Email marketing metrics – Where do you start?

Why the metrics matter

Tracking KPIs helps you make informed decisions, rather than guessing what works. By analysing your data, you can refine your strategy, test different approaches, and continuously improve your campaigns. In short, optimising your emails based on data is the key to better engagement and stronger results.

Here are some key metrics we’d recommend you look at when working on email marketing.

Open rate

The open rate tells you how many people actually open your email. It’s usually shown as a percentage and is influenced by factors like subject lines, sender reputation, and the time you send your emails. A low open rate might mean your subject lines need tweaking or your audience isn’t engaged.

Click-through rate (CTR)

This metric shows how many people clicked on a link in your email. It’s an important indicator of engagement—if your CTR is low, your content or call-to-action (CTA) may not be compelling enough.

Conversion rate

A step beyond CTR, the conversion rate measures how many recipients completed the desired action after clicking—whether that’s making a purchase, signing up for a webinar, or downloading content. This is a key measure of how effective your email is at driving results.

Bounce rate

Bounce rate tracks the percentage of emails that couldn’t be delivered. A high bounce rate could indicate outdated email lists or issues with email authentication. There are two types:

• Hard bounces (invalid addresses or domains—remove these contacts)
• Soft bounces (temporary issues like a full inbox—emails may still be delivered later)

Unsubscribe rate

This tells you how many people opted out of your email list after receiving a campaign. Some churn is normal, but a sudden increase might mean your content isn’t relevant, or you’re sending emails too frequently.

Spam complaint rate

If too many recipients mark your email as spam, your deliverability can suffer. Keep your emails targeted, personalised, and relevant to avoid this.

What should you do now?

Now that you know the key metrics, the next step is to put them into action. Start by setting benchmarks for your campaigns and testing different elements—such as subject lines, send times, and CTA placement—to see what drives the best results. Consider segmenting your audience to send more personalised and relevant emails, which can improve engagement and reduce unsubscribes. Lastly, ensure your emails are mobile-friendly and comply with GDPR regulations. Email marketing is all about continuous learning and refinement, so keep testing, analysing, and optimising to maximise your success!