Substack states that Gmail has adjusted its email tracking pixel mechanism, leading to a general decline in open rate metrics across various email platforms
Substack states that Gmail has adjusted its email tracking pixel mechanism, resulting in a general decline in the "open rate" metrics across various email platforms, while actual user behavior has not changed, with core metrics such as click-through rate, delivery rate, and subscription conversion remaining stable.
The company points out that this change undermines the reference value of traditional email analytics, making the "open rate" no longer a reliable metric. Creators need to turn to more direct engagement data such as clicks, paid conversions, and actual reading to assess content performance.
Substack also emphasizes that this is a reason for its increased investment in its own app, establishing a direct connection with users through in-platform distribution and reducing reliance on third-party email infrastructure.
Source: Public information
ABAB AI Insight
This is not just a simple technical adjustment, but a redistribution of "data ownership". The email open rate has long relied on pixel tracking, which essentially allows platforms to obtain behavioral data without user awareness. Gmail's weakening of this capability means that entry platforms are beginning to reclaim control over user behavior data, leading to a passive decline in data visibility for third-party content platforms.
For the content economy, this directly changes the "measurability structure". In the past, creators and platforms relied on open rates for rapid feedback and optimization, but when this metric becomes distorted, the entire content production system is forced to shift towards later-stage data, such as clicks and payments. This may reduce short-term optimization efficiency but increases reliance on "real consumption behavior".
Substack's push for its own app is essentially about building "distribution sovereignty". As long as content is still delivered via email, the last mile remains under the control of infrastructures like Google, and platforms cannot fully control user relationships. Once users enter the proprietary app, user data, distribution paths, and monetization chains form a closed loop, which is also a common direction for the evolution of all content platforms.
In the longer term, this is part of the internet's migration from an "open protocol layer" to a "closed platform layer". Email was once one of the few decentralized distribution channels, but with privacy, anti-tracking, and platform strategy adjustments, its usability is declining. The result is not greater openness, but rather a push for content to concentrate further towards a few platforms that have control over user entry.