How do I check an email newsletter’s open rates and unsubscribe trends?

Ask the seller to export reports directly from the sending platform, or to give you read-only access during due diligence. A screenshot of a good week proves little. Ask which tool sent each issue, in case the sender changed partway, since reports from two systems can look different. You want every issue, listed by date, with subject line, number sent, opens, clicks, unsubscribes and complaints.

Read the trend, not the best month. Is the list growing or shrinking? Do unsubscribes spike after certain subjects or after promotional issues? Open figures are shaky because mail apps can load messages automatically, so give more weight to clicks, replies and how many readers act on what is offered. Ask how often inactive addresses are removed, because a tidy list with fewer readers is healthier than a large one that no one opens.

Look at where subscribers came from. Sign-ups on the site, a giveaway or a purchased list behave very differently. Ask whether readers agreed to receive the emails, and have your lawyer advise on the consent records. Ask whether the newsletter has ever been marked as spam in large numbers. Finally, ask what income the newsletter brings in, whether through sponsors or product sales, and whether that income follows opens or clicks.

Key takeaways

• Get every issue’s reports from the platform, not a hand-picked sample.
• Weigh clicks and replies above opens.
• Ask where subscribers came from and how consent was recorded.