It can happen — and it is normal and explainable. Here is why a rejected email may still appear in your open statistics.
Pro tip: for a tighter read, filter the open rate to "delivered" recipients only and exclude soft bounces.
Why a bounce can be "opened"
- Antispam scanner: the recipient filter opens the email to inspect it before rejecting
- Delayed soft bounce: email is opened then rejected later (mailbox filled meanwhile)
- Pre-bounce tracking: pixel loads before the final SMTP error
Hard bounce vs soft bounce
| Type | Shows as open? |
|---|---|
| Hard bounce | Very rare (instant reject) |
| Soft bounce | Sometimes (delayed reject) |
How Mailpro separates them
- The report clearly splits delivered / bounces / opens
- "Opens" are calculated on delivered emails only
- Bounces are auto-excluded from future campaigns
More on the bounce management page.
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