In partnership with Spotler.
Crafting a newsletter is a labour of love
We obsess over it. Time spent tweaking subject lines, testing layouts, reviewing and triple-checking content, adjusting images… and maybe even that special ‘stomach – dropping’ moment before pressing send. But it is all worth it when we see the opens and clicks start rolling in, YESSS.
But frustratingly, it might be that not every click is a real human who is engaging with your magic.
Bot Activity Is On The Rise
Bot clicks and non-human opens are growing across email marketing.
And while this might feel like an ‘annoyance’, bot clicks could be confusing your reporting, and impacting the figures showing what your audience really wants.
Hang On, We Have Good News
Putting our fury aside for one second, the good news is that there are ways to adjust to the new lay of the land, and strategies to support your email magic.
The following information is created with insight from our partner Spotler, experts in email performance and behaviour tracking.
What Actually Are Bot Clicks, And WHY Do They Happen?
Bot clicks are automated link checks performed by security systems before the email reaches the inbox. They scan each link to ensure it is safe. The clicks are almost instant after delivery, and often before the recipient has even had a chance to open the email.
This happens most often where server security is particularly high (for example, education, medical) In some cases, every link is “clicked” instantly, even before a real person opens the email.
It also occurs outside of businesses too. Apple and Gmail use bots for proxy opens. Apple’s Mail Privacy Protection (MPP) is a well-known example, introduced in 2021. This feature automatically preloads images (and, therefore, open-tracking pixels). The result? You see an “open” in your stats
Bots are not harmful, but they inflate click metrics and make it harder to see genuine human behaviour.
Why Bot Activity Affects Email Reporting
GDMA benchmark data shows global open rates are holding steady, while click-through rates continue to decline. This does not always reflect weaker content. Often, bot scanning creates false engagement signals.
How Bot Clicks Disrupt Your Marketing:
Distorted engagement
A spike in clicks looks exciting but can easily come from automated scanning rather than real interest. These traditional metrics are now less usable as genuine KPIs.
Broken automation
If your email journeys rely on “if they click this, send that”, a bot click can trigger whole automated sequences for someone who has not actually engaged.
Hidden inactive subscribers
Bot clicks make inactive contacts appear active, making list hygiene and performance analysis more difficult.
False clicks have the potential to skew everything, from optimisation decisions to long-term strategy.
Why The Problem Keeps Growing
Bot activity is not new, but it has become more visible as inbox providers increase security scanning.
With billions of emails sent every day, Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo and corporate servers scan far more aggressively to keep users safe.
This is excellent for the inbox. But challenging for marketers trying to measure real human actions.
The email industry has become more aware and have made attempts to map bot activity highlighting the problem further. This is also good news as some ESPs, like Spotler Mail+, which can distinguish bot clicks.
How To Spot Bot Clicks and Non-Human Activity
Bots leave patterns that do not match real reading behaviour. Look out for:
• instant clicks immediately after send, sometimes milliseconds after sending
• clicking every link, including all your social links, privacy policy and unsubscribe links in the email footer
• identical click times from multiple contacts in the same organisation
• more email clicks than actual website sessions
• missing or unusual browser or device information
Seeing these signs could suggest your reporting is being influenced by automated bot clicks, rather than genuine engagement.
How To Protect Your Email Reporting Accuracy
You can’t stop bots from scanning emails, but you can reduce their impact.
Use bot filtering in your ESP
Most modern email platforms, including Spotler, offer bot detection to filter suspicious activity from your analytics.
Add a confirmation step to unsubscribe
A one-click unsubscribe process can be triggered by a bot. That means your subscriber is gone immediately without them even knowing. A “click to confirm” page helps prevent accidental removals.
Review patterns after each campaign
Look for extremely fast clicks or identical clusters from the same domain. For example, all clicks <2 sec) and click volume per user.
Removing these from your analysis gives you a clearer picture.
Focus on meaningful actions
False clicks are noise.
The real signals are replies, sign-ups, purchases, conversations and any action taken on your site. Through landing pages and site tracking, you can better distinguish human behaviour from bot activity.
Keep sending relevant, predictable content
Engaged subscribers trigger fewer heavy scans.
Consistent, valuable content builds trust with inbox providers, improving deliverability and reducing unnecessary bot interaction.
So deliver consistently good content, send regularly, and manage your contact lists well.
The Bottom Line
Bot clicks are a reminder that opens and clicks no longer tell the full story.
This is where marketing superpowers really shine, looking beneath the surface and focusing on genuine human behaviour. Remembering that beyond the metrics are the real people, connecting with your work, and taking action because of it.
For further information on this topic visit the Spotler website.
Created with insight from our partner Spotler, whose platform includes advanced bot behaviour filtering for more accurate, reliable email reporting.
About Mums in Marketing
Mums in Marketing is a global community dedicated to supporting and empowering mums in marketing and the creative industries. We provide a safe space for members to share experiences, gain insights, and build valuable connections, all while balancing the demands of career and motherhood.
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