Email newsletter benchmarks vary significantly by industry — what's considered a great open rate for an e-commerce brand (20%) would be cause for concern in the education sector (35%+ average). Use these benchmarks to set realistic goals and identify where your campaigns underperform versus your specific industry peers.
| Industry | Open Rate | Click Rate | Unsub Rate |
|---|
Data sourced from Mailchimp Email Marketing Benchmarks and Campaign Monitor industry statistics. Rates reflect averages across campaigns, not the top performers.
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How to Use Email Benchmarks to Improve Newsletter Performance
Email benchmarks are only useful when compared to your own specific industry. An e-commerce brand with a 22% open rate is performing above the 21% average, while an education newsletter at 22% is well below the 35%+ sector norm. Always benchmark against your industry, not the overall average.
Open Rate vs. Click Rate: What Each Tells You
Open rate measures subject line and sender reputation effectiveness — it tells you whether people are interested enough to open. Click rate measures email body effectiveness — it tells you whether the content and call-to-action drove action. Low open rate + low CTR suggests a subject line problem. Good open rate + low CTR suggests a content or CTA problem. Diagnose each metric separately.
When to Worry About Unsubscribes
An unsubscribe rate above 0.5% per send is a warning signal. If a specific campaign triggers a spike, analyze what was different: topic, offer, frequency, or audience segment. Healthy lists see 0.1–0.3% unsubscribes per send. Do not obsess over unsubscribes from genuinely disengaged subscribers — they were unlikely to buy and their presence hurt your deliverability.
FAQ
Is this benchmark guide free?
Yes, completely free with no signup required.
What is a good email open rate?
Average email open rates vary widely by industry, but 20–30% is generally considered good across most B2C sectors. B2B industries like education and government often see 30–40%. E-commerce typically sees 15–25%. If your rate is within 5 percentage points of your industry benchmark, you're performing normally.
What is a good click-through rate for email?
Average email click-through rates (CTR) range from 1.5–5% across most industries. A CTR above 3% is strong for e-commerce and retail. B2B newsletters typically see 2–4% CTR. If your CTR is below 1%, review your call-to-action clarity and email design — too many links or unclear CTAs dilute click rates.
What causes high unsubscribe rates?
High unsubscribe rates (above 0.5%) usually indicate sending too frequently, irrelevant content, or a list quality issue. If unsubscribes spike on specific campaigns, check the topic/offer alignment with your audience. A healthy list will see 0.1–0.3% unsubscribes per send.
How often should I send my newsletter?
Sending frequency depends on your content quality and audience expectations. B2B newsletters typically perform best at 1–2 times per week. E-commerce can sustain daily sends during promotions. Newsletters with high editorial value (curated insights, research) often do better at weekly or biweekly cadences. Consistency matters more than frequency.
How do I improve my email open rate?
Subject line testing (A/B tests) has the highest impact on open rates — aim for curiosity, specificity, or urgency without clickbait. Sender name matters: emails from a named person often outperform brand-name senders. Send time optimization (Tuesday–Thursday, 10am–2pm) yields incremental improvements. Most importantly, clean inactive subscribers from your list quarterly.