Step by step guide to tracking customer engagement in Superhuman

If you’re using Superhuman to talk to customers, you probably want to know who’s actually engaging with your emails—and who’s ghosting you. Maybe you’re in sales, customer success, or just trying to make sure your team’s not shouting into the void. Either way, tracking customer engagement in Superhuman isn’t as simple as flipping a switch, but with a few workarounds and realistic expectations, you can get the job done. This guide is for anyone who wants honest answers, not marketing fluff.

Step 1: Understand What Superhuman Can (and Can’t) Do

First things first: Superhuman is a fast, minimal email client built mostly for people who want to get in and out of their inboxes quickly. It’s not a full-on CRM or analytics platform. Here’s what you get out of the box:

  • Read Receipts: Superhuman does tell you when someone opens your email—if they load images.
  • No Click Tracking: You can’t see if someone clicks a link in your email.
  • No Native Reporting: There’s no dashboard or exportable engagement report.
  • Privacy Factors: Tracking only works if the recipient hasn’t blocked images or disabled trackers.

Bottom line: If you want deep engagement tracking, Superhuman isn’t the magic bullet. But if you just need to know who’s opening your emails (and when), you can make it work.

Step 2: Enable (or Check) Read Receipts

Superhuman adds a tiny tracking pixel to outgoing emails, which lets you see when someone opens your message. Here’s how to make sure it’s set up:

  1. Check Your Settings:
  2. Open Superhuman.
  3. Hit Cmd+K (or Ctrl+K on Windows) to open the command bar.

  4. Type “Read Status” and select “Show Read Status” if it’s not already enabled.

  5. How It Works:

  6. After you send an email, you’ll see a small eye icon in the sent message view.
  7. If your recipient opens the email, the eye icon turns blue and shows a timestamp.
  8. Hovering over the icon gives you a breakdown of opens (who, when, where).

Heads up:
- If someone has images turned off (and many privacy tools do this by default), you won’t get an accurate open. - Some email clients (like Apple Mail’s privacy settings) can trigger false positives or hide opens entirely.

Pro Tip: Don’t obsess over every open. Treat the data as “nice to know,” not gospel.

Step 3: Use Snippets and Split Testing (Manually)

You can’t do A/B testing or advanced sequencing in Superhuman, but you can use snippets and manual tweaks to see what resonates. Here’s a practical approach:

  1. Create Snippets:
  2. Use Superhuman’s snippet feature (type Cmd+K → “Create Snippet”) to save common templates.

  3. Personalize the subject line or intro for different groups.

  4. Track Opens by Snippet:

  5. Note which snippet you used for each batch of emails.

  6. After a few days, look at the eye icons to see which message got more opens.

  7. Keep a Simple Spreadsheet:

  8. Record: Who you sent it to, which snippet, and whether it was opened.
  9. Don’t overcomplicate—just jot down enough to spot patterns.

What to skip:
- Don’t bother with browser plugins promising “advanced Superhuman integrations.” Most break or violate Superhuman’s terms.

Step 4: Tag and Search for Engagement

Since Superhuman doesn’t have folders or categories, use its powerful search to keep tabs on engagement.

  1. Use Stars or Reminders:
  2. After seeing an open, star the conversation if it’s worth following up.

  3. Or, set a reminder (Cmd+K → “Remind me if no reply in X days”) to nudge you if the customer goes quiet.

  4. Search by Status:

  5. Search for “is:read” to find emails that have been opened.

  6. Combine with recipient or subject to drill down (e.g., “is:read to:customer@example.com”).

  7. Manual Tagging:

  8. Add a short phrase to your subject line (like “[ENGAGED]”) if you spot a hot lead.
  9. Not elegant, but better than nothing.

What doesn’t work:
- Don’t try to “hack” labels with emojis or color codes—Superhuman doesn’t support that. Stick to searches and reminders.

Step 5: Connect to External Tools—If You Really Need More

If you want more than open tracking, you’ll need to bring in outside help. Here’s what’s possible (and what’s not):

Limited Integrations

  • Zapier:
    Superhuman doesn’t have official Zapier support. You can sometimes connect Gmail (if you’re using Superhuman with Gmail) to Zapier, but you’ll lose the Superhuman UI magic, and it gets messy fast.

  • Bcc Your CRM:
    If your CRM supports “bcc to CRM” addresses, add that address when you send important emails. Your CRM can then do its own tracking.

  • Third-Party Trackers:
    Some try to bolt on tracking (like Mixmax or Yesware), but they often conflict with Superhuman’s built-in tracking or get blocked. Plus, they’re usually designed for Gmail in the browser, not the Superhuman app.

Bottom line:
If you need detailed engagement stats (clicks, replies, time spent), you’re better off using a full CRM or sales engagement tool—at least for those accounts.

Step 6: Set Realistic Expectations (And Don’t Overthink It)

It’s easy to fall into the trap of obsessing over open rates and engagement dashboards. Here’s what actually matters:

  • Opens are directional, not definitive.
    Use them as a rough signal—don’t treat them as the final word.

  • Focus on replies and outcomes.
    The real engagement metric is whether people reply, book meetings, or take action.

  • Simple is better.
    A basic system you actually use beats a complicated one that sits idle.

  • Privacy changes are breaking tracking everywhere.
    Apple’s Mail Privacy Protection and similar features mean open rates are increasingly unreliable.

Pro Tip: Use engagement tracking to start conversations, not to micromanage. When in doubt, pick up the phone or send a quick check-in email.

Step 7: Quick Checklist to Make Superhuman Work for You

Here’s a no-nonsense workflow you can actually stick with:

  • Enable read receipts in Superhuman.
  • Use snippets to test different messages (and track which ones land).
  • Keep a lightweight spreadsheet for your key contacts.
  • Use reminders to follow up if you don’t get a reply.
  • Don’t waste time with dodgy plugins or integrations that promise the moon.
  • When you need real analytics, use your CRM.

Wrapping Up: Keep It Simple, Iterate Often

Superhuman keeps email fast and focused, not overloaded with features you’ll never use. If you stay realistic about what it can track, you’ll spend less time fiddling and more time building real relationships with your customers. Start simple, tweak what works, and skip the rest. When in doubt, send the email and get back to work.