For months, I sent outreach emails for job applications, collaborations, and partnerships without knowing if anyone ever opened them.
I had no way to tell which emails caught attention, when to follow up, or if my messages were getting buried in busy inboxes.
Today, I’ll show you how my email strategy changed when I started using MailTracker, a free tool that shows who opens your emails, when, and how many times.
That’s how I reached a 93% open rate across 151 tracked emails. Here’s how I did it:
TLDR: What Happened When I Started Using MailTracker
Sending Emails With Zero Feedback
Before using MailTracker, I would spend hours writing personalized messages, send them out, and then wait for days or even weeks without knowing if anyone had actually opened them.
I didn’t know if the recipient had read my email, ignored it, or never even saw it.
That made follow-ups really complicated. I often sent reminders too soon, or worse, to people who had never opened my first email.
After installing the MailTracker Chrome extension, I started receiving open alerts directly in Gmail.
I Tracked 151 Emails and Learned How People Actually Read Them
Over 4 months, I tracked 151 emails using MailTracker, and the results completely changed how I approached outreach.
Some emails were opened multiple times within minutes, showing real interest. Others were opened once or never opened at all.
As I reviewed more data, clear patterns started to appear:
1. Most opens happened within the first 1–2 hours after sending. Timing mattered more than I thought.
2. Reopens usually happened right before replies, which became a strong sign that someone was considering a response. Here’s how it looks in MailTracker when a recipient reopens your email after some time:
3. Weekend emails performed poorly, while messages sent on weekday mornings had the highest open rates.
4. Some contacts never opened my emails at all, which helped me stop wasting time on unresponsive leads. Here’s how it looks in MailTracker when a recipient doesn’t open your message:
MailTracker turned these small patterns into useful insights. Instead of sending follow-ups randomly, I started timing them based on how each person interacted with my emails.
If someone reopened my message a few times, I followed up right away. If they never opened it, I tried a new subject line or sent the next email at a better time.
Results: 93% Open Rate and Better Replies
After tracking engagement with MailTracker, I reached a 93.37% open rate across 151 emails.
The real difference, however, was not just the higher open rate. My follow-ups became more thoughtful and better timed. I contacted people when I knew they were actively engaging with my emails.
That small change made my conversations feel smoother and more natural.
People replied faster, and my outreach started turning into real opportunities instead of unanswered messages.
Check Your Open Rate and Improve Your Email Strategy
Knowing how people interact with your emails can transform your results. With MailTracker, you can track opens, link clicks, and follow-ups for free and understand what happens after you hit send.
Use these insights to adjust your timing, improve your outreach strategy, and connect with the right people more effectively.
