8 Newsletter KPIs That Really Matter (+ Benchmarks) | Yeemel

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You send newsletters every week, but don't know if they're actually working? You look at your open rates but can't tell if they're good or bad? Without the right newsletter KPIs, you're flying blind.

TL;DR: 8 essential newsletter KPIs to track with industry benchmarks and concrete levers to improve them. Plus an automated dashboard to monitor what matters at a glance.

Why Track Your Newsletter KPIs (Beyond Vanity Metrics)#

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Most creators just look at subscriber count. That's a mistake. You can have 10,000 subscribers and earn less than a creator with 500 engaged subscribers.

The metrics that really matter:

• Real performance: know if your content resonates with your audience
• Continuous optimization: identify concrete improvement levers
• Measurable ROI: calculate the return on investment of your newsletters
• Early detection: spot problems before they become critical

Vanity metrics (subscriber count, list size) give a false impression of success. Actionable KPIs show you where to invest your time and energy.

The 3 Levels of Newsletter Metrics#

Focus on performance and business metrics. Only they allow you to improve your results.

Open Rate: Benchmark and 5 Levers to Improve It#

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Open rate measures how many people open your email compared to those who received it. It's your first engagement indicator.

Benchmarks by Industry (2026)#

5 Levers to Improve Your Open Rate#

1. Optimize your subject lines

• Limit to 50 characters max (mobile display)
• Use specific numbers ("3 mistakes" vs "some mistakes")
• Ask an intriguing question
• Avoid spam words ("free", "urgent", "opportunity")

2. Personalize the sender

• Use your first name + brand name ("Paul - Yeemel")
• Keep the same sender name to create recognition
• Set up your custom sending domain

3. Segment your list

• Send targeted content based on interests
• Adapt sending time by segment
• Test different tones depending on audience

4. Clean your list regularly

• Remove inactive emails after 6 months
• Use a re-engagement campaign before deletion
• Avoid purchased or rented lists

5. Test your sending schedules

• Test Tuesday-Thursday 9-11am and 2-4pm
• Avoid Monday mornings and Fridays after 3pm
• Adapt based on your audience (B2B vs B2C)

Click Rate: Optimize Your CTAs to Double Your Clicks#

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Click rate measures how many people click on your links compared to those who opened the email. It's the most important engagement indicator.

Click Rate Benchmarks#

How to Double Your Click Rate#

Optimize your CTAs:

• One main CTA per email
• Visible button (contrasting color)
• Actionable text ("Download the guide" vs "Click here")
• Repeat CTA 2-3 times in the email

Structure your content:

• Hook at opening (question, stat, scenario)
• Value before asking for action
• Concrete example to illustrate
• Logical CTA related to content

Test different formats:

• Text link vs styled button
• CTA position (middle vs end)
• CTA text length
• Urgency vs benefit in call-to-action

Optimized CTA Example#

❌ Before: "Click here to learn more about our tool"

✅ After: "🎯 Generate your first AI newsletter in 10 min (free)"

The second CTA specifies the benefit (newsletter generation), time (10 min), effort (none) and commitment (free).

Unsubscribe Rate: Acceptable Threshold and Warning Signs#

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Unsubscribe rate measures how many people unsubscribe after each send. It's an indicator of your content's perceived quality.

Unsubscribe Rate Benchmarks#

Warning Signs#

Rate > 2%: Critical problem

• Content unsuited to audience
• Sending frequency too high
• Initial promise not kept
• Content quality declining

Rate 1-2%: Attention required

• Insufficient segmentation
• Misleading subject line
• Content too promotional
• Format poorly adapted to mobile

How to Reduce Your Unsubscribe Rate#

Remind your value:

• First line: reminder of what they'll learn
• Footer: reminder why they subscribed
• Link to your best previous content

Offer alternatives:

• Option to reduce frequency before unsubscribing
• Change content category
• Temporary pause (3 months)

Exit survey:

• Ask for unsubscribe reason
• Use feedback to improve
• Offer adapted solution

Deliverability Rate: Avoid Spam and Reach Primary Inbox#

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Deliverability rate measures how many of your emails actually reach the inbox (vs spam or rejected). It's the foundation of everything else.

Deliverability Thresholds#

6 Factors That Kill Your Deliverability#

1. High bounce rate (> 5%)
2. High spam complaint rate (> 0.1%)
3. Low engagement (few opens/clicks)
4. Non-authenticated domain (no SPF/DKIM)
5. Uncleaned list (inactive emails)
6. Spammy content (too many links, capitals)

How to Maintain Good Deliverability#

Configure your sending domain:

• SPF, DKIM, DMARC properly set up
• Dedicated sending domain (newsletter.yoursite.com)
• Domain reputation independent of your site

Progressive warmup system:

• Week 1: 50 emails/day max
• Week 2: 100 emails/day
• Week 4: 500 emails/day
• Month 2: 2,000 emails/day

With Yeemel's tool, this warmup is automatic and secure.

Clean your list:

• Remove hard bounces immediately
• Remove 6+ month inactives
• Segment less engaged for specific content

Revenue per Email: Calculate and Optimize Your Monetization#

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Revenue per email (RPE) measures how much each email sent earns you on average. It's the most important business KPI.

Revenue per Email Formula#

RPE = Revenue attributed to emails ÷ Number of emails sent

Example: You generate $2,000 with 1,000 emails sent = $2 per email.

Revenue per Email Benchmarks#

4 Levers to Increase Your RPE#

1. Optimize your conversion funnel:

• Email 1-2: pure value, zero sales
• Email 3-4: natural bridge to your product
• Email 5+: direct CTA with urgency

2. Segment your offers:

• New subscribers → entry products
• Existing customers → upsells/complements
• Inactive → re-engagement offers

3. Test your pricing:

• A/B test different prices on equivalent segments
• Test time-limited offers
• Measure impact on RPE, not just sales

4. Automate with sequences:

• Onboarding sequence (7 emails)
• Sales sequence (5 emails)
• Reactivation sequence (3 emails)

Net List Growth: Acquisition vs Churn#

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Net growth measures the real evolution of your list after deducting unsubscribes. It's your long-term health indicator.

Net Growth Formula#

Net growth = New subscribers - Unsubscribed - Bounces

Example: +100 new, -20 unsubscribes, -5 bounces = +75 net growth.

Healthy Growth Rates#

Newsletter Acquisition Strategies#

Free content (lead magnets):

• PDF guide in exchange for email
• Free template or tool
• Email mini-course (5 days)

Cross-promotion:

• Partnerships with other creators
• Mentions in other newsletters
• Targeted audience exchanges

Conversion optimization:

• Smart Capture forms (appear after 3 clicks)
• Pop-ups with real added value
• Optimized bio page with newsletter call-to-action

How to Reduce Churn#

Onboarding sequence:

• Immediate email: deliver the promise
• Day 3 email: best previous content
• Day 7 email: personal introduction
• Day 14 email: exclusive content

Proactive re-engagement:

• Detect 30+ day inactives
• Special "We miss you?" sequence
• Frequency change offer
• Clean removal after 90 days

How to Automate Tracking with the Right Tools#

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Manually tracking your newsletter KPIs takes time and creates errors. Automation saves you 5 hours per week and improves accuracy.

Tool Stack to Automate Your KPIs#

Yeemel Features for Your KPIs#

Automatic statistics:

• Open, click, bounce rates per email
• KPI evolution over time
• Performance comparison between newsletters
• CSV data export for advanced analysis

Smart Analytics:

• Automatic detection of underperforming emails
• Improvement suggestions based on your data
• Benchmark with other creators (anonymized)

Real-time dashboard:

• Overview of all your KPIs
• Alerts on critical metrics
• Automatic evolution charts

With Yeemel, all your newsletter KPIs are tracked automatically. You generate your newsletters from your YouTube videos and track performance without additional effort.

Advanced Tracking Configuration#

Automatic UTM codes:

• Source: newsletter
• Medium: email
• Campaign: newsletter name
• Content: link position (header, middle, footer)

Tracking pixels:

• Integrated open pixel
• Click tracking by zone (email heatmap)
• Sales attribution to specific emails

Webhooks for integrations:

• Synchronization with your CRM
• Automatic segment updates
• Campaign triggers based on KPIs

KPI Dashboard: Track What Matters at a Glance#

A good newsletter KPI dashboard shows you the essentials in 30 seconds. You don't need 50 metrics — focus on the 8 that really matter.

Optimal Dashboard Structure#

Weekly View (priority 1):

• Emails sent this week
• Average open rate
• Average click rate
• Revenue generated
• Net list growth

Monthly View (priority 2):

• Evolution of 5 KPIs vs previous month
• Top 3 best performing newsletters
• Overall unsubscribe rate
• Average revenue per email

Automatic Alerts:

• Open rate < 15% (yellow alert)
• Unsubscribe rate > 2% (red alert)
• Bounce rate > 5% (critical alert)
• RPE drop > 20% over 2 weeks (business alert)

Newsletter Dashboard Template (Notion)#

📊 Newsletter KPIs - Week [Date] 🎯 THIS WEEK'S PERFORMANCE • Emails sent: [X] • Open rate: [X]% (↗️ +2% vs last week) • Click rate: [X]% (➡️ stable) • Revenue: $[X] (↘️ -10% vs last week) • Net growth: +[X] subscribers ⚠️ ATTENTION POINTS • [Declining metric + corrective action] 🏆 TOP PERFORMANCE • Newsletter "[Title]": [X]% open, [X]% click

Recommended Tracking Frequency#

• Daily: Deliverability rate (first days after sending)
• Weekly: All main KPIs
• Monthly: Deep analysis + optimizations
• Quarterly: Strategy review + industry benchmarks

FAQ#

What's the most important newsletter KPI to track?#

Revenue per email (RPE) if you monetize, otherwise click rate. RPE measures the real business impact of your emails, while click rate indicates your audience's engagement with your content.

How do I know if my newsletter KPIs are good?#

Compare with industry benchmarks: 20%+ open rate and 4%+ click rate are good scores for creators. More importantly: observe evolution over time rather than absolute values.

How often should I analyze my newsletter statistics?#

Weekly analysis for main KPIs, monthly for trends and optimizations. Avoid daily tracking which generates stress without added value.

Should I remove inactive subscribers from my list?#

Yes, after 6 months of total inactivity. First send a re-engagement campaign, then remove non-responders. This improves your deliverability and open rates.

Can Yeemel help me improve my newsletter KPIs?#

Yeemel automates tracking of all your KPIs and generates your newsletters from your YouTube videos. You save 3 hours per newsletter while maintaining quality, which naturally improves your engagement metrics.

Transform Your Newsletter KPIs into a Growth Engine#

Tracking your newsletter KPIs is just the beginning. Real value comes from continuous optimization based on this data.

The 3 priority actions:

1. Set up automatic tracking of your 8 essential KPIs
2. Test one improvement per week (subject line, CTA, timing)
3. Automate your content creation to maintain consistency

Automate your newsletter with Yeemel: generate content from your videos, track your performance, and optimize your results. Free trial, no card required.