Email marketing isn’t dead—it’s just misunderstood. While many marketers obsess over dashboards brimming with numbers, not all metrics are created equal. Some tell a compelling story. Others? Mere background noise. If you want to run campaigns that actually drive action—not just fill space in inboxes—you need to separate the meaningful signals from the vanity fluff. 

Let’s break it down.

Metrics That Deserve Your Attention

Pay attention to metrics that provide useful information rather than just eye-catching figures if you want to fully comprehend how well your email campaigns are doing.

1. Click-Through Rate (CTR)

The magic happens with clicks, so forget about the open rate for a moment. CTR indicates the proportion of recipients who were sufficiently interested to proceed. It's a warning sign if you're receiving opens but no clicks. Your CTA might be weak. It's possible that your content is boring. CTR is your wake-up call in any case.

2. Conversion Rate

If an eye-catching email doesn't convert, what's the point? Your conversion rate lets you know if your emails are truly making an impact, whether you're tracking downloads, sign-ups, or purchases. If you only focus on one statistic, make it this one because it is the one that has a direct correlation to ROI.

3. Bounce Rate

High bounce rate? That’s the digital equivalent of knocking on 100 doors and finding out half the houses don’t exist. Hard bounces indicate bad addresses—clean that list. Soft bounces could mean your email hit a full inbox or triggered a temporary block. Either way, monitor it or risk your sender reputation.

4. Unsubscribe Rate

Every unsubscribe is a whisper: “This isn’t for me.” Occasional drops are normal, but spikes? Pay attention. Your audience might be telling you your content missed the mark, your frequency is overwhelming, or you’re simply attracting the wrong crowd.

5. Spam Complaints

Spam complaints are the nuclear option. If your emails are getting flagged, ISPs take notice—and your deliverability takes a hit. Be transparent, ditch clickbait subject lines, and only email people who actually want to hear from you.

Metrics That Look Pretty but Say Very Little

While it’s tempting to chase flashy numbers, some email metrics offer little real value when it comes to measuring success. Here are a few that look good on paper but don’t tell the full story:

1. List Size

A massive list might look impressive, but if half those contacts never open, click, or convert? It's dead weight. Focus on engaged subscribers, not empty numbers.

2. Total Opens

With privacy updates (thanks, Apple), open rates have become murkier than ever. Total opens—especially multiple opens by one user—don’t always equate to real interest. Look, note, move on.

3. Time Spent Reading

“Your audience spent 15 seconds on your email.” Cool. But did they click? Did they convert? If not, that number is just trivia.

Conclusion

Email metrics are everywhere. The key is knowing which ones are worth your mental energy. Focus on engagement that drives action—clicks, conversions, and healthy list behaviour. Ditch the vanity stats and chase the data that tells the truth.

Numbers are just numbers—until you make them mean something.