“If you can avoid on any individual pitch I would never include tracking pixels or links it's just sort of a matter of respect... especially never ever call them on oh I saw you open my email, creepy, it's really weird.”

Never Use Tracking Pixels On Individual Journalist Pitches — It Destroys Trust Instantly

Using read-receipts or tracking pixels on individual journalist pitches is a hard no. Most writers have images auto-blocked specifically to avoid tracking. If you mention you saw them open your email, the pitch is dead — it feels like surveillance, not outreach. For mass campaigns the expectation is different, but for one-to-one pitching, treat it like a personal email.