SMS open rate

SMS open rate refers to the share of sent messages actually read by recipients. First honest caveat: unlike email, which carries a tracking pixel, SMS doesn't measure opens — carriers' delivery receipts attest delivery, not reading. The universally cited figure — around 95% of texts read, often within minutes — comes from usage studies, not from your sends; it describes the channel, not your message.

What you can actually measure is more useful than belief: the response rate (the share of recipients who write back — the king indicator of text-back), the click rate on a shortened link, and the opt-out rate signaling the tolerance threshold has been hit. A text with 98% theoretical readership and 0% response isn't read — it's diligently ignored.