At GetResponse, we believe emails should be relationship builders, not distractions. That’s why we’re here to help you design impactful campaigns backed by data-driven insights.
As an email marketing software provider, we have tons of data at our fingertips. And that’s exactly what powers our Email Marketing Benchmarks report.
Inside, you’ll find valuable insights on email performance, marketing automation, landing pages, and webinars. Our goal is to give you the knowledge you need to boost your email marketing game.
Got questions or need more info? Just drop us an email! We love hearing from fellow marketers.
We analyzed more than 4.4 billion messages sent by GetResponse customers in 2023.
To keep things accurate, we focused on active senders with at least 500 contacts.
We’ve looked at average email opens, clicks, unsubscribes, bounces, and spam complaints.
Every subscriber action counts – whether they reopened your emails or clicked on all your links.
We're happy to share with you the new edition of the Email Marketing Benchmarks report, which has now been going on for six years!
This year, we saw a significant increase in the average engagement metrics reported by email marketers around the world.
The average email open rates are up by 12.84 percentage points (pp), while click-throughs grew by 1.36 pp. At the same time, the average unsubscribe rates remained stabled (+0.05pp) and bounce rates slightly dropped (-0.24pp).
The reported growth in engagement rates can partially be attributed to the growing popularity of Apple's devices, which distort the data with its auto-opens generated by the Mail Privacy Policy feature.
The other part of the story, however, is that marketers must have done their homework and focused on creating more relevant content, which resulted in higher average CTR and CTOR.
As more brands and creators are looking to invest in email marketing to diversify their marketing activities and secure themselves from everchanging social media algorithms we'd like to highlight the following key strategies:
Learn how to calculate these and other important email marketing KPIs.
A good open rate (OR) depends on your industry, audience, and the type of campaign you’re running.
For example, the average open rate for newsletters is 40.08%, while for triggered emails, it’s 45.38%.
At the same time, special campaigns, like welcome emails, often observe much higher results. This year, welcome emails saw an average open rate of 83.63%.
For better email results, visit our guides on email marketing best practices and how to increase your email open rates.
A good click-through rate (CTR) will also depend on factors like your industry, audience, and campaign type.
For example, the average click-through rate observed for newsletters was 3.84%, while for triggered emails, it was 5.02%.
Keep in mind that not all campaigns aim to get a response from the recipient and therefore usually don’t observe high click-through rates.
An example of such a campaign is an email informing customers about a privacy policy update.
Read our guide if you’d like to learn how to increase your email click-through rates.
CTOR (Click-To-Open Rate) measures the effectiveness of an email campaign's content.
It is calculated by dividing the number of clicks by the number of opens, then multiplying by 100 to get a percentage.
CTOR provides insights into how compelling the email content is to those who opened it.
A high CTOR indicates that the content was engaging and relevant, while a low CTOR suggests that the content did not resonate well with the audience who opened the email.
To optimize CTOR, consider improving your email’s design, ensuring a clear and visible call-to-action, and tailoring content to the audience's interests.
Conversion rate focuses on the results — how many of your recipients have taken a given action.
For example, how many times they downloaded your ebook, registered for a webinar, or visited your product page.
This metric can be very useful, especially when you assign a monetary value to your conversions. Then, it’s easy to decide whether a particular campaign was successful and needs repeating or if you should choose a different approach.
Since everyone can have their own definition of conversion, it’s impossible to say what a good email conversion rate is. We suggest that you look at the next best thing, such as the average click-through rate.
Below you can see how the average email open rates, click-through rates, and other key email marketing metrics vary across different locations and industries.
Take a look and see how the average email marketing metrics vary across continents.
Continent | Open rate | Click-through rate | Click to open rate | Unsubscribe rate | Spam rate | Bounce rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All | 39.64% | 3.25% | 8.62% | 0.15% | 0.01% | 2.33% |
Increased open rates across all continents
Email marketers in North America had a good year overall, with open rates increasing by 14.2% from last year to reach 45.3%, and click-through rates (CTR) increasing by 1.81% to reach 4.7%.
The bounce rate in North America, though the second highest among all continents at 2.68%, shows a significant improvement compared to last year’s 4.92%.
Bounce rates have also decreased in South America and Oceania by 0.9% and 0.5%, respectively.
Open rates improved significantly across all continents, with Oceania leading at 55.6%. However, the CTR in Oceania did not increase as significantly, leading to a decrease in the click-to-open rate from 5.68% to 4.46%.
In Asia, the CTR saw the biggest increase, from 1.4% to 4%. This was accompanied by an 8.9% increase in open rates and the highest click-to-open rate, reaching 14.4%.
The significant increase in open rates across all continents suggests that marketers have been creating compelling subject lines, potentially with the help of AI, while keeping the content relevant.
The decrease in bounce rates across three different continents indicates that marketers have been working on improving deliverability and list hygiene.
The key takeaway from this data is that higher open rates should correlate with higher click-through rates and lower unsubscribe rates. Maintaining good list hygiene and writing great subject lines is crucial, but it must be supported by great content and compelling calls to action (CTAs). Do not overpromise in your subject lines and underdeliver in the actual email.
What are the average email marketing results in different countries? Here’s what we’ve found.
Country | Open rate | Click-through rate | Click to open rate | Unsubscribe rate | Spam rate | Bounce rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Australia | 57.25% | 2.31% | 4.04% | 0.25% | 0.01% | 1.77% |
 Belgium | 48.41% | 6.23% | 12.87% | 0.32% | 0.02% | 1.75% |
 Brazil | 28.32% | 4.40% | 15.55% | 0.09% | 0.01% | 3.45% |
 Canada | 42.12% | 8.68% | 20.61% | 0.15% | 0.01% | 2.26% |
 Colombia | 36.17% | 1.52% | 4.21% | 0.09% | 0.01% | 1.11% |
 France | 44.62% | 2.20% | 4.92% | 0.19% | 0.01% | 2.71% |
 Germany | 40.35% | 2.37% | 5.88% | 0.38% | 0.04% | 3.89% |
 Great Britain | 39.98% | 2.74% | 6.86% | 0.15% | 0.01% | 3.21% |
 India | 25.84% | 8.22% | 31.81% | 0.09% | 0.00% | 2.26% |
 Indonesia | 21.67% | 1.12% | 5.17% | 0.07% | 0.00% | 1.69% |
 Israel | 42.08% | 1.00% | 2.38% | 0.24% | 0.01% | 9.97% |
 Italy | 44.38% | 2.87% | 6.47% | 0.19% | 0.02% | 2.79% |
 Malaysia | 34.82% | 1.36% | 3.91% | 0.11% | 0.01% | 3.04% |
 Mexico | 35.88% | 2.62% | 7.30% | 0.08% | 0.01% | 3.97% |
 Netherlands | 47.84% | 4.05% | 8.47% | 0.29% | 0.02% | 2.38% |
 Peru | 27.33% | 1.56% | 5.70% | 0.11% | 0.02% | 1.81% |
 Philippines | 45.00% | 4.78% | 10.62% | 0.10% | 0.00% | 3.74% |
 Poland | 38.07% | 5.38% | 14.12% | 0.16% | 0.01% | 1.13% |
 Romania | 50.79% | 2.77% | 5.46% | 0.16% | 0.02% | 2.56% |
 Russia | 23.86% | 1.47% | 6.14% | 0.17% | 0.02% | 3.09% |
 Singapore | 21.67% | 1.78% | 8.23% | 0.07% | 0.00% | 2.83% |
 Spain | 41.19% | 2.92% | 7.09% | 0.20% | 0.01% | 2.48% |
 Ukraine | 42.04% | 3.05% | 7.27% | 0.35% | 0.01% | 1.30% |
 United States | 45.62% | 4.34% | 9.51% | 0.11% | 0.01% | 2.70% |
 Vietnam | 33.05% | 1.46% | 4.41% | 0.06% | 0.00% | 1.65% |
| All | 38.33% | 3.25% | 8.76% | 0.17% | 0.01% | 2.78% |
Email outperforms expectations in Brazil, India, and English-speaking countries
The most surprising finding here is that emails in Brazil and India achieved some of the highest click-through and open rates compared to other countries. This contradicts the ongoing narrative by WhatsApp Business solution providers that email is dead in these countries. The numbers tell a completely different story.
In India, click-through rates (CTRs) increased by 6.5% to reach 8.2%, the second highest among all countries, and the click-to-open rate also reached an impressive 31.8%.
Emails in English-speaking countries like Australia, the U.K., Canada, and the U.S. also achieved increases in open rates and click-through rates. Notably, open rates in the U.S. increased by 14.8% to reach 45.6%, and click-through rates in Canada were the highest at 8.6%.
The overall increases in open rates and click-through rates across the majority of the countries indicate that email remains a powerful marketing channel. These findings suggest that marketers should not disregard email as an outdated tool even in markets where it’s not regarded as the most popular platform.
Industry | Open rate | Click-through rate | Click to open rate | Unsubscribe rate | Spam rate | Bounce rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agencies | 39.26% | 4.69% | 11.96% | 0.18% | 0.01% | 3.15% |
| Arts & Entertainment | 51.19% | 4.16% | 8.13% | 0.19% | 0.01% | 3.11% |
| Automotive | 39.69% | 5.76% | 14.51% | 0.12% | 0.01% | 4.31% |
| Communications | 65.14% | 8.66% | 13.29% | 0.09% | 0.01% | 1.19% |
| Education | 41.33% | 3.17% | 7.68% | 0.17% | 0.01% | 2.60% |
| Financial Services | 34.70% | 5.34% | 15.40% | 0.08% | 0.01% | 1.79% |
| Health & Beauty | 38.16% | 2.14% | 5.62% | 0.12% | 0.01% | 3.06% |
| Health Care | 43.95% | 3.08% | 7.01% | 0.21% | 0.01% | 3.17% |
| Internet Marketing | 32.62% | 3.18% | 9.74% | 0.16% | 0.01% | 2.16% |
| Legal services | 47.26% | 12.11% | 25.63% | 0.17% | 0.01% | 2.39% |
| Non-profits | 54.54% | 6.70% | 12.29% | 0.11% | 0.01% | 2.31% |
| Publishing | 39.89% | 5.76% | 14.43% | 0.11% | 0.01% | 2.13% |
| Real Estate | 42.71% | 3.51% | 8.23% | 0.17% | 0.01% | 4.86% |
| Restaurants & Food | 38.52% | 2.44% | 6.33% | 0.17% | 0.01% | 2.68% |
| Retail | 41.77% | 5.10% | 12.22% | 0.13% | 0.01% | 2.55% |
| Sports and Activities | 37.28% | 6.87% | 18.43% | 0.15% | 0.01% | 3.71% |
| Technology & High Tech | 44.72% | 7.40% | 16.54% | 0.15% | 0.01% | 2.23% |
| Travel | 32.83% | 2.52% | 7.69% | 0.09% | 0.01% | 2.90% |
| All | 42.53% | 5.14% | 11.95% | 0.14% | 0.01% | 2.79% |
Communications, Non-profits, and Arts & Entertainment take the lead
Another year we’re seeing a positive trend in the email engagement across all industries.
In terms of opens, we’ve got Communications in the lead once again. This sector saw the highest open rates, jumping from 48.8% in 2022 to 65.1% in 2023.
When it comes to clicks, Legal Services observed a notable jump from 3.2% to 12.1%. That’s almost a 4x increase, a leap we’ve not observed before.
Non-profits also saw a similar trend. High engagement rates continued, with open rates increasing from 39.7% to 54.5% and CTR from 3.2% to 6.7%.
Although email open rates have become less reliable since Apple's introduction of Mail Privacy Protection in 2021, the increase in average click-through rates (CTR) across many markets is encouraging.
This trend suggests that marketers are creating more relevant, engaging, and effective content, which their audiences are positively responding to.
How can you apply these findings to your email campaigns? Start by comparing your results to industry standards and aim for continuous improvement with each campaign. Focus on your audience's needs, whether you want to boost open rates or click-throughs.
Prioritizing your audience will lead to long-term positive impacts on all your metrics and overall brand health.
How did the average email marketing results vary throughout the year? Let’s explore:
Month | Open rate | Click-through rate | Click to open rate | Unsubscribe rate | Spam rate | Bounce rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan-23 | 35.42% | 2.90% | 8.18% | 0.13% | 0.01% | 2.23% |
| Feb-23 | 36.63% | 2.96% | 8.07% | 0.13% | 0.01% | 2.55% |
| Mar-23 | 37.32% | 2.90% | 7.78% | 0.12% | 0.01% | 2.39% |
| Apr-23 | 37.48% | 2.76% | 7.37% | 0.12% | 0.01% | 2.43% |
| May-23 | 38.37% | 4.05% | 10.56% | 0.11% | 0.01% | 2.66% |
| Jun-23 | 38.56% | 4.76% | 12.35% | 0.12% | 0.01% | 2.66% |
| Jul-23 | 40.41% | 3.84% | 9.50% | 0.13% | 0.01% | 2.95% |
| Aug-23 | 42.05% | 4.18% | 9.94% | 0.13% | 0.01% | 2.44% |
| Sep-23 | 43.64% | 4.16% | 9.54% | 0.14% | 0.01% | 2.36% |
| Oct-23 | 44.56% | 4.05% | 9.08% | 0.13% | 0.01% | 2.25% |
| Nov-23 | 44.80% | 4.67% | 10.43% | 0.13% | 0.01% | 2.10% |
| Dec-23 | 41.23% | 4.72% | 11.46% | 0.11% | 0.01% | 2.07% |
Email engagement slowly building up for the end-of-year sales season
Comparing this year’s data to the previous one we can see that the trend prevails – the average email engagement starts low at the beginning of the year, but then it grows and peaks around the holiday sales season.
What’s interesting this time, however, is that we’re seeing much higher numbers in terms of opens, clicks, and resulting CTOR. This is especially interesting, as this data only looks at newsletters, which typically observe lower results than automated email campaigns.
In this table, you’ll see the average landing page conversions based on the subscription rate they generated across industries.
Industry | Avg. Conv. Rate |
|---|---|
| Agencies | 1.86% |
| Arts & Entertainment | 12.77% |
| Automotive | 3.84% |
| Communications | 23.49% |
| Education | 9.53% |
| Financial Services | 17.6% |
| Health & Beauty | 4.04% |
| Health Care | 11.11% |
| Internet Marketing | 9.42% |
| Legal Services | 25.05% |
| Non-profits | 7.52% |
| Publishing | 2.13% |
| Real Estate | 2.86% |
| Restaurants & Food | 39.93% |
| Retail | 0.7% |
| Sports and Activities | 1.75% |
| Technology & High Tech | 9.79% |
| Travel | 10.35% |
| All | 10.76% |
Dramatic shifts
We've seen some dramatic shifts in landing page conversion rates between 2022 and 2023. The most notable jump was in the restaurants & food industry, which shot up by 2235%—from a 1.71% conversion rate in 2022 to 39.93% in 2023. This huge increase is likely due to improved online ordering systems and more effective marketing as businesses adapted to post-pandemic conditions.
In contrast, the retail sector saw a steep 85.94% drop, plummeting from 4.98% to just 0.70%. This could be due to market saturation and changing consumer spending habits. Legal services also had a notable increase, up by 167.63%, climbing from 9.36% to 25.05%, reflecting possibly increased demand and better online engagement.
On the downside, the publishing industry experienced an 80.35% decline, likely because of increased competition from other digital content platforms and shifts in what people are reading. Healthcare, however, saw a 92.55% rise, growing from 5.77% to 11.11%, perhaps driven by the surge in telehealth services and better digital outreach.
These changes show just how important it is to keep up with what customers want and how they behave online. Some industries have clearly managed to do this well and have seen big improvements, while others may need to rethink their strategies to keep their audiences engaged.
Below you’ll find out how popular the use of confirmed opt-in is in different industries.
Industry | Double opt-in % | Single opt-in % |
|---|---|---|
| Agencies | 6.21% | 93.79% |
| Arts & Entertainment | 13.85% | 86.15% |
| Automotive | 11.78% | 88.22% |
| Communications | 3.76% | 96.24% |
| Education | 15.9% | 84.1% |
| Financial Services | 6.28% | 93.72% |
| Health & Beauty | 10.37% | 89.63% |
| Health Care | 13.57% | 86.43% |
| Internet Marketing | 10.42% | 89.58% |
| Legal services | 7.58% | 92.42% |
| Non-profits | 9.71% | 90.29% |
| Publishing | 34.75% | 65.25% |
| Real Estate | 3.46% | 96.54% |
| Restaurants & Food | 9.78% | 90.22% |
| Retail | 4.86% | 95.14% |
| Sports and Activities | 21.09% | 78.91% |
| Technology & High Tech | 4.43% | 95.57% |
| Travel | 10.06% | 89.94% |
| All | 10.99% | 89.01% |
Single opt-in remains the dominant way to collect subscribers
We've seen some interesting shifts in how businesses are approaching email marketing, specifically regarding single and double opt-in methods. In 2023, the use of double opt-in has fluctuated across various industries. The automotive sector, for example, has embraced double opt-in more, reflecting a growing emphasis on subscriber quality.
Conversely, some industries have moved away from double opt-in. Agencies, for instance, have shifted towards easier sign-up processes to boost subscriber numbers. Similarly, while still relatively high in double opt-in usage, the publishing industry has adjusted its balance between subscriber quality and volume.
When deciding which opt-in method to use, most businesses find single opt-in to be more effective due to its simplicity and higher subscription rates. However, the best choice ultimately depends on your business goals and the importance you place on the quality of your email list.
Here, you’ll find the average email marketing results observed by marketers depending on the time, day, and frequency of email sends in their email campaigns.
In this section, we’re looking for the answer to the popular question – what’s the best time to send your email campaigns.
What’s the best time to send emails?
Once again, we tried to answer this perhaps most frequently asked question about email marketing. When should you send emails to maximize their impact?
Also once again we saw that there are two time slots you may want to consider. One early in the morning (4-6 AM) and the second one later in the afternoon (5-7 PM).
If you want to improve your opens and clicks, you’ll want to send your emails right before your recipients wake up or as they’re about to finish work for the day. At these times, the inboxes are usually less cluttered, and you’ll have a higher chance of capturing their attention.
The alternative? The other approach you could take is to choose the time you think is best for your audience based on your experience, or ask your recipients for their opinion, or use send-time optimization algorithms like GetResponse’s Perfect Timing or Time-Travel to send your messages when each user is most likely to interact with your emails.
Test these approaches compared to your current setup and see what works best for you.
Here, we’ve looked at the average results of email campaigns sent on different days of the week.
What’s the best day to send emails?
This is another question we hear quite often.
So what did we learn? There’s little difference in terms of engagement between individual weekdays. While the average open and click-through rates are the highest on Tuesdays, they aren’t that far different from what we see on the other days.
As per usual, average metrics drop on weekends, but we’ve all become used to that already. That said, see which day makes sense for your audience, and focus on sending valuable content tailored to your audiences’ needs and interests.
If you put your audience first, they’ll engage with your emails no matter what day you’ll send them on.
What’s the right email frequency? What’s the potential increase in the number of conversions your email campaigns generate if you add an extra message to your schedule? The data in this table should help you find the right answers.
Number of newsletters per week | Open rate | Click-through rate | Click to open rate | Unsubscribe rate | Complaint Rate | Bounce rate | % of marketers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 48.31% | 5.71% | 11.82% | 0.25% | 0.01% | 2.85% | 46.77% |
| 2 | 43.2% | 4.73% | 10.95% | 0.18% | 0.01% | 2.82% | 19.54% |
| 3 | 41.34% | 3.73% | 9.03% | 0.16% | 0.01% | 2.49% | 9.4% |
| 4 | 41.92% | 2.99% | 7.13% | 0.15% | 0.01% | 2.42% | 5.89% |
| 5 | 41.46% | 3.13% | 7.55% | 0.12% | 0.01% | 2.48% | 3.93% |
| 6 | 44.96% | 3.68% | 8.19% | 0.11% | 0.01% | 2.22% | 2.91% |
| 7 | 41.12% | 2.87% | 6.99% | 0.09% | 0.01% | 2.45% | 2.7% |
| 8 | 42.51% | 3.83% | 9.01% | 0.11% | 0.01% | 2.17% | 1.54% |
| 9 | 38.62% | 3.39% | 8.78% | 0.11% | 0.01% | 2.57% | 1.03% |
| 10 | 42.1% | 3.78% | 8.98% | 0.1% | 0.01% | 2.14% | 0.76% |
| 11 | 47.93% | 2.73% | 5.7% | 0.11% | 0.01% | 1.91% | 0.6% |
| 12 | 47.74% | 2.9% | 6.08% | 0.11% | 0.01% | 1.77% | 0.56% |
| 13 | 40.47% | 3.82% | 9.44% | 0.11% | 0.01% | 2.29% | 0.46% |
| 14 | 30.39% | 3.73% | 12.27% | 0.07% | 0.01% | 2.67% | 0.79% |
| 15 | 38.97% | 3.85% | 9.88% | 0.09% | 0.01% | 2.32% | 0.35% |
| 16+ | 32.15% | 3.75% | 11.66% | 0.06% | 0.01% | 2.23% | 2.79% |
1-2 Newsletter per week seems to be optimal for open rates and CTR
The majority of Marketers send 1-2 newsletters per week, and it seems that this approach is reaping great results overall, with open rates reaching 4.3% and click-through rates reaching 5.7%.
It is safe to say that the optimal frequency is 2 newsletters per week if you seek to maintain high open and click-through rates.
However, the data shows that higher frequencies (more than 6 newsletters per week) tend to have lower unsubscribe rates, indicating higher content tolerance among engaged subscribers.
High open rates and lower bounce rates at higher frequencies, especially at around 11-12 newsletters per week, might indicate that marketers who send more frequent newsletters are also good at maintaining good list hygiene. However, it seems that the CTRs and click to open rates as good.
The key takeaway is that the ideal number of newsletters is 1 to 2 per week if your north start is CTR and conversions, but if you have a great mailing list with engaged subscribers, you can send up to 12 newsletters per week. However, the CTR won’t be as good.
How many emails should you put into your autoresponder cycle? We’ve analyzed how the average engagement metrics change depending on the number of emails our customers used in their autoresp onder cycles.
# of messages | Open rate | Click-through rate | Click to open rate | Unsubscribe rate | Spam rate | Bounce rate | % of cycles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 103.04% | 29.39% | 28.52% | 0.89% | 0.06% | 3.31% | 43.5% |
| 2 | 103.44% | 26.69% | 25.8% | 0.8% | 0.05% | 2.83% | 8.83% |
| 3 | 71.63% | 12.98% | 18.12% | 0.74% | 0.05% | 3.39% | 5.57% |
| 4 | 56.04% | 9.79% | 17.46% | 0.52% | 0.03% | 1.91% | 4.66% |
| 5 | 62.23% | 9.86% | 15.84% | 0.75% | 0.04% | 2.73% | 5.52% |
| 6 | 59.27% | 9.46% | 15.96% | 0.57% | 0.04% | 3.58% | 3.13% |
| 7 | 62.27% | 9.29% | 14.91% | 0.66% | 0.03% | 3.3% | 3.3% |
| 8 | 66.27% | 8.4% | 12.68% | 0.73% | 0.05% | 2.68% | 2.94% |
| 9 | 49.94% | 6.97% | 13.95% | 0.57% | 0.03% | 3.39% | 1.86% |
| 10 | 72.51% | 11% | 15.17% | 0.59% | 0.04% | 2.52% | 2.07% |
| 11 | 56.98% | 6.66% | 11.69% | 0.66% | 0.03% | 2.94% | 1.37% |
| 12 | 68.83% | 9.01% | 13.08% | 0.63% | 0.03% | 3% | 1.35% |
| 13 | 53.23% | 6.33% | 11.9% | 0.5% | 0.03% | 2.91% | 1.14% |
| 14 | 50.06% | 6.65% | 13.28% | 0.46% | 0.03% | 3.81% | 0.75% |
| 15 | 56.48% | 6.3% | 11.15% | 0.46% | 0.03% | 5.95% | 1.13% |
| 16 | 47.58% | 6.41% | 13.47% | 0.38% | 0.02% | 2.41% | 0.91% |
| 17 | 33.8% | 2.81% | 8.31% | 0.28% | 0.01% | 2.38% | 0.63% |
| 18 | 42.17% | 3.85% | 9.14% | 0.41% | 0.02% | 5.43% | 0.5% |
| 19+ | 47.11% | 3.95% | 8.39% | 0.3% | 0.01% | 2.35% | 10.86% |
Keep autoresponder cycles short, unless your subscribers really like you
Shorter autoresponder cycles with 1 to 3 messages show the highest open and click-through rates. This messaging frequency seems the norm, with the majority (57.9%) of cycles.
And while shorter autoresponder cycles tend to perform better in terms of open and click-through rates, subscribers can still tolerate longer cycles without big increases in unsubscribes or spam reports.
In other words, keeping your autoresponder cycle concise is great for engagement, but don't worry too much if your cycle lasts longer. Subscribers will likely still be receptive to your emails.
How many of your subscribers open your emails within the first two, four, or six hours after sending? Is it the same for clicks? Here, we’re looking at how the recipients’ engagement changed over time after the campaign was sent.
Opens by hour | % of all message opens | % Cumulative | % of all message clicks | Cumulative % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 21.2% | 21.2% | 44.14% | 44.14% |
| 1 | 7.44% | 28.64% | 6.41% | 50.54% |
| 2 | 5.06% | 33.69% | 4.19% | 54.73% |
| 3 | 4.11% | 37.81% | 4.31% | 59.04% |
| 4 | 3.44% | 41.25% | 2.58% | 61.62% |
| 5 | 2.99% | 44.24% | 2.15% | 63.77% |
| 6 | 2.65% | 46.89% | 1.82% | 65.59% |
| 7 | 2.37% | 49.26% | 1.6% | 67.19% |
| 8 | 2.13% | 51.39% | 1.5% | 68.69% |
| 9 | 1.96% | 53.35% | 1.6% | 70.29% |
| 10 | 1.82% | 55.17% | 1.39% | 71.68% |
| 11 | 1.73% | 56.9% | 1.32% | 72.99% |
| 12 | 1.66% | 58.56% | 1.26% | 74.25% |
| 13 | 1.56% | 60.12% | 1.18% | 75.44% |
| 14 | 1.45% | 61.58% | 1.15% | 76.58% |
| 15 | 1.31% | 62.88% | 1.1% | 77.68% |
| 16 | 1.15% | 64.03% | 1.01% | 78.69% |
| 17 | 1.02% | 65.05% | 1.01% | 79.7% |
| 18 | 0.93% | 65.97% | 0.94% | 80.64% |
| 19 | 0.88% | 66.86% | 0.92% | 81.56% |
| 20 | 0.87% | 67.73% | 0.95% | 82.51% |
| 21 | 0.88% | 68.6% | 0.97% | 83.48% |
| 22 | 0.89% | 69.49% | 1.04% | 84.52% |
| 23 | 0.82% | 70.31% | 0.89% | 85.42% |
| 24 | 0.72% | 71.03% | 0.63% | 86.05% |
| 25 | 0.65% | 71.68% | 0.5% | 86.55% |
| 26+ | 28.32% | 100% | 13.45% | 100% |
Send your emails during peak engagement hours
The first hour is when most recipients open and interact with your email, capturing 21.20% of opens and 44.14% of clicks. So, what can you make of this? Make sure to send emails at times when recipients are most likely to be checking their inboxes.
Using email marketing features that help you identify the best timing based on subscribers’ data can be very helpful here, we call it the Perfect Timing at GetResponse.
Also, most email engagement happens within the first day, with about 70% of opens and 85% of clicks occurring within the first 24 hours. However, a significant portion of engagement still happens after 26 hours, which means that recipients engage with emails much later.
So, while most engagement occurs in the first hour and first day, that does not necessarily define the lifespan of your email. There’s a good chance that you might still see results later, so patience is key.
The key takeaway is to focus on sending emails during peak engagement hours to maximize opens and clicks. Email marketing tools have AI-powered features that help you send emails during times when users are most likely to open them.
You can roughly define whether an email was successful after 24 hours, but there is a significant chance that the numbers will change even after 1 day.
After all, people take days off, get sick, or become too busy to check their emails. It also wouldn’t hurt if you send follow-up emails or reminders after the initial 24 hours in case your email was very important.
In this section, you’ll see the average metrics observed by marketers using different email marketing tactics.
Which email type performs best? Here we’re looking at the average opens, clicks, unsubscribes, and spam complaint rates for different types of emails.
Email marketing is alive and kicking
Despite what you might have heard, email marketing is far from dead. In fact, it's thriving!
We've seen improvements across all types of email campaigns. Triggered emails, for example, have seen significant jumps in engagement, with more recipients not just opening these emails but interacting with them too.
Autoresponder campaigns are also shining. Their performance has surged, showing how automated and timely emails are connecting with audiences. Setting up automated email sequences, such as a welcome series for new subscribers or follow-up emails after a purchase, can keep customers engaged and drive conversions.
Even newsletters, the staple of email marketing, have seen notable gains in both opens and clicks. So, if you've been doubting the power of email, think again—it's more effective than ever!
In this table, we’re looking at whether adding video content (including links to your video hosting platforms) could help you boost your engagement metrics, primarily the average click-th rough and click-to-open rates.
Make your emails more engaging with video content
Who doesn’t like videos? Definitely not your subscribers!
Once again, our data confirms that adding an engaging video format into your emails can help your click-through rates.
Whether it’s short video walkthroughs, webinar recordings, customer testimonials it doesn’t matter, your customers are more likely to engage with them.
At the same time, sending videos in emails can still be problematic from the technical side of things. Not all email mailbox providers fully support it as of yet, but there are workarounds on how you can send videos effectively.
Below we’re looking at the relationship between the email subject line length and the average open rates they scored. On top of that, you’ll see what subject line length is most popular with email marketers.
Short and sweet? Or long and complete?
Ever since mobile devices took over as the main way to check emails the best practice has been to keep your subject lines short. This is because most email clients will trim your subject line so that it fits on every device screen.
Looking at our data, we can see that indeed it’s the shorter subject lines (below 70 characters) that get the highest open rates. They are also the most popular ones, meaning that the best practice has reached the masses.
Naturally, there may be some outliers or situations where it’s better to be more descriptive.
Overall, the best thing to do is to test what works for you. Run an A/B test and verify whether your audience responds better to short-and-sweet or long-and-complete types of subject lines.
And if you’re unsure what formats to test, check out these great tips on how to write compelling subject lines and email copywriting techniques. These will equip you with ideas to test for months to come.
Could adding an emoji to your subject lines help you achieve higher email open rates? We’ve looked at how popular and successful this approach is among GetResponse customers.
Emoji | Open rate | Click-through rate | Click-to-open rate | Unsubscribe rate | Spam rate | Bounce rate | % of messages |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No | 42.23% | 4.16% | 9.85% | 0.14% | 0.01% | 2.41% | 74.98% |
| Yes | 37.5% | 3.32% | 8.85% | 0.16% | 0.01% | 2.41% | 25.02% |
Emojis in subject lines are not as effective as you might think
While emojis are a popular trend in digital marketing, they might not improve email performance or even deter engagement in open and click-through rates.
To be completely fair, the difference between open rates and CTRs for subject lines with and without emojis is pretty small(4.7% for open rates and 3.3% for click-through rates).
The best approach here is to do some A/B testing and see what works better for your brand.
Here we’ve tried to answer the question whether you should use personalization in the email subject lines.
Personalized? | Open rate | Click-through rate | Click-to-open rate | Unsubscribe rate | Spam rate | Bounce rate | % of messages |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No | 41.87% | 4.23% | 10.09% | 0.14% | 0.01% | 2.38% | 90.33% |
| Yes | 35.78% | 2.11% | 5.9% | 0.15% | 0.01% | 2.59% | 9.67% |
Non-personalized subject lines show higher engagement
The trend has not changed since last year, and most marketers (90.33%) still don’t pursue personalization in their subject lines. The open rate of such emails is higher than that of those who go the extra mile and choose to personalize their subject lines (41.87% against 35.78%).
Similarly, non-personalized emails' click-through rate (CTR) is almost double that of personalized ones (4.23% against 2.11%). Even the click-to-open rate shows a higher engagement for non-personalized emails (10.09% against 5.90%).
However, that doesn’t mean you have to abandon personalization altogether. Keep it for what really matters: contact segmentation, offer adjustment, individual discounts and coupons, birthday gifts, etc.
Use subject lines to ensure the recipients see real value in them rather than simply recognizing their first names. This way, you can ensure that personalization enhances the overall email experience without negatively impacting key performance metrics.
Do individual phrases in email subject lines correlate with email campaign performance? Here we explore whether individual words have the power to make or break your email campaigns.
Phrase or symbol | Open rate | Click-through rate | Click to open rate | Unsubscribe rate | Spam rate | Bounce rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| affordable | 36.99% | 11.17% | 30.2% | 0.12% | 0.02% | 3.19% |
| bargain | 32.64% | 9.76% | 29.89% | 0.07% | 0.01% | 1.33% |
| big | 37.64% | 3.72% | 9.89% | 0.14% | 0.01% | 2.83% |
| bonus | 44.51% | 2.39% | 5.36% | 0.15% | 0.01% | 2.51% |
| compare | 38.46% | 3.62% | 9.41% | 0.1% | 0.01% | 3.62% |
| crazy | 39.14% | 2.19% | 5.59% | 0.12% | 0.01% | 2.36% |
| dayweek | 48.02% | 4.01% | 8.35% | 0.16% | 0.01% | 2.68% |
| discount | 39.83% | 6.36% | 15.98% | 0.18% | 0.01% | 3.23% |
| ebook | 39.31% | 3.22% | 8.2% | 0.14% | 0.01% | 2.58% |
| events | 45.3% | 7.24% | 15.98% | 0.15% | 0.01% | 2.57% |
| exclamation mark | 39.18% | 3.27% | 8.34% | 0.16% | 0.01% | 2.59% |
| exclusive | 36.19% | 3.79% | 10.48% | 0.14% | 0.01% | 2.98% |
| free | 37.63% | 4.41% | 11.71% | 0.12% | 0.01% | 2.93% |
| fw | 38.86% | 5.4% | 13.89% | 0.24% | 0.01% | 2.29% |
| guaranteed | 28.33% | 1.42% | 5.03% | 0.08% | 0.01% | 5.74% |
| guide | 44.44% | 5.88% | 13.23% | 0.2% | 0.02% | 3.47% |
| improved | 37.05% | 3.13% | 8.46% | 0.33% | 0.01% | 3.5% |
| infographic | 47.44% | 5.8% | 12.22% | 0.14% | 0.01% | 0.44% |
| introducing | 42.38% | 5.79% | 13.67% | 0.19% | 0.01% | 3.97% |
| invitation | 56.76% | 4.34% | 7.64% | 0.24% | 0.01% | 2.41% |
| lifetime | 32.37% | 1.78% | 5.49% | 0.17% | 0.01% | 3.37% |
| massive | 28.23% | 2.75% | 9.73% | 0.08% | 0.01% | 2.71% |
| month | 53.88% | 5.38% | 9.98% | 0.1% | 0.01% | 2.82% |
| new | 42.99% | 7.51% | 17.47% | 0.14% | 0.01% | 2.82% |
| news | 48.05% | 10.74% | 22.36% | 0.18% | 0.01% | 2.97% |
| newsletter | 51.29% | 9.44% | 18.41% | 0.22% | 0.01% | 3.15% |
| now | 52.52% | 7.4% | 14.08% | 0.1% | 0.01% | 1.75% |
| offer | 37.97% | 2.98% | 7.86% | 0.15% | 0.01% | 2.86% |
| 33.41% | 3.87% | 11.58% | 0.11% | 0.01% | 3.91% | |
| popular | 39.89% | 9.74% | 24.41% | 0.13% | 0.01% | 2.23% |
| powerful | 26.81% | 2.24% | 8.35% | 0.08% | 0% | 3.02% |
| prize | 47.58% | 2.86% | 6.02% | 0.18% | 0.01% | 2.39% |
| question mark | 39.52% | 2.47% | 6.26% | 0.17% | 0.01% | 2.27% |
| quick | 36.18% | 1.94% | 5.37% | 0.15% | 0.01% | 2.48% |
| re: | 33.48% | 2.78% | 8.31% | 0.18% | 0.01% | 2.98% |
| sale | 41.13% | 4.04% | 9.81% | 0.15% | 0.01% | 3.23% |
| special | 35.87% | 2.47% | 6.88% | 0.13% | 0.01% | 2.89% |
| tested | 22.64% | 1.75% | 7.72% | 0.08% | 0.01% | 3.77% |
| today | 45.6% | 4.41% | 9.67% | 0.1% | 0.01% | 2.33% |
| unique | 34.74% | 3.1% | 8.93% | 0.12% | 0.01% | 3.23% |
| unlimited | 23.22% | 0.89% | 3.84% | 0.08% | 0.01% | 3.44% |
| update | 49.49% | 6.95% | 14.05% | 0.13% | 0.01% | 2.85% |
| value | 37.64% | 4.64% | 12.32% | 0.11% | 0.01% | 3.09% |
| video | 36.92% | 3.24% | 8.79% | 0.17% | 0.01% | 2.76% |
| wanted | 51.53% | 1.41% | 2.73% | 0.13% | 0.01% | 3.19% |
| we | 41.09% | 4.5% | 10.94% | 0.16% | 0.01% | 2.6% |
| year | 44.63% | 5.43% | 12.17% | 0.1% | 0.01% | 2.55% |
| you | 35.95% | 2.52% | 7% | 0.13% | 0.01% | 2.6% |
Optimizing email subject lines for higher engagement
Our analysis reveals that certain phrases in email subject lines can significantly impact key metrics. For instance, phrases like "invitation," "name of a month," and "now" tend to have higher open rates, suggesting they effectively capture recipients' attention. Similarly, phrases such as "affordable" and "newsletter" not only attract opens but also encourage clicks, driving engagement.
Conversely, phrases like "bargain," "PDF," and "guaranteed" show lower unsubscribe and complaint rates, indicating they maintain subscriber satisfaction. These findings underscore the importance of carefully selecting subject line phrases to enhance email marketing performance.
To maximize the effectiveness of your email campaigns, prioritize phrases that resonate well with your audience. Regularly test and iterate on new subject lines to find the most impactful phrases. Monitor key metrics closely to ensure a positive subscriber experience. Think of the long-term impact you’re making and avoid using cheap or sketchy tactics that may trick your subscribers into opening your emails.
Does adding the preheader increase your chances of getting your emails opened? Let’s see how popular preheaders are and whether email marketers that use them get better than average email open rates.
Preheader? | Open rate | Click-through rate | Click-to-open rate | Unsubscribe rate | Spam rate | Bounce rate | % of messages |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | 44.67% | 4.54% | 10.16% | 0.15% | 0.01% | 2.42% | 37.53% |
| No | 39.28% | 3.67% | 9.33% | 0.14% | 0.01% | 2.4% | 62.47% |
The preheader: Your subject line’s best friend
Preheader is the first snippet of text in your email that appears next to your subject line.
For many years we’ve advised that marketers use it to drive their open rates and we’re glad to see that already more than a third of campaigns are including it (37.53%).
What’s even better is that those who do use them also see higher average open rates (44.67% vs. 39.28%) and click-through rates (4.54% vs. 3.67%).
The difference is noticeable and importantly, it’s proven to work for as long as we’re doing this report.
So, how should you design the preheader? Here’s an example from Devin Reed:
Subject line: I quit my job 😬
Preheader: Here’s why and what I’m doing next
As you can tell, the subject and the preheader go together to tell the story.
In fact, you should make use of all the elements that subscribers see in the inbox before they open the email. Used well, the so-called envelope (sender’s name, subject line, and preheader) can make a difference. And your average open rates will reflect that, 100% of the time.
Does tailored content in emails correlate with higher average engagement rates? In this table, we’re looking at the relationship between the email engagement metrics and the u se of personalization in the email body.
Personalized? | Open rate | Click-through rate | Click-to-open rate | Unsubscribe rate | Spam rate | Bounce rate | % of messages |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | 44.3% | 3.18% | 7.19% | 0.16% | 0.01% | 2.26% | 31.71% |
| No | 39.13% | 4.45% | 11.36% | 0.13% | 0.01% | 2.5% | 68.29% |
Personalize your email body not subject lines
Unlike subject lines, it’s still important to personalize your email content. Personalized emails have higher open rates (44.30% vs. 39.13%) and a lower bounce rate (2.26% vs. 2.50%). However, they tend to have lower click-through rates (3.18% vs. 4.45%) and click-to-open rates (7.19% vs. 11.36%), indicating that while personalization attracts more open, it may not always drive further engagement.
This highlights the need to approach personalization carefully. Over-personalization can quickly become annoying, and users are becoming more adept at recognizing automation patterns behind personalized messaging. Therefore, your primary focus should be matching user needs to your solutions.
It’s not about how many segments you create or how much dynamic content you add to your emails. Instead, it’s about the relevance of the data you use to personalize your communications.
Thanks to the rapid popularization of AI-driven products and content recommendations, most email marketers should soon be able to personalize their offers based on invaluable first-party user data, not just assumptions.
Things are looking bright for the future of user-oriented AI-powered personalization in email marketing!
How important are welcome emails? What open and click-through rates do they get, on average? Here’s what we’ve found.
Open rate | Click-through rate | Click-to-open rate | Unsub. rate | Spam. Rate | Bounce rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 83.63% | 16.6% | 19.85% | 0.94% | 0.05% | 3.98% |
Welcome email: your most important email campaign
Welcome emails continue to prove their worth as your most effective email marketing campaign, showing remarkable engagement rates.
According to the latest benchmarks, welcome emails achieve an impressive average open rate of 83.63% and a click-through rate of 16.60%. With a click-to-open rate of 19.85%, it's clear that these emails are resonating well with recipients. Moreover, the unsubscribe rate is relatively low at 0.94%, while spam complaints and bounce rates are minimal at 0.05% and 3.98% respectively.
These statistics highlight the power of welcome emails in engaging your audience from the outset. They not only enhance engagement and deliverability but also set the stage for a strong relationship with your new subscribers. Use your welcome emails to introduce your brand, share key links, and highlight what makes your brand unique. For ecommerce businesses, incorporating a discount code can significantly boost your subscriber-to-customer conversion rate.
Should you add images to your emails? Or maybe it’s better to send text-based newsletters instead? Here’s what the numbers say.
Has Graphic? | Open Rate | Click-through rate | Click-to-open rate | Unsub. Rate | Spam rate | Bounce rate | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | 43.12% | 4.84% | 11.22% | 0.15% | 0.01% | 2.42% | 62.16% |
| No | 35.79% | 1.64% | 4.58% | 0.13% | 0.01% | 2.36% | 37.84% |
The impact of graphics in email campaigns
Should your email marketing campaigns include graphics? The latest data provides some clear insights into this question.
Our analysis compared email campaigns with and without graphics. While we can't specify the size or complexity of the images used, the results indicate a clear performance boost for emails with graphics.
Emails featuring graphics achieved an average open rate of 43.12% and a click-through rate of 4.84%, compared to 35.79% and 1.64% for those without graphics. The click-to-open rate also favors graphic-inclusive emails at 11.22% versus 4.58%. Despite these higher engagement metrics, the unsubscribe and spam rates remain similarly low for both types, at around 0.15% and 0.01%, respectively. Bounce rates are also comparable, with 2.42% for emails with graphics and 2.36% for those without.
These findings suggest that including graphics in your email campaigns can significantly enhance engagement. However, it's crucial to remember that your specific audience may respond differently. To maximize the effectiveness of your campaigns, consider A/B testing both graphic and text-based emails. Continuously monitor your results and refine your strategy to ensure optimal performance.
Let’s check whether send-time optimization algorithms can help us improve our email marketing campaigns’ performance, automatically.
Type | Open Rate | Click-through rate | Click-to-open rate | Unsub. Rate | Spam rate | Bounce rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Perfect timing | 39.46% | 3.61% | 9.14% | 0.17% | 0.01% | 2.84% |
| Time travel | 45.07% | 9.76% | 21.66% | 0.12% | 0.01% | 2.47% |
Timing is everything
I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase before – if you want to succeed with email marketing, you have to send the right message, to the right person, at the right time. That last part is where GetResponse’s Time Travel and Perfect Timing features can help.
Time Travel sends your email at a specific local time for each subscriber, no matter where they are in the world. Imagine sending a 9 AM email and knowing it will arrive at 9 AM in New York, Los Angeles, and Shanghai alike. This can be particularly useful for newsletters, autoresponders, and automated workflows, ensuring your message lands at just the right time for everyone.
Perfect Timing takes this concept even further. It analyzes each recipient's past behavior to determine when they're most likely to open and click on your emails. This means your newsletter gets delivered during their personal "perfect" time window, maximizing the chances they'll see and interact with your content.
The data speaks for itself: Time Travel boasts an impressive 45% open rate and nearly 10% click-through rate, while Perfect Timing achieves a 39% open rate and a solid 3.6% click-through rate. By leveraging these features, you can ensure your emails are not only seen but also engaged with, driving better results for your campaigns.
Here, we’re looking at other elements that may play a role in how you run your email marketing campaigns and the average metrics you could expect.
Do email marketers with bigger lists get better results? Here, we’re looking at the relationship between the average email marketing results observed by our customers and their list sizes.
List size | Open rate | Click-through rate | Click to open rate | Unsubscribe rate | Spam rate | Bounce rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. 250-499 | 70.64% | 10.4% | 14.72% | 0.29% | 0.01% | 2.86% |
| 2. 500-999 | 54.84% | 6.88% | 12.54% | 0.23% | 0.01% | 3.04% |
| 3. 1000-2499 | 45.73% | 5.24% | 11.47% | 0.2% | 0.01% | 3.18% |
| 4. 2500-4999 | 40.78% | 4.92% | 12.07% | 0.17% | 0.01% | 2.88% |
| 5. 5000-9999 | 37.95% | 4.03% | 10.61% | 0.14% | 0.01% | 2.77% |
| 6. 10000-24999 | 36.89% | 4.08% | 11.07% | 0.12% | 0.01% | 2.24% |
| 7. 25000-49999 | 39.9% | 2.69% | 6.74% | 0.12% | 0.01% | 2.11% |
| 8. 50000-99999 | 40.76% | 2.6% | 6.38% | 0.13% | 0.01% | 2.46% |
| 9. 100,000+ | 61.25% | 5.19% | 8.47% | 0.15% | 0.01% | 1.51% |
Email lists: balancing size with engagement
When it comes to email lists, the age-old debate of quality versus quantity persists. Our latest data offers some intriguing insights into how list size impacts engagement metrics such as open and click-through rates.
Interestingly, smaller lists (250-499 contacts) lead the way with a striking open rate of 70.64% and a click-through rate of 10.40%. These figures decrease as the list size grows, with lists of 5000-9999 contacts showing an open rate of 37.95% and a click-through rate of 4.03%. However, it's notable that the largest lists (100,000+ contacts) bounce back with a relatively high open rate of 61.25% and a click-through rate of 5.19%.
Despite the larger lists generally showing lower engagement rates, the unsubscribe and spam rates remain consistently low across all list sizes, hovering around 0.01% to 0.29% and 0.01%, respectively. Bounce rates also vary slightly but stay within a manageable range.
The takeaway? While smaller lists tend to achieve higher engagement rates, it’s crucial to maintain a strong connection with your audience as your list grows. Personalize your communications, deliver consistent value, and nurture your relationships just as you would in a smaller community setting. By focusing on quality interactions, you can ensure that even a large list remains engaged and responsive.
In this table, you’ll find the average email address length.
No surprises here
Our research shows that the average length of email addresses hasn't budged much over the years. About 95% of all email addresses are snugly between 5 and 29 characters long.
To keep your users happy and your conversion rates high, ensure your signup forms can handle those longer addresses. If not, you might end up with frustrated users, typos, and fewer sign-ups—especially on mobile devices where every character counts. So, make room for those longer email addresses!
In this section, we’re looking at the average landing page conversion rates generated by pages that contain particular elements or features.
Feature | Conversion rate |
|---|---|
| Promotes a webinar | 22.3% |
| Includes a video | 5.25% |
| Includes a link to social media | 3.91% |
| Includes a countdown timer | 6.33% |
| Includes an image | 7.47% |
| Form has one field | 11.26% |
| Form has two fields | 12.73% |
| Form has three fields | 13.18% |
| Form has 4+ fields | 3.88% |
Avoid distractions, focus on your main offer
When it comes to landing pages, some features are more effective than others at driving conversions. Promoting a webinar, for instance, stands out as a top performer. This suggests that offering valuable content like a webinar can significantly boost your conversion rates.
Visual elements also play a role, but their effectiveness varies. Including an image can help, but videos and social media links don’t seem to have the same impact. If you want to enhance your landing page, focus on clear, compelling images rather than cluttering the page with videos or social media links. And if you want to add a sense of urgency, a countdown timer can help, but don’t rely on it as your main strategy.
Interestingly, the data shows that simple forms tend to work better, but there's a twist. While many marketers are hesitant to ask for more than an email address and maybe a name, the statistics indicate that there’s actually room to request one or two more pieces of information.
Forms with one to three fields have higher conversion rates than those with more, suggesting that people are willing to provide a bit more info than we might think. So, don't be afraid to ask for another data point, such as a phone number or company name, especially if it helps you better qualify your leads. Just ensure that the additional fields provide value both to you and your potential customer.
The key is to strike a balance—ask for enough to qualify your leads effectively but keep the form short enough to encourage completion.
Here, we’ve looked at the engagement metrics generated by automated emails sent when promoting a webinar.
Type of communication | Open rate | Click-through rate | Click-to-open rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webinar invitation | 28.89% | 2.86% | 9.9% |
| Webinar reminder - sent at start time | 72.88% | 15.98% | 21.93% |
| Webinar reminder - sent 5 minutes before the webinar | 85.43% | 23.15% | 27.1% |
| Webinar reminder - sent 30 minutes before the webinar | 83.03% | 21.58% | 25.99% |
| Webinar reminder - sent 1 hour before the webinar | 105.84% | 28.66% | 27.08% |
| Webinar reminder - sent 1 day before the webinar | 106.52% | 14.64% | 13.74% |
Don’t forget to send reminders
The trend of people tuning in to webinars continued in 2023, showing some interesting shifts compared to 2022. Webinar invitations saw a noticeable increase in open rates, with overall engagement improving.
Webinar reminders, however, are where timing truly makes a difference. Reminders sent one day and one hour before the webinar had the highest open rates, indicating that many recipients checked the reminders more than once.
Based on our data, a strategy that includes multiple reminders—one day before, one hour before, and five minutes before the webinar—can ensure maximum engagement and attendance. Each reminder serves a specific purpose: the day-before reminder helps with initial planning, the hour-before builds anticipation, and the five-minutes-before captures those who might need a last-minute nudge.
Looking to attract more webinar registrants? Let’s start by picking the best day to host your webinars.
Day | Avg. attendee to registrant ratio | Avg. number of registrants | % of webinars |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | 36% | 28 | 7.69% |
| Tuesday | 31% | 29 | 15.39% |
| Wednesday | 35% | 18 | 18.71% |
| Thursday | 35% | 31 | 18.29% |
| Friday | 26% | 7 | 16.22% |
| Saturday | 31% | 3 | 13.99% |
| Sunday | 22% | 5 | 9.71% |
Avoid the weekends
If the webinar you are organizing falls on a Friday or the weekend, we have some bad news for you. The data shows these days have lower attendee-to-registrant ratios and fewer average registrants compared to weekdays.
For the best results, consider hosting your webinar from Monday to Thursday. These days consistently show higher engagement rates, meaning a larger percentage of those who register actually attend. Interestingly, Monday is the day when the fewest webinars are hosted, but it shouldn't be this way. Monday webinars have good stats, indicating they can be very effective if utilized more often.
By choosing the beginning to mid-week for your webinars, you can maximize attendance and engagement, ensuring a more successful event.
Let’s review the best time to run your webinars.
Hour | Avg. attendee to registrant ratio | Avg. number of registrants | % of webinars |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 A.M. | 2% | 1.05 | 5.97% |
| 2 A.M. | 0% | 1.04 | 11.63% |
| 3 A.M. | 12% | 1.49 | 4.46% |
| 4 A.M. | 1% | 1.05 | 8.51% |
| 5 A.M. | 5% | 1.15 | 2.06% |
| 6 A.M. | 5% | 1.11 | 2.98% |
| 7 A.M. | 31% | 5.24 | 4.31% |
| 8 A.M. | 45% | 4.62 | 5.59% |
| 9 A.M. | 55% | 10.64 | 6.6% |
| 10 A.M. | 45% | 17.63 | 6.7% |
| 11 A.M. | 34% | 11.21 | 6.57% |
| 12 P.M. | 31% | 12.48 | 5.25% |
| 1 P.M. | 41% | 7.92 | 4.36% |
| 2 P.M. | 48% | 5 | 4.27% |
| 3 P.M. | 41% | 11.14 | 2.99% |
| 4 P.M. | 34% | 34.86 | 2.48% |
| 5 P.M. | 33% | 66.49 | 2.32% |
| 6 P.M. | 29% | 153.17 | 2.86% |
| 7 P.M. | 32% | 176.59 | 2.47% |
| 8 P.M. | 33% | 115.73 | 1.4% |
| 9 P.M. | 70% | 7.11 | 0.45% |
| 10 P.M. | 15% | 1.8 | 0.26% |
| 11 P.M. | 6% | 1.15 | 3.83% |
| 12 A.M. | 4% | 1.12 | 1.65% |
Wait until the workday is over
When it comes to choosing the best time to host a webinar, the hour of the day can make a significant difference in your engagement rates. If you’re hosting your webinars in the early morning hours, you might be missing out on higher participation.
For optimal results, consider scheduling your webinars between 5 PM and 8 PM. This time window not only shows some of the highest attendee-to-registrant ratios but also attracts a larger number of registrants. These times align well with the end of the workday, making it convenient for attendees to participate without disrupting their daily routines.
Despite this being the optimal time window, not enough webinars are organized during these hours. By taking advantage of this underutilized slot, you can stand out and potentially increase your webinar's attendance and engagement. So, if you want to maximize your webinar's impact, aim for the late afternoon to early evening.
Do webinar attendees come mostly from desktop or mobile devices? What webinar software features you should be using to keep your aud ience engaged? Let’s explore.
Information | Value |
|---|---|
| Share of attendees using a mobile device | 40.19 |
| Share of attendees using a desktop device | 59.81 |
| Share of webinars that use surveys | 1.07 |
| Share of webinars that use registration | 66.38 |
| avg. attendee to registrants ratio | 33 |
| Share of registrants signing up for the webinar on the day of the webinar | 17 |
| Share of registrants signing up for the webinar 1-7 days before the webinar | 65 |
| Share of registrants signing up for the webinar 8-14 days before the webinar | 12 |
| Share of registrants signing up for the webinar 15+ days before the webinar | 7 |
Information | Value |
|---|---|
| avg. number of webinar registrants | 18 |
| avg. number of webinar attendees | 5.97 |
| avg. Invitations sent | 92 |
Use webinars to build your email list
When it comes to the timing of registrations, most people sign up within the two-week window before the event. So, instead of a long promotional period, focus your efforts on those crucial two weeks leading up to your webinar. Send reminders, share teasers, and make sure your audience knows why they shouldn’t miss out.
In 2023, more webinars required registration, and for good reason. A webinar can act as a powerful lead magnet – by offering valuable content and insights, you attract potential customers who are willing to exchange their contact information for access.
This method not only grows your email list but also qualifies leads, as those who register are more likely to be interested in your products or services. Following up with these leads post-webinar can result in higher conversion rates, turning engaged participants into loyal customers.
Lastly, don’t forget about mobile users. With over 40% of attendees joining via mobile devices, it’s essential to ensure your webinar platform is mobile-friendly. A smooth mobile experience can significantly increase your reach and engagement.