How do you calculate the ROI of a newsletter?

Newsletter ROI is calculated by multiplying the number of subscribers by the open rate, click rate, conversion rate and average price of your product or service. Our calculator performs this calculation automatically.

What is a good open rate for a newsletter?

A good open rate is between 20% and 30%. The average across all industries is about 21%. Niche newsletters with an engaged audience can reach 40% or more.

How much can you earn with a newsletter?

Revenue varies considerably. A newsletter with 1,000 subscribers and good engagement can generate between $200 and $1,000/month through product sales, sponsorships or affiliates. Newsletters with 10,000+ subscribers can exceed $5,000/month.

How do you monetize a newsletter?

The main methods are: selling your own products/services, sponsorships, affiliate marketing, premium subscriptions and selling courses. The most profitable method depends on your niche and audience size.

Yeemel

FRTry Yeemel

Free tool

Newsletter ROI Calculator

Estimate how much your newsletter can generate. Adjust the parameters to calculate your monthly and annual revenue.

Number of subscribers

100100,000

Open rate

5%60%

Click rate

0.5%15%

Conversion rate

0.5%10%

Average product price

5$500$

Emails per month

130

Estimated revenue / month

$17

Estimated revenue / year

$209

Revenue / subscriber / year

$0.21

Funnel breakdown

Emails sent / month4,000

Opens / month1,000

Clicks / month30

Conversions / month0.6

Without newsletter

$0 / month

No direct channel with your audience. Dependent on social media algorithms.

With newsletter

$17 / month

Direct channel, no algorithmic dependency. An audience you own and monetize.

Launch your newsletter and start generating revenue

Yeemel automatically turns your YouTube videos and podcasts into ready-to-send newsletters. Start monetizing your audience today.

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Calculating your newsletter ROI: why it matters

Calculating your newsletter ROI is the first step before launching. Unlike social media where reach is unpredictable, email marketing offers clear and measurable metrics: open rate, click rate and conversion rate.

Our calculator lets you simulate different scenarios. Increase subscribers to see the growth effect. Adjust the conversion rate to understand the impact of a better offer. Change the average price to test different pricing strategies.

Email marketing remains the channel with the best ROI: an average of $36 generated for every dollar invested. That's 4x more than social media and 3x more than paid advertising.

Newsletter earnings: benchmarks by industry

Newsletter revenue depends heavily on the industry and monetization method. Here are benchmarks to estimate how much you can earn with a newsletter:

Industry	Open rate	Revenue/1,000 subs/month
Tech / SaaS	20 – 25%	$100 – $500
E-commerce	15 – 20%	$200 – $800
Courses / Coaching	25 – 35%	$300 – $1,500
Media / Content	30 – 45%	$50 – $300
Finance / Investing	22 – 30%	$500 – $2,000

These are averages. Your actual revenue depends on audience quality, your offer and sending frequency. A small, highly engaged list is often worth more than a large passive one.

How to monetize your newsletter effectively

There are several ways to monetize your newsletter. Here are the most common methods, ranked by profitability:

Your own products

Courses, coaching, SaaS, ebooks. The most profitable method since you capture 100% of the margin. Ideal from 500 engaged subscribers.

Sponsorships

Sell ad placements in your newsletter. Rates from $20 to $100 per 1,000 subscribers depending on niche. Profitable from 2,000 subscribers.

Affiliate marketing

Recommend products and earn a commission (5-50%). Easy to set up, no need to create a product. Works from your very first subscribers.

Premium subscription

Exclusive paid content ($5-$20/month). Recurring and predictable model. Requires high-value content and a loyal audience.

Key metrics for a profitable newsletter

To maximize your newsletter ROI, monitor these key indicators:

1
Open rate — Percentage of emails opened. Depends mainly on the subject line and audience trust. Aim for 25%+.
2
Click-through rate (CTR) — Percentage of readers who click a link. Depends on content relevance and calls to action. Aim for 3%+.
3
Conversion rate — Percentage of clickers who buy. Depends on the offer and landing page. Aim for 2%+ for a well-targeted product.
4
Revenue per subscriber — Overall indicator of your monetization health. A good benchmark is $1 to $5 per subscriber per month.