What it is
Open rate is the percentage of people on your email list who open a given email. If you send to 1,000 subscribers and 220 open it, your open rate is 22%. It's the first metric you check on any email campaign because nothing else matters if people aren't opening the thing in the first place. Open rate is primarily influenced by your subject line, sender name, and the trust you've built with your list.
Why it matters
Your open rate is a direct signal of list health and relevance. A declining open rate means your list is disengaging — either you're emailing too much, not often enough, or your content isn't hitting the mark. A healthy open rate means your audience looks forward to hearing from you.
The mistake most people make
Stressing over industry benchmark comparisons instead of focusing on their own trend line. Whether 25% is "good" depends entirely on your industry, audience, and list size. What matters more is whether your rate is going up or down over time — and why.
Want help with this?
Knowing what Open Rate means is useful. Having someone implement it correctly for your business is better. Let's have a real conversation — no pitch, no menu.