---
title: Open Rates and Reporting on Sequences
slug: open-rates-and-reporting-on-sequences
docTags: MOnH3HaRn-OOSc_X5SrPJ,M3Gu2ZMIVJ8WaOMO_mUgy,G8dmC6tNw9fak7qGrSH3Z
createdAt: 2025-12-18T09:58:54.740Z
---

:::hint{type="info"}
For more on the sequence pipeline and metrics check out [Sequences](docId\:B2Gy2RHNNOyLkBhWcWoU4).
:::

Due to privacy tools like Apple Mail privacy protection and Gmail image proxying pre-loading images in emails, opens can be automatically triggered, causing an inflated open rate. The root cause of these results is industry-wide changes in email privacy tools and isn’t specific to Ashby email sequences.

To combat this impacting your reporting on sequences, we recommend focusing on click and conversion metrics. Bots rarely impact click metrics and conversions always require human action.

:::hint{type="warning"}
If you are seeing inflated click rates, this could be due to corporate scanners like Mimecast and Barracuda that automatically click links to check for malware.

Opening a sent email thread in your own inbox can also inflate open counts. 
Ashby tracks email opens using a tracking pixel, and the pixel fires any time 
the email is loaded, including when you open the thread yourself. Because the 
pixel cannot distinguish your opens from the recipient's, your own views count 
toward the open total. If you are the only person who has opened a thread, the 
email will appear as opened in your open rate even though the candidate has not 
read it. To keep open metrics as accurate as possible, avoid opening candidate 
email threads in your inbox unless necessary.
:::

Below you can find a list of definitions for common terms around sequence metrics for your reference:

- **Open Rate:** Percentage of recipients who open a specific email out of the total number of recipients.
- **Click Rate**: Refers to the measure of how many people clicked on a hyperlink, call-to-action, or image within the email’s content out of all the recipients. In other words, the unique individuals who clicked, divided by the total number of recipients. This is commonly a way to measure engagement and interest.
- **Conversions:** Counts the number of recipients who complete a goal action after reading the email. In Ashby, this would translate to a candidate replying to the email.

If you have further questions about inflated sequence metrics, please reach out to support\@ashbyhq.com.