How to Determine If a Mail Has been Opened
Hey.
Looking for thoughts on determining how an email has been Received/Opened by the recipient.
I'm the App. I have users who sign up/join. These users then send request to join emails to their friends/target users/etc..
I'm trying to walk through the process where I know who the initial users are sending the "email to join" to, as well as if the emails being sent are being opened.
I could have the initial user include the App email server (via bcc) my address, which would give me who the emails are going to, but this requires work on the initial user's part.
This approach doesn't tell me who's opening the email though.
If you know of any app/tech/solution doing this, hit me up.
Give me thoughts/opinions..
thanks
This can only work with HTML emails where you’d use an image tag with parameters in the image URL that would enable you know what email is sending this to your endpoint (typically, a hashed string of the email or any ID you stored before generating the link).
Basically, the idea is that as far as the email client is concerned, you are reaching to your endpoint to retrieve and image but on your side, before returning an 1x1 pixel image, you check the parameters and know who requested the image. Then you send the image, which is too small to be visible.
I believe this is called “pixel tracking”.
However, now, most of the email clients block images to run right away and ask for user permission first.
I would recommend not to use this technique as it enters the domain of unwanted tracking. Or at least, add a disclaimer in the email saying it is tracking users.
If you're trying to track who sent the email to others to sign up, you could give your initial user a unique link to the signup page. When the 2nd user signs up, capture the referring account.
Text email can not work. You can embed a unique image that when mail client requests it you will know mail is opened.
Don't providers like sendgrid track open and click rates?
They also have an API.
right..
if i recall, yeah.
mailchimp/sendgrid and others track open as well as click through via html "code'. not sure if basic text emails work though.