Email Tracking FAQ

Understanding Email Open Tracking with CC and BCC Recipients

Email open tracking works by using a tracking pixel that triggers when any recipient opens an email.

This includes:

• The primary recipient
• CC recipients
• BCC recipients

Understanding this behavior is especially important for teams that copy one another on emails.

How Email Open Tracking Works

Levitate uses pixel tracking, the industry-standard method used by virtually all email marketing and engagement platforms.

Here's how it works:

• A small tracking pixel is embedded in the email.
• When any recipient opens their copy of the email, the pixel "fires."
• The system cannot distinguish which specific recipient opened the email.
• The first open is recorded.
• Any additional opens update the "last opened" timestamp.

Because tracking occurs at the email level (not the recipient level), it is not possible to determine exactly who opened it first.

CC/BCC Recipients and Open Tracking

CC and BCC recipients can trigger open notifications.

For example:

• If a CC'd team member opens the email before the primary recipient, the open will still be recorded.
• You may receive an "opened" notification even if the intended client or prospect has not opened the message yet.

This behavior is not specific to Levitate. It is a technical limitation of pixel-based tracking used across the email industry.

Is There a Way to Exclude CC or BCC Recipients?

No. There is currently no way to exclude CC or BCC recipients from triggering open tracking.

Pixel-based tracking:

• Works universally
• Cannot differentiate between recipients
• Operates at the email level, not the individual recipient level
• This limitation exists across all email platforms that rely on tracking pixels.

Best Practices

If accurate tracking of the primary recipient is critical, consider the following:

• Be aware that team members opening emails will trigger open notifications
• Use internal notes instead of CC'ing team members when possible.
• Forward the email to teammates after sending, rather than CC'ing them during send.
• Use BCC if you need a record, but understand BCC recipients can still trigger open notifications.

Most importantly:

"Opened" means at least one recipient opened the email — not necessarily the primary recipient.

FAQs

Q: Why did I get an "opened" notification immediately after viewing my own sent email in my Sent Items folder?

A: Opening your own sent email in your email client's Sent Items folder (or Levitate's sent view) loads the tracking pixel, which records an open event. This is expected behavior, not a bug. The open gets attributed to the sender's email address because that is the address whose copy of the email was loaded. If you want to verify open status without triggering the pixel yourself, view the email in plain text mode or use Levitate's preview feature rather than opening the sent copy.

Note: This is the same pixel-based mechanism that records opens for all recipients. The system cannot distinguish whether it was the intended recipient or the sender who loaded the pixel.