Email click-through rates (CTR) are one of the most telling metrics in digital marketing, revealing how effective your email content is at engaging recipients.
A well-crafted email campaign doesn’t just rely on getting noticed in the inbox—it also needs to inspire action. Understanding the relationship between the average email open rate and the CTR is essential for marketers and businesses aiming to increase engagement and conversions.
Keep reading to grasp the ins and outs of CTR and email campaigns…
What is a Good Open Rate & How Do You Calculate It?
An open rate in email marketing is simply how many people actually open your email. It’s a key indicator of how appealing your subject line and preview text were, and whether your email caught your audience’s attention.
You should aim for an open rate between 17 and 28%. A higher open rate often suggests that the content was relevant to the audience or that the timing of the email was optimal.
To calculate the open rate, use the formula:
Open Rate (%) = (Number of Unique Opens ÷ Number of Delivered Emails) × 100
For example, if you send 1,000 emails and 200 of them are opened, the open rate would be:
Open Rate (%) = (200 ÷ 1,000) × 100 = 20%
It’s worth noting that open rates are tracked using a small invisible image, so if a recipient has images turned off, their open won’t be recorded. While useful, open rates aren’t always 100% accurate.
How to improve open rates:
- Start with compelling subject lines; keeping them short and using emojis sparingly can make a significant difference.
- Make sure that the email is coming from a trustworthy source, as recipients are unlikely to open emails from spammy addresses.
- Optimise the audience database that you’re sending the email to, targeting those who are most likely to engage with your content.
What is a Click-Through Rate?
The click-through rate tells you how many people clicked on a link in your email. It’s a useful way to measure how effective your content and call-to-action are in driving engagement.
To work it out, take the number of clicks your email received and divide it by the number of emails successfully delivered. Then multiply by 100 to get the percentage.
CTR (%) = (Clicks ÷ Delivered emails) × 100
For example, if 1,000 emails were delivered and 50 people clicked a link, the CTR would be 5%.
A strong CTR means your audience found your content compelling enough to take action, whether that’s clicking to learn more, making a purchase, or signing up for something. It’s a great way to gauge the success of your email campaign.
Why is CTR an Essential Email Campaign Metric?
CTR is crucial as it shows how well your content gets recipients to respond!
Engagement Indicator
A high CTR means your audience is engaged and interested in what you’re sharing – helping to build customer loyalty.
Content Effectiveness
CTR helps you figure out which types of content, offers, or calls to action grab your audience’s attention. This insight lets you play with future campaigns to make them even more appealing.
Conversion Potential
The ultimate goal of email marketing is to drive conversions and a higher CTR usually means better conversion rates.
Campaign Optimisation
By tracking CTR, you can see what’s working and what isn’t, allowing you to adjust your strategy – leading to better performance and ROI.
What is a Good Click Through Rate for Email Campaigns?
A good click-through rate should be between 2-5%, depending on the industry you’re in. Determining the CTR for your email campaigns can depend on several factors, including your industry, audience, and the specific goals of each campaign…
Here are some tips to help you figure out what a good CTR looks like:
Industry Benchmarks
Different industries have varying average CTRs. Generally, you’ll find that the average CTR across all sectors falls between 2% and 5%. Checking benchmarks specific to your industry to set realistic expectations.
Historical Performance
Take a look at how your previous campaigns performed. If your current CTR is consistently better than your past results, you’re likely heading in the right direction.
Email Goals
Think about what you want to achieve with your campaign. If you’re aiming to drive traffic to a landing page, a higher CTR (around 5% or more) is a good target. For general brand awareness emails, a lower CTR is still acceptable.
Audience Segmentation
A well-targeted audience can lead to higher CTRs. By segmenting your email lists effectively, you can tailor your content to specific groups, which often boosts engagement.
Content Quality
Engaging content is key to improving CTR. Focus on crafting catchy subject lines, clear calls-to-action, and valuable content to keep your audience interested.
CTR Across Different Industries
CTR can really differ from one industry to another, highlighting how various audiences engage with content in unique ways.
By keeping an eye on these industry-specific benchmarks, you can set more realistic goals and fine-tune your email marketing strategies for even better results!
The average CTR across all industries is 2.3% but the difference between the top of the list to the bottom is drastic – and you might be surprised by the results…
Leading the pack in industries with strong click-through rates:
- Education 4.4% (28.5% open rate)
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing, hunting 3.4% (27.3% open rate)
- Real estate, design, construction 3.6% (21.7% open rate)
Down at the end includes:
- Retail 0.7% (17.1% open rate)
- Wellness and fitness 1.2% (19.2% open rate)
- Travel, hospitality, leisure 1.4% (20.2% open rate)
However, it’s interesting to note how the CTR doesn’t correspond closely with the open rate!
What Should You Remember About Delivery Rate & Bounce Rate?
Don’t forget, before your audience can open your email and click through it, it actually has to land in their inbox!
You need to make sure you’re regularly filtering your databases to make sure the email list is clean to maintain a strong delivery rate – you don’t want emails ending up in the junk folder.
Another major factor to consider is the bounce rate. Both soft bounces, like a recipient’s inbox full, and hard bounces, such as an invalid email address, can negatively impact your sender’s reputation.
Make Every Email Count with Fenti
Whether you’re aiming to engage current customers, reach potential clients, or reconnect with past audiences, Fenti’s targeted email marketing service offers a range of solutions to suit your needs. As a full-service marketing agency, we can streamline your email campaigns from design to delivery, maximising impact with creativity and precision.
Discover more of our email marketing services and contact us today for a free quote!
