Email Advice in Your Inbox Volume 48

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Your email metrics are saying more than you think.

We all track opens, clicks, and inbox rates. But have you ever stopped to ask: what else are these numbers trying to tell me?

Today, we’re taking a look at a few key metrics and how to read between the lines to better understand your audience and sharpen your strategy.

Open rates

Open rates get a bad rap (and not without reason).

Avoiding controversy, many senders ditch tracking these altogether due to privacy policies and questions around accuracy.

But here’s the thing: open rates still have value if you know how to use them.

Here are 3 overlooked ways they can sharpen your strategy:

1. Spot deliverability issues 
A sudden dip in open rates? You might’ve landed in the junk folder. Your emails may be delivered, but that doesn’t mean they’re seen. Open rates can help flag when it’s time to investigate.

2. Gauge your sending rhythm
Too many emails, too fast? Or too few, too irregularly? Watch your opens. A steady decline could signal fatigue and hurt your future inbox placement.

3. Identify machine opens
Thanks to Apple Mail and other privacy tools, some opens are automated. Look for spikes in the first minute after send. That’s a clue your stats are being padded by machines, not humans.

So yes, open rates might be flawed, but used wisely, they’re far from useless.

Click rates

Clicks are often seen as the clearest sign your email did its job.

After all, when you send an email, you're hoping for action, and clicks are your first proof of that. But clicks don’t just confirm interest. They tell stories, too.

Here are 3 smart ways to read between the click lines:

1. Your email might be too long
If most clicks happen up top and none at the bottom, readers might be dropping off. Use this insight to refine length and test how far your audience actually scrolls.

2. Link placement matters
Not sure where to put your buttons or links? Try A/B testing different positions, either above the fold, mid-body, or at the end of your email. Clicks will show you what layout drives action (and what doesn’t).

3. No clicks? That’s still data
If certain products or sections keep getting skipped, your audience may be losing interest.
Click drop-off is just as powerful as click-through. Don’t ignore it.

Clicks aren’t just performance metrics — they’re strategy signals.

Time to start tracking them with a little more intention?

Unsubscribe rates

Unsubscribes sting a little, don’t they?

If you’re a smart sender, you’ll know that they’re necessary. Especially if you want to make money from your emails.

You want an audience that actually wants to hear from you. And unsubscribes? They can teach you a thing or two.

Here are 3 reasons people might hit that “unsubscribe” and what to do about it:

1. Misaligned expectations
If readers thought they were signing up for tips and got promos instead, they’ll bounce. Make sure what you send matches what you promised. Clarity keeps subscribers around.

2. Weak segmentation
Generic emails to a broad list = fast exits. Good segmentation makes your emails feel relevant (and makes your audience feel like you care about them, after all).

3. Flimsy incentives
If you dangled a juicy freebie to get signups but didn’t follow through with value? Expect churn. A lead magnet should open a door, not be the only good thing readers get.

So yes, unsubscribes can be tough, but they’re also great feedback.

And feedback helps you build an email list that sticks.

There’s method to the madness

Let’s not forget about bounce rates, which you can read about in our original version of this back in Volume 18.

If you’re serious about improving your email strategy and keeping your audience at the forefront of that, then you need to take note of these.

Make this a regular part of your email planning and stats analysis (or don’t, at your peril).

Those emails aren’t going to improve themselves, are they?

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