You know that feeling when you send an email and you’re just waiting for a response?
starts to wonder if the email got through to the recipient. Did it somehow end up in spam?
then you start wondering if you should send a follow up. It’s too soon? when is too soon? are you busy?
all these things go through your head. but how do you know if someone read your email in gmail?
We want people to know when someone has read their email in Gmail, so we’ve decided to add 5 email tracking credits to every free account with the correct inbox.
Fortunately, there are ways to ease that worry so you can get on with your workday.
In this article, we’ll look at read receipts, delivery receipts, and image email tracking. we will also see the most elegant solution to this problem.
method 1. a read receipt
Step 1. As expected, you need to be in your gmail account to get started.
step 2. Next, open the compose window, just as you would if you were sending a standard email.
Step 3. Enter your recipient, subject line, and the email you want to send.
step 4.do not click submit yet.
step 5. if you look at the bottom right you will see a more options button. click on that. then you must choose request read confirmation.
step 6. press send.
quick note: You’ll see read receipts in your inbox, but it’s up to the recipient to approve the read receipt before you can see it. add_this_text
method 2. use an email tracker
With the right inbox email tracker, there’s nothing the recipient has to do to let you know they’ve opened the email. this feature even tracks whether the recipient clicks on links within the email you send.
so how do you configure it?
how to set up email tracking with the right inbox [5 free credits per month]
Step 1. Make sure you’re logged into gmail, and then open the compose window.
step 2. make sure you have the correct input tray extension installed. install it from the chrome store for free here.
Step 3. Navigate to the bottom menu and then click the little eye icon at the bottom.
Step 4. You then need to decide if you want email opens clicks, link clicks, or both.
Step 5. You should be able to see real-time notifications of opens and clicks at the bottom left of the compose window.
Step 6. To see more details, you need to go to your sent folder on the left of gmail navigation.
step 7. You should see a small checkmark icon in the sent folder for emails that have been opened by the recipient. When you hover over that, you’ll see how many times that email has been opened, how many clicks the links in your email have received, the location where the email was opened, and on what type of device.
method 3. an image in an html email
using an image in an html email to see if your email has been opened is more reliable than read and delivery receipts, and does not require the recipient to approve the receipt.
but how do they work?
inserts a small image in the email, which can sometimes be invisible, for example a small white square. when the image is displayed in the recipient’s inbox (ie they open the email), data can be collected. the data is usually the date the email was viewed and the time it was viewed.
There are some drawbacks to using the techniques mentioned above.
- Read receipts and delivery receipts often require recipient approval. it is not uncommon for some recipients to find this practice a bit intrusive. they may not even read email.
- gmail read requests cannot be used on personal gmail accounts. unless you’re a google workspace user, you won’t be able to access them.
- google will sometimes let the recipient decide whether to send the read receipt.
- using an html image requires a bit of technical knowledge.
then these methods may not be the most reliable.
That said, the right inbox provides a more reliable way to track whether someone has read your email in gmail. this is how it works.
method 4. a delivery receipt
Read receipts are sometimes called delivery receipts. Microsoft Outlook is the most prominent email client that uses this terminology.
Basically, Delivery Receipts are exactly the same as Read Receipts, so all you need to do is follow the steps outlined above.
There you have it. While read receipts, delivery receipts, and image email tracking are all viable options, they are often not ideal. The Right Inbox provides a super simple and reliable way to know if your emails have been read and how your recipients have engaged with them.
Email tracking is one of our customers’ favorite features. We want people to see the value of email tracking, so we’ve decided to add 5 email tracking credits to every free account. If you haven’t tried Inbox Right, head over to the Chrome Store and give it a try today.