Plain-language questions
Ask for email click rate per month, customer or product in the SQL Explorer with AI. The AI writes the SQL, you see the query and run it yourself; the AI only receives metadata.
KPI · Marketing
Email click rate: formula and example.
Email click rate is the number of unique recipients who click a link, divided by the number of emails delivered. It is a more reliable measure of interest than open rate, because a click is a deliberate action. A related KPI is click-to-open rate: clicks divided by opens.
Email click rate formula
Number of unique clickers ÷ number of emails delivered × 100%
Worked example
Acme Groothandel's newsletter was delivered to 12,000 recipients and opened by 4,200. 540 recipients clicked a link. The click rate is 540 ÷ 12,000 × 100% = 4.5%, and the click-to-open rate is 540 ÷ 4,200 × 100% ≈ 12.9%.
Fictitious figures for Acme Groothandel, a sample wholesaler.
How to read this KPI
A higher click rate means more recipients take action after reading your email. Compare click rate between campaigns, segments and topics, and track it over time. A high open rate with a low click rate suggests the subject line works but the content does not.
Pitfalls with email click rate
- Counting total clicks instead of unique clickers.
- Counting clicks from security software that checks links automatically as real clicks.
- Mixing up click rate and click-to-open rate without saying which one you mean.
SQL & DAX
Calculating email click rate in SQL and DAX
Two examples on a fictitious data warehouse for Acme Groothandel: a PostgreSQL query and a measure for a Power BI model. Adjust table and column names to your own model.
SELECT campaign_id,
sent_at::date AS sent_date,
delivered, opens, clicks,
ROUND(100.0 * clicks / NULLIF(delivered, 0), 1) AS click_rate_pct,
ROUND(100.0 * clicks / NULLIF(opens, 0), 1) AS click_to_open_pct
FROM email_campaigns
WHERE sent_at >= current_date - interval '6 months'
ORDER BY sent_at DESC;Email Click Rate =
DIVIDE(SUM(EmailCampaigns[Clicks]), SUM(EmailCampaigns[Delivered]))
Click-to-Open Rate =
DIVIDE(SUM(EmailCampaigns[Clicks]), SUM(EmailCampaigns[Opens]))In ENABLE
Tracking this KPI in ENABLE
In your Power BI dashboard
Define the KPI as a measure in your Power BI model and show it in the portal, with "Last refreshed" next to it. Access profiles and optional row-level security decide who sees which figures.
Custom dashboards (pilot)
Add the KPI as a tile to a custom dashboard, compared with last year. The Dashboard Builder is a pilot and can be switched on per client.
Monthly targets
With the built-in Targets app you set a target for the KPI per month, so you see actuals and target side by side.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
How do you calculate email click rate?
Divide the number of unique clickers by the number of emails delivered and multiply by 100%. With 540 clickers from 12,000 delivered emails, the click rate is 4.5%. Use unique clickers so that one recipient who clicks repeatedly does not carry extra weight.
What is the difference between click rate and click-to-open rate?
Click rate divides clickers by emails delivered, while click-to-open rate divides them by opens. Click-to-open rate therefore shows how persuasive the content is for those who opened the email. Because opens have become less reliable, plain click rate is often the safer choice.
How can you improve your newsletter click rate?
You improve click rate with one clear main message and a prominent link or button. Send more relevant content to smaller segments instead of the same email to everyone. Test topics and layout, and see which links get the most clicks.
Further reading
- KPI libraryMarketing KPIs: formulas and examplesMarketing KPIs set reach, cost and conversion side by side. They become truly useful once you link ad and web data to leads and revenue from your CRM and accounting system.Read more
- ResourcesHow to build a KPI dashboard: steps and examplesA KPI dashboard is an overview of the key figures you use to steer towards your goals, such as revenue, margin, on-time delivery or absenteeism. A good KPI dashboard does not start with the software, but with the decisions it needs to support. You then choose a limited number of KPIs, define them, sketch the dashboard and only then build it.Read more
- SolutionPower BI dashboard portal: share dashboards securelyShare your Power BI dashboards securely in your own portal, with role-based access.Read more
Use AI on your own data. Securely, and without the headache.
In an online demo we show how ENABLE makes your data securely available and how you build on it: describing an app in the AI Builder, plain-language questions, dashboards and APIs. And how we set it up and manage it for you.