What is unsubscribe rate?
Unsubscribe rate is a term that indicates the percentage of users who have opted out of receiving commercial emails.
The term is used in the context of email marketing – for example when sending newsletters – to understand how many of your recipients are unsubscribing from your emails.
Here, unsubscribe rate is used alongside other KPIs such as open rate, CTR, etc. to evaluate the effect and success of your email marketing. Furthermore, a high unsubscribe rate can have negative consequences from individual email services such as Gmail, Outlook, etc., as it damages your reputation and can cause your emails to end up in spam.
How do you calculate unsubscribe rate?
The unsubscribe rate for your newsletters and email marketing is most often calculated and displayed in the system you use for newsletters – for example HubSpot, Active Campaign, and similar tools.
However, you can always calculate your unsubscribe rate manually. To do this, you will need the following: the number of delivered emails and the number of unsubscribers.
How to calculate unsubscribe rate:
Unsubscribe rate = (Number of unsubscribers / Number of successfully delivered emails) * 100
For example, if you have successfully delivered 1,000 emails in an email marketing campaign and 10 users have unsubscribed: 10 divided by 1,000 equals 0.01. 0.01 multiplied by 100 gives you your unsubscribe rate: 1%.
What is a good unsubscribe rate?
Generally, an unsubscribe rate below 0.5% is considered a good unsubscribe rate for newsletters and email marketing in general. An unsubscribe rate below 0.2% is very good, and a rate above 0.5% means it is something you should actively work on.
You should always aim for an unsubscribe rate as close to 0% as possible.
A high unsubscribe rate can mean, among other things, that you are sending irrelevant content, have the wrong types of recipients on your email list, are sending too many emails, or similar issues.
Fortunately, below are some good advice and tips on how you can improve (i.e. reduce) your unsubscribe rate.
7 Tips to improve your unsubscribe rate
- Create recipient-oriented content: What is the value for the customer?
- Double opt-in recipients: Ensures you have engaged and willing recipients.
- Ask for feedback: So you can deliver the most relevant content.
- Segment your recipients: So you can target your content.
- Ask your unsubscribers why they are unsubscribing: So you know what to work on.
- Make sure your emails are mobile-friendly: So users have a great experience on all platforms.
- Personalise your emails: so they are as personal and relevant as possible.
Would you like concrete advice on how to improve your unsubscribe rate and email marketing?
Contact us on tel. 60 40 10 06 for a no-obligation chat.
You can also read our introduction to the benefits of email marketing here.
Would you like to improve your unsubscribe rate and email marketing? Contact us on 30 12 42 72 for a no-obligation chat!
