I’ve sent a lot of emails in my time, and let me tell you, just hitting “send” isn’t enough. You need to know what happens after you send that email.
Metrics like open rates, click-through rates, and bounce rates can tell you so much about your audience’s preferences. Over time, you can use this data to create emails that get better results.
If you’re new to email analytics, don’t worry. It’s not as complicated as it sounds. Let’s dive into how you can use it to your advantage.
What Is Email Analytics?
Email analytics is all about tracking and understanding how people interact with the emails you send. It’s like having a feedback loop that shows you exactly what works and what doesn’t.
When you check how many people opened your email or clicked on a link, you’re already diving into email analytics, and you can make adjustments to get better results.
For instance, if you notice patterns like which subject lines get the most attention or which links generate clicks, you can adjust your strategy to do more of what works.
10 Email Marketing Metrics You Should Know About
Okay, so we know email analytics is important, but what exactly are we looking at? Well, there are a bunch of different numbers and metrics you can track.
Most email marketing platforms will give you these numbers automatically, which is super handy. But I think it’s really important to understand what these numbers mean and how they’re calculated.
Not to mention, it’s also important to realize that not all metrics are created equal. Some are much more important than others, depending on the goals of your campaigns.
So, without further ado, let’s dive into these metrics. Trust me, once you get the hang of them, you’ll be able to make your email campaigns way more effective.
1. Delivery Rate
When you send an email, the very first hurdle is ensuring it actually gets delivered to your recipient’s inbox. That’s where the delivery rate comes in.
It tells you the percentage of emails that were successfully delivered out of the total emails sent. If your delivery rate isn’t where it should be, your email campaign can’t even get started.
The Importance of Tracking Delivery Rate
The delivery rate measures how well your emails are making it to their intended destinations. Poor deliverability can harm your sender reputation and make email providers like Gmail or Yahoo more likely to block future emails.
For WordPress users, I recommend WP Mail SMTP Pro as a reliable solution. It ensures your emails are sent using proper authentication, which reduces the chances of them being flagged as spam.
Without strong deliverability, even the best email content won’t reach your audience, which is why keeping an eye on this metric is so important.
How to Increase Your Delivery Rate
- Use proper authentication protocols like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to ensure emails are delivered securely and reliably.
- Take advantage of WP Mail SMTP’s detailed logs and email reports to check delivery success, and if there’s a problem, you can quickly identify and resolve it.
2. Open Rate
The open rate tells you how many people opened your email compared to the number of emails that were successfully delivered.
It’s one of the first metrics I check after sending a campaign because it gives me a quick idea of how engaging my subject line was and whether I sent the email at the right time.
The Importance of Tracking Open Rates
At its core, the open rate reflects your ability to grab attention. It’s an indicator of how well you’re breaking through the noise in crowded inboxes.
If your emails aren’t being opened, it could mean your subject line isn’t enticing enough, the timing is off, or your audience doesn’t find your content relevant.
How to Increase Your Open Rates
- Use data to figure out when your audience is most active and schedule email blasts for those times.
- People are more likely to open emails from names they recognize, so make sure to check your sender name.
- Keep testing different strategies. A/B test your subject lines and preheaders.
My Personal Experience:
Ever since I started using first-person in my subject lines, I have noticed an increase in my open rates by a whopping 10%.
3. Click-Through Rate (CTR)
Click-through rate (CTR) is one of the most telling metrics when it comes to understanding the effectiveness of your email campaigns.
In simpler terms, it shows how well your email content and call-to-action (CTA) are working together to engage your audience.
The Importance of Tracking CTRs
CTR gives you a clear idea of how many people are taking the next step after opening your email.
Whether it’s visiting your website, downloading a resource, or making a purchase, this metric is your key indicator of how impactful your campaign really is.
A higher CTR means your email content, links, and CTAs are doing their job. On the flip side, a low CTR is a sign to tweak your approach.
How to Increase Click-Through Rates (CTRs)
- Long emails can overwhelm readers. Focus on the essentials and make the CTA stand out.
- Adding buttons or clickable images can make your email more interactive and visually appealing.
- Many people check their emails on their phones. Make sure your links are easy to click on smaller screens.
My Personal Experience:
After a lot of experimenting, I learned that using a single CTA button right at the beginning of my emails works really well, along with a secondary CTA link near the end (for newsletters).
I’ve also changed my email content to a first-person tone, as I feel that relates to my audience better.
4. Click to Open Rate (CTOR)
Click to Open Rate (CTOR) is one of my favorite metrics because it zeroes in on the effectiveness of your email content. It’s like the spotlight shining on your content, subject line, and call-to-action working in harmony.
While the click-through rate looks at how many clicks your email gets overall, CTOR narrows it down to how well your email performed among those who actually opened it.
The Importance of Tracking Click to Open Rate
This percentage gives you a clear idea of how well your email’s internal elements like the design, content, and CTAs—performed.
A high CTOR shows that your content resonated, while a low CTOR might mean your email wasn’t as engaging as you’d hoped, or maybe the link placement wasn’t clear enough.
How to Increase Click-Through Open Rate (CTOR)
- Experiment with different email layouts. Sometimes a single-column design performs better than a multi-column for clicks.
- Test variations of subject lines, CTA colors, and even button placement to see what gets the most clicks.
- Too many links or CTAs can confuse readers. Focus on one clear action per email.
5. Conversion Rate
When it comes to email campaigns, the conversion rate is one of the most telling metrics.
It measures how many recipients took the desired action, like making a purchase, signing up for a webinar, or downloading a lead magnet, after engaging with your email.
For me, this metric goes beyond just clicks. It’s all about outcomes.
The Importance of Tracking Conversion Rate
Conversion rate specifically measures the effectiveness of your email in turning recipients into customers, subscribers, or participants.
It reflects how well your content, design, and call-to-action align with your audience’s needs. It’s a key indicator of whether your emails are delivering on their intended purpose.
How to Increase Conversion Rate
- Don’t overwhelm readers with multiple asks. Keep your message focused on a single, clear objective.
- Use recipient names and customize your email copy based on their preferences or previous actions.
- Limited-time offers or countdowns can push readers to act immediately.
My Personal Experience:
I once ran a campaign to recover abandoned carts, and just by adding a countdown timer near the CTA, conversions increased by 20%. It’s these little adjustments that can really drive results.
6. Bounce Rate
Bounce rate refers to the percentage of emails that couldn’t be delivered to your recipients.
It’s a critical metric because a high bounce rate can damage your sender’s reputation, making it harder for your future emails to land in inboxes.
Each time your email fails to be delivered, the server sends back a bounce message with details about what went wrong. These messages often include error codes that explain the problem.
The Importance of Tracking Bounce Rate
There are two types of bounces:
- Soft bounces: These are temporary issues, like a full inbox or a server being down. The email might still be delivered later if the problem is resolved.
- Hard bounces: These are permanent issues, such as an invalid email address or a domain that no longer exists. Hard bounces require immediate action to prevent further harm to your sender reputation.
How to Reduce Bounce Rate
- Remove inactive or invalid email addresses before each campaign.
- Tools like NeverBounce or ZeroBounce can help detect invalid addresses before sending.
- Immediately remove addresses that are invalid from your list to protect your reputation.
My Personal Experience:
I used to send campaigns without checking my email list, and the bounce rates were painfully high. After switching to a double opt-in process and using email verification tools, my bounce rate dropped to under 1%.
7. Unsubscribe Rate
The unsubscribe rate refers to the percentage of recipients who choose to opt out of your email list after receiving one of your campaigns.
This metric tells you how well your emails are resonating with your audience and whether your content matches their expectations.
The Importance of Tracking Unsubscribe Rate
The unsubscribe rate is an indicator of how well your emails match your audience’s expectations and preferences. Tracking this metric helps you understand when adjustments to your email strategy are necessary.
While a few unsubscribes here and there are normal, a high rate is a red flag. It could mean your content isn’t relevant, your sending frequency is too high, or your audience feels misled.
How to Reduce Unsubscribe Rate
- Let people know what kind of content they’ll receive and how often when they sign up.
- Send targeted campaigns that match subscribers’ interests and needs. Try segmenting your audience.
- Don’t bombard your subscribers with a lot of emails. Quality always beats quantity.
My Personal Experience:
I once ran a campaign that caused an unexpected spike in unsubscribes. After reviewing the email, I realized it didn’t align with the interests of that segment of my audience.
I learned the hard way how important segmentation is. Since then, I’ve started using preference centers and paying closer attention to list hygiene.
8. Spam Complaint Rate
The spam complaint rate is one of those metrics I always keep an eye on because it directly impacts email deliverability and can hurt your sender’s reputation.
When someone marks your email as spam, it’s a signal that your campaign might not be as effective or as welcome as you thought.
The Importance of Tracking Spam Complaints
The spam complaint rate measures the percentage of recipients who report your email as spam compared to the number of emails delivered.
It’s essentially a reflection of how well your emails align with your audience’s expectations. If people are flagging your emails, it’s a sign that something in your strategy needs adjustment.
Most email service providers recommend keeping this rate below 0.1% to avoid deliverability issues.
How to Reduce Spam Complaints
- Provide a visible and hassle-free unsubscribe link in every email.
- Avoid buying lists and only email people who have explicitly opted in to hear from you.
- Use a recognizable sender name, as people are less likely to flag your emails as spam if they recognize the sender.
My Personal Experience:
When it comes to reducing spam complaints, I’ve found that one of the most effective strategies is to actually hear it straight from the source, i.e., your subscribers!
I usually ask a simple question like, “Are you finding our emails helpful?” and also give a list of options for them to share a vote along with their feedback.
9. List Growth Rate
The list growth rate is a metric that helps me understand how well my email list is expanding over time.
It’s not just about adding new subscribers, but also about maintaining a healthy list by offsetting unsubscribes and bounces.
The Importance of Tracking List Growth Rate
This metric measures the percentage increase (or decrease) in your email subscriber list over a specific period.
It’s a great indicator of your audience’s interest in your content and how compelling your lead generation strategies are.
A declining rate might mean it’s time to revisit your opt-in offers or promotional efforts.
How to Boost Your List Growth Rate
- Use exit-intent popups to capture visitors who are about to leave your site and offer them a special incentive.
- Run Referral Campaigns to encourage existing subscribers to refer friends in exchange for exclusive rewards.
My Personal Experience:
Over the years, I’ve learned that one of the most effective ways to get new subscribers and email addresses is to offer your visitors something special like a lead magnet.
10. Revenue Per Email Sent (RPE)
Revenue Per Email Sent (RPE) is one of the most direct ways to measure how effective your email campaigns are at driving revenue.
It looks at how much money each email generates, giving you a clear sense of your return on investment for email marketing funnels.
The Importance of Tracking Revenue Per Email Sent (RPE)
If you’ve ever wondered whether your campaigns are worth the time and energy, this metric offers the answer in dollars and cents.
For me, focusing on this metric has helped turn email marketing into a serious revenue driver. With a little testing and the right strategies, it can do the same for you.
How to Improve Your Revenue Per Email Sent
- Focus on products or services that give you a better profit margin.
- Suggest complementary products or upgrades based on the customer’s purchase history.
- Try offering discounts, free shipping, or loyalty points. Monitor which incentive drives the most revenue per email.
Email Benchmarks You Need to Follow
No matter how much data you gather, it’s only valuable if you have a way to measure it. That’s where email benchmarks come in, acting as your guide to understanding how well your campaigns are doing.
For me, benchmarks have been like a compass, helping me know if I’m on the right track or if there’s work to be done. There are two main types of benchmarks to keep in mind:
- Brand Benchmarks: These focus on your historical performance. Comparing your current campaigns to past ones helps you see growth over time.
- Industry Benchmarks: These give you a sense of how your emails stack up against others in your niche. They’re incredibly useful for seeing if your results are average, below average, or exceptional.
Here’s a quick reference table with some key email metrics and their recommended benchmarks. I’ve found these numbers helpful for setting realistic goals with my strategies:
| Metric | Recommended Benchmark |
| Delivery Rate | 95% or higher |
| Open Rate | 20% – 30% |
| Click-Through Rate (CTR) | 2% – 5% |
| Click to Open Rate (CTOR) | 10% – 15% |
| Conversion Rate | Depends on the business |
| Bounce Rate | Less than 2% |
| Unsubscribe Rate | Less than 0.5% |
| Spam Complaint Rate | Less than 0.1% |
| List Growth Rate | Depends on the business |
| Revenue Per Email Sent (RPE) | Depends on the business |
FAQs — Email Analytics You Need to Know About
Email analytics is a popular topic of interest among our readers. Here are answers to some common queries about it:
What tools can I use for email analytics?
You can use tools like Google Analytics, Mailchimp, HubSpot, and WP Mail SMTP to track metrics like open rates, click-through rates, and conversions.
These tools provide insights to improve email performance and engagement.
What is the difference between click-through rate and click-to-open rate?
Click-through rate (CTR) measures the percentage of people who clicked a link in your email out of all recipients.
Click-to-open rate (CTOR), on the other hand, measures the percentage of clicks out of those who opened the email.
CTOR focuses on the effectiveness of the content, while CTR evaluates the overall campaign.
How can I measure the ROI of my email campaigns?
To calculate ROI, subtract the total cost of the campaign from the revenue generated, then divide by the campaign cost. The formula is:
ROI = [(Revenue – Campaign Cost) / Campaign Cost] × 100. This shows how much return your email campaign delivered compared to what you spent.
What is revenue per email sent, and how is it calculated?
Revenue per email sent (RPE) measures the earnings generated for each email delivered. The formula is:
RPE = Total Revenue / Number of Emails Sent. This metric helps gauge the financial success of your email campaigns.
Can email analytics predict customer preferences?
Yes, email analytics can help predict customer preferences by analyzing open rates, click patterns, and past behavior.
Using these insights, you can personalize content, offers, and subject lines to better meet audience interests and improve engagement.
Next, Transactional Email vs Marketing Email: What’s the Difference?
Check out this guide to understand what differentiates transactional emails from marketing emails, why they matter, and how knowing the difference can improve your email deliverability and compliance efforts.
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