
Which is typically considered a good indicator of your email marketing efforts. These are a few advantages of having a high email open rate:
1. Improved engagement: Those who are interested in your content and who check your emails often are more likely to interact with them by clicking links, responding, or taking other actions.
2. Improved deliverability: Email service providers (ESPs) use email open rates as a measure of email engagement and sender reputation.
A high open rate will assist in boosting your sender reputation and raise your chances of your emails getting in the recipient’srecipient’s inbox instead of the spam bin.
Please read our guide on how to prevent emails from getting into spam
3. Increased conversion rates:
If more people are receiving your emails, it implies that more people are seeing your offers or calls to action, which may lead to a greater conversion rate and more sales.
4. Better data and insights:
A high email open rate may give valuable data and insights about your email marketing campaign, such as which subject lines or send times are most successful and which audience groups are the most engaged.
Ultimately. A high email open rate may lead to higher engagement, deliverability, conversion rates, and insights. All of which can assist in increasing the efficacy of your email marketing.
Conclusion
Now that we’ve learned the different reasons why your email may be over 100%.
It’s crucial you note that an open rate can be over 100%. This is because the open rate is determined based on the total number of emails sent rather than the total number of emails received.
Variables such as the subject line, sender name, email time, and email substance. Can all contribute to a greater open rate.
Please read our guide on what is the best email campaign open rate.
It is crucial to evaluate each of these variables in order to optimize the open rate. A high open rate may be helpful in terms of creating connections and trust with your clients, guaranteeing effective email delivery, and obtaining more excellent email deliverability in the future.
