Emails Are Lying to You (Kind Of): Why Email Tracking Isn’t as Reliable as You Think

Let’s face it: (although we all wish it wasn’t true) email is a massive part of our lives. Whether you’re coordinating with a dispersed team, onboarding a new client, or just trying to make sure someone saw your update, email is often the go-to communication channel. 

But here’s the problem - email can be deeply unreliable, especially when it comes to tracking whether your message actually landed.

“Well so-and-so told me about this awesome tool to track emails!”

Sure, there are methods to track whether an email was received and opened, such as:

• Tracking pixels (small, transparent images placed into an email) that trigger open notifications when viewed:

• Read receipts that enable you to see who has opened your message:

• And click tracking, the process of measuring how many people clicked on links or buttons that were included in an email, rather than just opening the message itself.

But Why Don’t These Methods Really Work?

Let’s break it down:

• Tracking pixels can be blocked by image blockers, firewalls, or privacy tools, which can lead to missed opens. And even when they do load, some tools (like Apple Mail) preload them to protect privacy, so you’ll see false opens that never really happened.

• Read receipts are a nice idea, but they’re optional. Many users simply ignore or block them, and they often don’t work across different networks or platforms.

• Click tracking? Also fake news. Spam filters and security bots will often click every link in an email to check for malware, so again, you get phantom engagement that tells you nothing.

  
  

None of these tracking methods tell you whether someone actually read your message and understood it. All they do is measure surface-level engagement and provide data that is sketchy at best.

Why That’s a Problem

If you’re making decisions based on these metrics, things can go wildly off the rails.

You might send unnecessary follow-ups to people who already got what they needed (annoying for them, inefficient for you).

Or worse, you may not follow up when someone actually didn’t understand the message because the tracking said they opened it. If you don’t have a way to ensure comprehension, you likely won’t realize there’s been some misalignments. 

Misalignments that can lead to delays, missed deadlines, and costly mistakes.

So What Can You Do Instead

If you really want to know whether someone got the message, don’t focus on open rates or clicks. Look at actual behavior.

• Did they reply?

• Did they complete the task you outlined?

• Did they follow through on the CTA?

Even better, use tools that help track comprehension and progress more directly. (For example, something like AirTrain, which gives you real insights into whether your messages are being understood.)

TL;DR

Email isn’t going anywhere, but relying on email tracking to measure understanding is like checking the weather by licking your finger and sticking it in the air - it might work once in a while, but it’s hardly scientific. 

There’s a better way. 

If you’re tired of guessing whether your message landed, maybe it’s time to move beyond email. Tools like AirTrain help teams measure clarity and progress - so you spend less time guessing and more time actually getting things done.

P.S. If you want to explore how AirTrain can provide your team with verified understanding, book an intro call today:

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