Email marketing is only effective if customers actually open messages. While results vary by industry, top-performing campaigns achieve open rates of above 40% with bounce rates under 2%.
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To improve metrics, teams often focus on list quality, subject line testing, and automation. HubSpot’s email marketing tools can help surface accurate data to assess performance. From there, marketers can compare to industry benchmarks and make improvements.
This post covers the most recent benchmarks on email open rates by industry and shares real-world tips on leveling up. That includes pitfalls to avoid, because that’s where the learning really sticks.
Table of Contents
- What is the average open rate for email marketing?
- What is a good email open rate?
- Why Email Marketing Still Matters + B2B Email Marketing Benchmarks
- Email Marketing Benchmarks
- 2025 Email Marketing Benchmarks by Industry
- Email Marketing Best Practices That Actually Drive Results
- Frequently Asked Questions About Email Marketing
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What is the average open rate for email marketing?
As of 2025, the average email open rate across industries is 42.35%.
What is a good email open rate?
Recent email marketing benchmarks show that:
- Above 30% = Solid open rates.
- 45-50% = Strong open rates.
- 50%+ = Exceptional open rates, usually due to a deeply loyal or niche audience.
But here‘s the plot twist: Apple’s Mail Privacy Protection has made open rates less reliable. MPP automatically preloads email content and images for Apple Mail users — even if they never actually open the email. A study of over 80,000 email marketing accounts found that open rates had gone up 18 points (to over 40%) six months after MPP.
Since Apple Mail accounts for 46% of email clients, this technical change has significantly skewed open rate data upward. So, email marketers now prioritize click-through rates, click-to-open rates, and conversion metrics over open rates when evaluating campaign performance.
The Metric That Actually Matters: CTOR
Click-to-open rate tells marketers what percentage of people who opened an email actually clicked something. It's the truest measure of content quality. The average click-to-open rate across industries is 5.3%.
Why This Shift Matters
With privacy changes making open rates unreliable, CTOR and CTR have become real performance indicators. They show actual engagement, not just email client behavior. When marketers optimize for clicks rather than opens, they naturally create more focused, action-oriented content.
Why Email Marketing Still Matters + B2B Email Marketing Benchmarks
According to HubSpot’s 2025 Global Social Media Report email isn’t just keeping pace with social; it’s becoming one of the most trusted bridges between brand and audience. HubSpot data shows:
- 76% of marketers say authentic content performs better than polished material.
- 72% report AI-assisted content leads to higher performance.
- 85% are doubling down on community building.
As Amy Mario, global head of brand marketing at HubSpot, puts it, “The brands that win the algorithm in 2025 aren’t just getting likes — they’re getting mental bookmarks.”
So what does this mean for email — especially in B2B email marketing where the average open rate is 39.5%?
It means speak like a human. Deliver value. Build a rhythm. Let people know there’s someone on the other side of that inbox.
Email Marketing Benchmarks
Email open rate is only one of several email marketing benchmarks. Other essential metrics to track by industry include
- Open Rate: The percentage of recipients who opened an email. Post-iOS 15, this metric includes some inflation from privacy protection features.
- Click-Through Rate (CTR): The percentage of total recipients who clicked any link. This is an engagement north star.
- Click-to-Open Rate (CTOR): The percentage of openers who clicked. This reveals how compelling content is once someone engages.
- Bounce Rate: The rate of emails unable to be delivered. Keep this under 2% to maintain sender reputation.
- Unsubscribe Rate: The percentage who opted out. Under 0.5% is healthy; higher suggests content-audience mismatch.
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Industry |
Open Rate |
CTR |
CTOR |
Bounce Rate |
Unsubscribe Rate |
|
All Industries Average |
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Retail |
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B2B Services |
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Nonprofit |
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SaaS |
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Hospitality & Travel |
Below, I’ll dive deeper into these statistics. Beyond that, I’ll share what I’ve done for my clients at my digital agency to improve performance.
2025 Email Marketing Benchmarks by Industry
Retail Email Marketing Benchmarks
- Average open rate: 38.58% (Klaviyo)
- Average click-through rate: 1.34% (Mailerlite)
- Average click-to-open rate: 4.62% (Mailerlite)
- Average bounce rate: 0.62% (ZeroBounce)
- Average unsubscribe rate: 0.4% (link mobility)
What’s worked for me: Urgency + scarcity. One subject line that read “Only 3 left in stock” gave us a 7% boost overnight. Timing matters too. Sunday evenings outperformed weekday mornings in most campaigns for me.
How to improve: Use recipient time zones and behavior-based segmentation.
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B2B Services Email Marketing Benchmarks
- Average open rate: 39.48% (Klaviyo)
- Average click-through rate: 2.21% (Brevo)
- Average click-to-open rate: 5.63% (SalesHive)
- Average bounce rate: 0.5% (SalesHive)
- Average unsubscribe rate: 0.3% (link mobility)
What’s worked for me: Using titles directly in subject lines (“For HR leaders”) made our messaging feel less generic. Also, emails sent by an actual person — rather than a company alias — felt more personal and consistently earned higher opens.
How to improve:
- Segment lists with HubSpot Lists.
- Tailor messaging using dynamic content.
- Sequences help automate this without losing warmth.
Nonprofit Email Marketing Benchmarks
- Average open rate: 46.49% (Brevo)
- Average click-through rate: 2.66% (Campaign Monitor)
- Average click-to-open rate: 7.14% (Mailerlite)
- Average bounce rate: 0.8% (ZeroBounce)
- Average unsubscribe rate: 0.18% (Mailchimp)
What’s worked for me: Storytelling. An email I wrote for a clean water org started with “This is Maria’s story,” and open rates went through the roof. People connect with people — not stats.
How to improve:
- Use personalization tokens and send-as options.
- Questions in subject lines can increase opens by up to 50% and numbers by 17%.
SaaS Email Marketing Benchmarks
- Average open rate: 38.14% (Active Campaign)
- Average click-through rate: 1.19% (Active Campaign)
- Average click-to-open rate: 6.81% (Mailerlite)
- Average bounce rate: 0.5% (SalesHive)
- Average unsubscribe rate: 0.14% (Active Campaign)
What’s worked for me: Using data and insights as lead-ins. Subject lines like “How much churn is too much?” did far better than product updates.
How to improve:
- Leverage behavioral triggers.
- Embed short video clips or charts. (Visuals really work.)
Hospitality & Travel Email Marketing Benchmarks
- Average open rate: 45.21% (MailerLite)
- Average click-through rate: 2.43% (MailerLite)
- Average click-to-open rate: 3.94% (MailerLite)
- Average bounce rate: 0.5% (WebFX)
- Average unsubscribe rate: 0.2% (Tidio)
What’s worked for me: Localized recommendations. One hotel client swapped “Get away this weekend” for “Escape to Tepoztlán this Friday.” 18% more opens, just like that.
How to improve: Use geo-segmentation and CRM data to personalize based on seasons, holidays, or location-specific trends.
Email Marketing Best Practices That Actually Drive Results
How to Improve Email Open Rates
1. Get the subject line right.
Email recipients see the subject line in their inbox before they hit open. Subject lines with questions like “Did you see this yet?” outperform feature-heavy ones. Beyond that, personalized headlines can encourage customers to click. When done naturally, dropping a name adds trust.
Pro tip: “Alejandro, here’s something for you” almost always beats “Quick Update.”
2. Test short vs. long.
Don’t assume long is bad. In B2B campaigns, longer subject lines (“What 2,400 CMOs are doing differently in 2025”) beat short ones every time.
I use tools like HubSpot’s email health tool and A/B testing to get real clarity. When open rates dipped on a campaign last year, it wasn’t because people didn’t care — it was because our subject lines weren’t specific enough. One small tweak (“Get your seat before Frida”) brought our open rate up by 11%.
3. Avoid spammy words.
Words like “Free!!!” or “Urgent” can send emails straight to promotions or junk folders. Email spam filters have become increasingly sophisticated at detecting promotional language and pressure tactics commonly used in spam. Even ALL CAPS subject lines or multiple exclamation marks can lower sender reputation over time.
Test tone instead of hype. A conversational, helpful approach performs better than aggressive sales language.
4. Optimize send time manually.
Email platforms like HubSpot allow teams to scatter send times so they‘re optimized. Send time optimization uses machine learning to analyze each contact’s individual engagement patterns. From there, the sender can automatically deliver emails when they're most likely to be opened.
Teams can also track engagement manually and batch-send at the time with the most action. By analyzing email analytics over several campaigns, marketers can identify patterns. They can then segment their audience by timezone or behavior patterns.
How to Improve Click-Through Rates
1. Make the action to take clear.
Email marketing isn’t just about getting into an inbox. Recipients should be compelled to take action.
I once ran an educational campaign with a 52% open rate — an incredible number on paper. We had a beautiful design, clear copy, and even some solid engagement in replies. But here’s the thing: It didn’t convert.
Not one sign-up; not one click-through. I remember feeling confused and honestly a little embarrassed. It took me a few days (and a couple honest conversations with teammates) to realize the problem.
The email gave people information but didn’t ask them to do anything. No clear CTA, no next step. It was a classic case of marketing that educated … and ended there.
2. Keep one clear CTA per email.
The more choices people have, the less they act. By sticking with one CTA per email, marketers can prevent decision fatigue and funnel recipients toward one action. Emails with a single CTA can increase clicks by up to 371%.
The same CTA can appear in multiple places throughout the email. I recommend once near the top for scanners and one at the bottom for readers. Same CTA, just accessible.
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3. Make it about them, not you.
Email marketers should make sure that the copy in an email compels readers to take an action. They should know what they’ll get. That can be a discount, a report, or a vital piece of information that transforms their business.
The best CTAs answer the reader’s unspoken question: “What’s in it for me?”
I’ve run email campaigns for product launches, cold leads, fundraising drives — you name it. One thing I’ve learned? Open rates are just the beginning. I’ve seen high opens lead to zero engagement, and average numbers drive major results.
The difference? Context, timing, and strategy.
The copy of every email should pique people’s interest and get them interested in taking action.
Pro tip: Personalization wins. Personalized CTAs convert 202% better than generic ones.
4. Make the most of buttons.
Marketers can use both links and buttons for CTAs. While both formats should appear in every email, buttons often outperform links, especially on mobile. Why? Buttons are clear calls-to-action and demand attention. Teams can also use design elements, like eye-catching colors, to help buttons stand out.
The Hidden Revenue Driver: Automation vs. Campaigns
One-off emails can help keep customers engaged. However, automation makes an even bigger impact. A study from Klaviyo found that automated email workflows generate up to 30x more revenue per recipient than one-off campaigns.
Why does automation work? Automated email workflows are personal. These messages timed and tailored to the stage of the customer’s journey. That makes the recipient more likely to take action.
Kalviyo found that the following flows drive the higher revenue per recipient.
- Abandoned cart workflows: $3.07
- Welcome workflows: $2.35
- Browse abandonment workflows: $0.95
- Post-purchase workflows: $0.38
The lesson? Set up these core automations. They‘re not just nice-to-have. They’re the foundation of sustainable email revenue.
Frequently Asked Questions About Email Marketing
What’s the difference between open rate and click-through rate?
Open rate tracks who opened an email. CTR tracks who clicked something inside it. Both matter, but CTR usually signals deeper engagement.
What’s a good CTR?
Anything above 2% is strong across most industries. Nonprofits and B2B tend to see higher rates.
How often should I email my list?
Frequency of sends depends on the audience. Weekly emails thrive in some industries and others burn out fast. Start small, stay consistent, and listen to unsubscribe signals.
Does time of day matter?
Yes. But there’s no one-size-fits-all. Use send time optimization or test mornings versus evenings to find the sweet spot.
How do I keep my list healthy?
Clean it quarterly. Remove inactive subscribers. Focus on quality over size.
What's the difference between click-through rate and click-to-open rate?
Click-through rate measures clicks as a percentage of total emails delivered, while click-to-open rate measures clicks as a percentage of emails opened.
What's a good bounce rate?
A healthy bounce rate is typically under 2% for permission-based email lists. Rates above 5% signal potential deliverability issues that need immediate attention.
What's an acceptable unsubscribe rate?
An unsubscribe rate below 0.5% per campaign is considered acceptable. Rates consistently above 0.5% suggest issues with content relevance, email frequency, or audience targeting.
How do Apple's privacy changes affect open rates?
Apple's Mail Privacy Protection (MPP), introduced in 2021, preloads email content and images regardless of whether users actually open messages. This artificially inflates open rates for Apple Mail users.
What I Wish I Knew Sooner About Exceeding Email Marketing Benchmarks
When I started writing emails, I obsessed over subject lines. And yes, they matter. But what really made a difference over time? Building trust with the people I was writing to.
Email is less about writing and more about relating. Whether I was promoting a new eco-tourism experience or driving traffic to a tech webinar, the emails that worked were the ones that sounded like they were written by a real person who cared. And usually, they were.
You don’t need fancy graphics. You need clarity. You don’t need perfect copy. You need honest communication. That’s how you build campaigns that don’t just perform — they connect.
So here’s my last piece of advice: Treat every email like it’s the start of a conversation, not the end of the funnel.
Editor's note: This post was originally published in June 2023 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.
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- First-Touch Emails
- Follow-Up Emails
- Break-Up Emails
- ChatGPT Email Prompts
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