From inbox to impact: a guide to email performance
A great email campaign is a game of inches, and it all starts with two key numbers. Use the calculator above to find your score, then use this guide to understand what it means and how to drastically improve it.
How the calculator works
Getting your performance analysis is a simple three-step process:
-
Select your industry: Choose the industry that best matches yours from the dropdown list. This allows us to compare your results against the most relevant benchmark data.
-
Enter your campaign numbers: Input the total number of emails sent, unique opens, and (optionally) unique clicks from your recent campaign.
-
Analyze your performance: Click the button to instantly see your open rate, how it stacks up against the industry average, and a list of actionable tips to improve your next campaign.
The two metrics that matter
📬 Open rate
This is the percentage of people who opened your email. It’s your first and most important hurdle. A low open rate means your subject line isn’t working or you have a deeper deliverability problem.
(Unique Opens / Delivered Emails) Ă— 100%
đź“„ Click-through rate (CTR)
This is the percentage of people who clicked a link inside your email. This tells you if your message, offer, and design were effective enough to inspire action.
(Unique Clicks / Delivered Emails) Ă— 100%
How do you stack up? Industry benchmarks for 2025
| Industry |
Average Open Rate |
| E-commerce |
15.7% |
| Financial Services |
20.2% |
| IT & Tech Services |
17.6% |
| Real Estate & Construction |
19.9% |
| Travel & Hospitality |
15.7% |
| Marketing & Advertising |
19.3% |
Source: WebFX, 2025
Your 3-step plan to a higher open rate
Improving your open rate isn’t about a single magic trick; it’s about building a trustworthy process from the ground up.
Step 1: Build a rock-solid deliverability foundation
Before your subject line is even seen, your email has to land in the primary inbox. This is the most overlooked—and most critical—part of the process.
🛡️
Authenticate and Warm Up Your Domain. Sending from a “cold” or unauthenticated domain is the #1 reason emails go to spam. You must have correct
SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records and gradually build your domain’s reputation over time by “warming it up.”
Solution: Services like Warmup Inbox automate this entire process, ensuring you’re trusted by providers like Google and Microsoft.
Step 2: Master the art of the subject line
This is your 50-character sales pitch. It needs to be compelling enough to stand out in a crowded inbox.
- Keep it short & sweet: Aim for under 50 characters to avoid getting cut off on mobile.
- Create curiosity: Ask a question or hint at the value inside without giving everything away.
- Personalize it: Including the recipient’s name or company can increase open rates by over 20%.
Step 3: Curate and clean your list
Sending emails to unengaged contacts is like talking to an empty room—and it actively hurts your sender reputation. A smaller, engaged list is always better than a large, inactive one.
- Practice list hygiene: Regularly remove subscribers who haven’t opened your emails in the last 90 days.
- Segment your audience: Group contacts by their interests or behavior and send them more relevant content. Relevance is the ultimate driver of engagement.
