Email Open Rates Benchmark: What’s the Average & How to Beat It?

Email open rates tell you how well your email campaigns are performing and whether your audience responds to your messages. On average, the email open rate across different industries is around 21.5%, according to Mailchimp’s latest email marketing benchmarks. 

If your numbers are lower, it could be due to weak subject lines, poor email content, or sending emails at the wrong time. Understanding how many emails get opened and how email marketers track this metric helps you adjust your strategy. 

Let’s break down the industry average, explore key email marketing metrics, and find ways to improve your average email open rate with actionable steps.

What is an Email Open Rate?

An email open rate measures how many email recipients open a message compared to the total number of emails delivered. It is a key email marketing metric that helps email marketers understand engagement and improve email marketing campaigns. 

A good open rate varies by industry, with industry average benchmarks providing useful comparison. 

Factors like subject lines, send time, and email list quality impact results. Tracking open rates allows marketers to analyze performance, adjust strategy, and improve conversion rate. Most email service providers track this metric, but data accuracy can be affected by email filters and privacy settings.

Why Are Email Open Rates Important?

1. Tracking Email Performance  

An email open rate helps email marketers measure the effectiveness of an email campaign. By analyzing email open data, marketers can understand how well their subject lines, send times, and content marketing strategies are working. 

Comparing average email performance with the industry average allows businesses to refine their approach.  

2. Measuring Audience Engagement  

A high email open rate indicates that subscribers find the emails relevant and worth opening. How many people open an email reflects whether the content marketing aligns with their interests. 

By analyzing audience behavior, marketers can optimize future emails to increase engagement and build stronger connections.  

3. Impact on Conversions  

Open rates directly affect the conversion rate of an email campaign. If recipients don’t open an email, they won’t see the call to action or click on links inside. 

A good click through rate depends on strong open rates, making them a critical metric for business goals. 

Marketers often track click rate and click to open rate to measure how well an email leads to desired actions.  

4. Effect on Email Deliverability  

A consistently low email open rate can harm a sender’s reputation with email service providers. ISPs track engagement metrics, and if too many emails go unread, they may be marked as spam.

Proper email list management, along with strong subject lines and optimized send times, can help improve email deliverability.  

5. Benchmarking Against Industry Standards  

Comparing open rates with industry average benchmarks helps businesses assess their email performance. Different industries have varying expectations for what constitutes a good email open rate. 

Tracking how many emails are opened against these benchmarks allows for better strategy adjustments and long-term improvements.

How To Calcualte Open Rate?

To understand how well your emails are performing, you need to measure the email open rate accurately. This metric helps you track how many recipients are actually opening your emails instead of ignoring them. 

While most email service providers calculate this automatically, knowing the formula allows you to analyze your data more effectively and make informed decisions. 

Email Open Rate=(Total Opened Emails​ / Total Delivered Emails)×100

Example Calculation:

• Total Emails Sent: 1,000
• Bounced Emails: 50
• Total Delivered Emails: 1,000 - 50 = 950
• Total Opened Emails: 200

So, the Email Open Rate =(200/950​)×100=21.05%

This number gives a quick overview of how many people are engaging with your emails. 

However, to get a clearer picture of performance, it’s also essential to track other email marketing benchmarks like click-through rate and bounce rate for deeper insights.

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What is Considered as a Good Open Rate in Email Marketing?

A good email open rate depends on the industry and type of email campaign. On average, a good open rate falls between 20% and 25%, but some industries see higher or lower numbers. 

For example, non profits and healthcare may have better engagement, while advertising and entertainment might struggle.

Factors like schedule, subject lines, and recipients influence open rates. Emails sent at the right time and with relevant content tend to see higher open rates. 

Comparing your email open rate to the industry average helps assess performance and refine strategies for better engagement.

How Do Most Email Service Providers Track Open Rates?

Most email service providers track open rates using a small, invisible image in the email. When users open the email, the image loads, and the system records the action. This method helps collect data on engagement, but it is not always accurate, as some email clients block images.

To improve accuracy, email service providers compare different metrics, such as click-through rate, bounce rate, and the total number of clicks. A good indicator of engagement is when recipients click at least one link inside the email.

Some industries, like fitness and construction, have varying open rates, making it important to track trends. Marketers also analyze difference in open rates across campaigns and segment contacts for better targeting. 

Tracking measures like email timing and subject line effectiveness helps refine strategies. Compare these insights regularly to get valuable insights into audience behavior.

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8 Key Email Open Rate Benchmarks You Should Track

Monitoring key email benchmarks helps marketers understand engagement levels and optimize their email strategy. Below are eight essential benchmarks to track, along with real data to guide improvements.

1. Email Open Rate

The email open rate measures how many recipients open your email compared to the total number of emails delivered. This metric reflects how effective your subject lines, sender reputation, and email content are.

• Formula:
  (Total Opened Emails / Total Delivered Emails) × 100
• Industry Average:
  
  • Overall average open rate: 21.33%.

2. Overall Response Rate

The overall response rate tracks all recipient engagement actions, including replies, clicks, and forwards. A higher response rate indicates strong audience interest.

• Formula:
  (Total Responses / Total Delivered Emails) × 100
• Benchmark:
  
  • The average response rate is 10%, though this varies based on email type and audience.

3. Rate of Email Response

This metric focuses specifically on direct replies from recipients, measuring how effective an email is in prompting a response.

• Formula:
  (Total Replies / Total Delivered Emails) × 100
• Benchmark:
  
  • Cold emails typically have a lower response rate, averaging between 1% and 5%.

4. Click-Through Rate (CTR) Benchmark

The click-through rate (CTR) measures how many recipients clicked on at least one link in your email. A higher CTR indicates that your email content and call-to-action (CTA) are effective.

• Formula:
  (Total Clicks / Total Delivered Emails) × 100
• Industry Average:
  
  • Average CTR: 2.62% 

5. Click-to-Open Rate (CTOR) Benchmark

The click-to-open rate (CTOR) compares unique clicks to unique opens, measuring how well the email content motivates recipients to take action.

• Formula:
  (Unique Clicks / Unique Opens) × 100
• Benchmark:
  
  • Average CTOR: 8.62%.

6. Average Email Open Rate by Industry

Open rates vary across industries due to audience behavior, email frequency, and content type. Below are some key industry benchmarks:

• Government: 40.55%
• Hobbies: 27.74%
• Media & Publishing: 22.15%
• Education: 28.5%
• Financial Services: 27.1%
• Healthcare Services: 23.7%
• Nonprofit: 26.6%
• Retail: 17.1%
• Wellness & Fitness: 19.2%

Tracking your industry benchmark helps determine whether your emails perform well or need improvement.

7. Open Rate Benchmarks by Email Type

Different types of emails achieve different open rates based on recipient expectations and engagement levels.

• Welcome Emails: 50%+ (Subscribers are most engaged at the start)
• Newsletters: 20-25% (Varies based on content relevance)
• Transactional Emails (e.g., order confirmations): 40-50%
• Promotional Emails: 15-20% (Lower due to frequency and perceived value)

Welcome and transactional emails tend to have the highest open rates, while promotional emails often see lower engagement.

8. Open Rate Variations by Send Time & Day

The time and day you send an email significantly impact open rates. Studies show certain times and days consistently perform better.

• Best Days to Send Emails:
  
  • Wednesday & Thursday: Highest open rates (Klaviyo).
  • Monday & Tuesday: Moderate engagement.
  • Friday, Saturday & Sunday: Lower open rates.
• Best Times to Send Emails (EST):
  
  • 9:01 AM – 12:00 PM: Highest engagement (OptinMonster).
  • 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM: Good for B2B audiences.
  • 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM: Evening emails work well for consumer brands.

Scheduling emails at peak engagement times can improve your open and click rates, leading to better campaign performance.

Tracking these email benchmarks helps measure engagement, optimize strategies, and compare performance against industry standards. Regularly analyzing open rates, CTRs, and email response rates provides valuable insights to refine future campaigns. 

By aligning email timing, content, and industry best practices, businesses can achieve better engagement and results.

What is the Average Click-through Rate?

The average click-through rate (CTR) measures how many people click on links in an email compared to the total emails delivered. It’s a key digital marketing metric for tracking engagement. A good indicator of email success is a CTR above industry standards.

• Industry Average: The average open rate for emails is around 21.33%, while the average CTR is about 2.62%.
• Factors Affecting CTR: Triggered emails, such as abandoned cart reminders, often have higher engagement.
• Improvement Tips: Making emails more interesting and relevant to recipients’ needs can help improve CTR.

The Difference Between Click-to-Open Rate and Click-Through Rate

Both Click-to-Open Rate (CTOR) and Click-Through Rate (CTR) measure email engagement, but they track different aspects of user interaction. Understanding the difference between them helps marketers optimize both email opens and post-open engagement effectively.

1. Click-Through Rate (CTR)

CTR measures how many people clicked on a link in the email compared to the total emails delivered. It helps assess the effectiveness of subject lines, email content, and CTAs in driving user action.

• Formula: (Total Clicks ÷ Total Emails Delivered) × 100
• What It Indicates: A higher CTR means the email successfully encouraged recipients to take action.

2. Click-to-Open Rate (CTOR)

CTOR measures how many people clicked on a link after opening the email, providing a more refined measure of email content effectiveness.

• Formula: (Total Clicks ÷ Total Opens) × 100
• What It Indicates: A high CTOR means the email content, design, and CTAs are engaging for those who opened it.

Key Differences Between CTR and CTOR

1. Measurement Focus

CTR evaluates overall engagement, including recipients who didn’t open the email, while CTOR focuses only on those who opened the email, making it a better measure of content effectiveness.

2. Benchmark Comparisons

Since CTR includes all recipients, it tends to be lower than CTOR. In contrast, CTOR is higher as it only considers those who showed interest by opening the email.

3. Impact on Email Optimization

A low CTR may suggest issues with subject lines, audience targeting, or campaign appeal. A low CTOR means that the email content, design, or CTA isn’t compelling enough after the recipient opens it.

4. Relation to Open Rates

CTR is directly influenced by open rates—if fewer people open an email, fewer will click on links. CTOR, however, removes open rate bias and focuses on how well the content performs once opened.

5. Application in Email Marketing

CTR is useful for assessing full campaign performance, helping marketers decide if their subject lines and sending strategies are effective. CTOR, on the other hand, helps test email content variations, ensuring the body, images, and links drive engagement after an email is opened.

Both CTR and CTOR play a critical role in measuring email performance. While CTR helps improve open rates and campaign reach, CTOR ensures that the email content and CTAs are strong enough to drive action. Tracking both metrics together allows for better overall email marketing success.

10 Strategies to Improve Your Email Open Rates and Beat the Benchmark 

Improving email open rates requires a combination of thoughtful messaging, audience targeting, and technical optimizations. Here are 10 actionable strategies to help you increase engagement and outperform industry benchmarks.

1. Write Strong Subject Lines

Your subject line is the first thing recipients see and plays a major role in whether they open your email. A weak or unclear subject line can lead to low engagement or even your email being ignored.

How to do it:

• Keep subject lines short and direct (40-50 characters is ideal).
• Use action-oriented words that create curiosity.
• Avoid all caps, spammy words, and excessive punctuation.
• Test personalization (e.g., including the recipient’s name).

2. Use a Recognizable Sender Name

People are more likely to open emails when they trust the sender. If your email comes from a random name or a generic “noreply” address, it may be ignored or marked as spam.

How to do it:

• Use a real person’s name or a brand name that recipients recognize.
• Avoid generic sender names like "Marketing Team" or "Support".
• Be consistent with your sender name across emails.

3. Personalize Your Emails

Generic emails feel impersonal and irrelevant, reducing open rates. Personalization helps create a stronger connection with the recipient and makes your message more engaging.

How to do it:

• Use the recipient’s first name in the subject line or greeting.
• Personalize email content based on past interactions or preferences.
• Send emails tailored to customer behavior (e.g., cart abandonment, special offers).

4. Send Emails at the Best Time

Timing matters when sending emails. If you send them when recipients are least likely to check their inbox, they may get buried under other emails.

How to do it:

• Analyze past email data to find peak engagement times.
• For most audiences, mid-morning or early afternoon works best.
• Avoid sending emails late at night or on weekends, unless your audience is active during those times.

5. Segment Your Audience

Sending the same email to everyone reduces engagement. Different subscribers have different needs, interests, and behaviors, so segmentation helps send more relevant emails.

How to do it:

• Divide your email list based on interests, demographics, or purchase history.
• Create separate email campaigns for new subscribers, active users, and inactive users.
• Send targeted promotions to specific groups instead of one-size-fits-all emails.

6. A/B Test Your Emails

What works for one audience may not work for another. A/B testing helps find the best email elements by comparing two versions of an email and tracking which one performs better.

How to do it:

• Test different subject lines to see which gets more opens.
• Compare email designs to check engagement levels.
• Experiment with sending times and personalization tactics.
• Analyze results and apply what works to future campaigns.

7. Clean Your Email List Regularly

An outdated or inactive email list can lower open rates and increase spam complaints. Cleaning your list ensures your emails reach engaged users who actually want to hear from you.

How to do it:

• Remove inactive subscribers who haven’t engaged in a long time.
• Use an email verification tool to eliminate invalid addresses.
• Allow users to update their preferences instead of unsubscribing completely.

8. Improve Email Deliverability

Even if you craft the perfect email, it won’t matter if it never reaches the inbox. Poor deliverability means your emails end up in spam folders, reducing open rates.

How to do it:

• Use authenticated email domains (SPF, DKIM, DMARC).
• Keep a consistent sending schedule to avoid being flagged as spam.
• Monitor bounce rates and remove addresses that repeatedly fail.

9. Optimize Preheader Text

The preheader text appears next to the subject line in the inbox and can influence open rates. If left blank, email clients may show random text, which isn’t appealing.

How to do it:

• Write a compelling summary that complements the subject line.
• Keep it short and engaging (around 50-100 characters).
• Use a call to action or a teaser to encourage opens.

10. Avoid Spam Triggers

Emails that look spammy may never reach the inbox. Certain words, formatting, and behaviors can trigger spam filters, leading to low open rates.

How to do it:

• Avoid spammy words like “Free,” “Urgent,” or “Limited Time Offer.”
• Don’t use excessive exclamation marks or all caps.
• Ensure your email content is valuable and not overly promotional.

Improving your email open rates takes a combination of strategy, testing, and audience insights. By focusing on strong subject lines, personalization, timing, and deliverability, you can increase engagement and outperform industry benchmarks. Regular testing and audience segmentation ensure your emails remain relevant and effective.

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FAQs on Email Marketing Benchmarks 

Understanding email benchmarks can help improve your email marketing performance and engagement. Here are answers to some of the most common questions about email open rates and tracking.

1. What Factors Affect Email Open Rates?

Several factors influence whether an email gets opened. Subject lines, sender reputation, and email timing all play a role in engagement.

Key Influencing Factors:

• Relevance: Emails that match audience interests get higher open rates.
• Sender Name: Recognizable and trusted names increase engagement.
• Email Timing: Emails sent when recipients are most active perform better.
• Inbox Placement: Emails landing in spam folders are rarely opened.
• Preheader Text: A well-crafted preview text encourages opens.

2. How Often Should I Check My Email Open Rates?

Tracking open rates too frequently can lead to unnecessary changes, while checking too infrequently may cause missed opportunities for improvement.

Recommended Frequency:

• Weekly: Best for active campaigns needing quick adjustments.
• Monthly: Good for evaluating trends and long-term performance.
• Quarterly: Helps assess the impact of larger strategy shifts.

Analyzing trends over time gives a clearer picture of what works instead of reacting to short-term fluctuations.

3. Do Open Rates Vary by Industry?

Yes, different industries have different benchmarks based on audience behavior.

Examples of Open Rate Differences:

• Government and Nonprofits typically have higher open rates due to important updates.
• Retail and eCommerce may experience lower open rates due to frequent promotions.
• B2B emails often have moderate open rates, depending on industry relevance.

Comparing your open rates to your specific industry benchmark is more meaningful than comparing to general averages.

4. What Is a Bad Open Rate?

A “bad” open rate depends on industry averages and email purpose. However, if your open rate falls below 15%, it may indicate a problem.

Possible Causes of Low Open Rates:

• Weak subject lines that fail to capture interest.
• Emails sent at the wrong time, reducing visibility.
• Outdated or disengaged email lists affecting engagement.
• Inbox placement issues, causing emails to land in spam.

Improving email content, timing, and segmentation can help increase open rates.

5. Can Email Open Rates Be Misleading?

Yes, open rates don’t always tell the full story. A high open rate does not always mean an email was engaging or successful.

Why Open Rates Can Be Misleading:

• Email previews count as opens, even if the recipient never reads the email.
• Some email clients block tracking pixels, leading to underreported opens.
• High open rates with low click-through rates may indicate weak content.

Open rates should be analyzed alongside other metrics like click rates and conversions for a complete picture.

6. How Do Privacy Updates Affect Open Rate Tracking?

Privacy updates, like Apple’s Mail Privacy Protection (MPP), have made open rate tracking less accurate by preventing senders from knowing when an email is opened.

How It Impacts Tracking:

• Emails may appear “opened” even if they weren’t.
• Geolocation data is limited, affecting regional insights.
• A/B testing based on open rates is less reliable.

Focusing on engagement metrics like click-through rates and conversions is becoming more important as privacy changes continue.

7. What’s the Difference Between Unique and Total Opens?

Understanding unique and total opens helps interpret email performance correctly.

Key Differences:

• Unique Opens: The number of distinct individuals who opened the email.
• Total Opens: The total number of times the email was opened (including multiple opens by the same recipient).

A high total open count with low unique opens suggests some recipients are revisiting emails, while a high unique open count with low total opens suggests most readers only opened once.

8. How Do Bots and Spam Filters Impact Open Rates?

Automated systems can inflate open rates, making email engagement seem higher than it actually is.

How Bots & Filters Affect Open Rates:

• Spam filters "pre-open" some emails to check for malicious content.
• Security software auto-loads tracking pixels, making some emails appear opened when they weren’t.
• Bot-generated activity can distort real engagement data.

To reduce false open rates, focus on real engagement metrics like clicks and replies instead.

9. Should I Focus on Open Rate or Other Metrics?

Open rates are useful but should not be the only metric tracked.

More Reliable Engagement Metrics:

• Click-through rate (CTR): Measures active engagement.
• Reply rate: Shows audience interaction.
• Conversion rate: The most direct measure of success.

A high open rate with low engagement suggests the subject line worked but the content didn’t. A low open rate with high click-throughs may indicate a strong audience connection but poor subject line performance.

10. How Long Should I Wait Before Resending an Unopened Email?

Resending unopened emails can increase engagement if done correctly, but waiting too long or too little can hurt deliverability.

Best Practices for Resending Emails:

• Wait at least 48-72 hours before resending.
• Change the subject line slightly to attract attention.
• Only resend to non-openers, not the entire list.
• Don’t resend too often, as repeated emails may cause unsubscribes.

Testing different send times and subject lines before resending can improve success rates.

Understanding email open rate benchmarks is key to improving email marketing performance. While open rates provide useful insights, tracking them alongside other engagement metrics like clicks and responses gives a clearer picture of audience interaction.

By optimizing subject lines, timing, and deliverability, and adapting to privacy changes, businesses can maintain stronger email engagement and better overall campaign results.

Conclusion

Improving email open rates isn’t about luck, it’s about making small, intentional changes that help your emails stand out. Strong subject lines, smart timing, and knowing what works for your audience can make a big difference. 

While open rates are useful, they don’t tell the whole story. Looking at clicks, engagement, and responses will give you a clearer picture of what’s working. Testing and adjusting based on real data is the best way to improve results over time. 

Keep experimenting, stay consistent, and focus on creating emails people actually want to open, and more importantly, read.  

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