What is the average open rate for email newsletters?
There are dozens of variables that go into open rates – making the “average” question so difficult. That being said, we believe that open rates (measured using unique opens – meaning only one open per recipient is counted) for most newsletters should be in the 30 to 45 percent range, with most companies that are doing a good job probably falling into the 35-40% range. Companies using the double opt-in process, with mostly newer subscribers, offering extremely compelling content and following best practices can achieve open rates in the 45 to 50+ percent range. Open rates have been declining a bit for a couple of reasons. Blocked images and preview panes mean that some emails are “viewed” but not counted as “opens.” Additionally, as people’s inboxes have gotten overwhelmed combined with them subscribing to more and more newsletters, people are making choices about which newsletters are of value and are then opening fewer – even though they may not unsubscribe.
