How to Calculate Unsubscribe Rate Email

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Email Unsubscribe Rate Calculator

function calculateUnsubscribeRate() { var unsubs = document.getElementById("numUnsubscribes").value; var delivered = document.getElementById("deliveredEmails").value; var resultDiv = document.getElementById("calcResult"); var nUnsubs = parseFloat(unsubs); var nDelivered = parseFloat(delivered); if (isNaN(nUnsubs) || isNaN(nDelivered) || nDelivered <= 0) { resultDiv.style.display = "block"; resultDiv.style.backgroundColor = "#f8d7da"; resultDiv.style.color = "#721c24"; resultDiv.innerHTML = "Please enter valid positive numbers. Delivered emails must be greater than zero."; return; } var rate = (nUnsubs / nDelivered) * 100; var fixedRate = rate.toFixed(2); resultDiv.style.display = "block"; resultDiv.style.backgroundColor = "#d4edda"; resultDiv.style.color = "#155724"; resultDiv.innerHTML = "Your Unsubscribe Rate is: " + fixedRate + "%"; }

Understanding the Email Unsubscribe Rate

The email unsubscribe rate is a critical Key Performance Indicator (KPI) in email marketing. It tracks the percentage of recipients who choose to opt-out of your mailing list after receiving a specific campaign. Monitoring this metric helps you gauge the relevance of your content, the frequency of your sending, and the overall health of your subscriber list.

How to Calculate Unsubscribe Rate

Calculating the unsubscribe rate is straightforward. You divide the total number of unsubscribes by the number of successfully delivered emails (not the total number of emails sent, as bounced emails should be excluded), then multiply by 100 to get the percentage.

Formula: (Total Unsubscribes ÷ Total Delivered Emails) × 100 = Unsubscribe Rate (%)

Example Calculation

Suppose you send out a weekly newsletter. Your email service provider reporting shows the following data:

  • Total Sent: 5,100
  • Bounces: 100
  • Delivered Emails: 5,000
  • Unsubscribes: 25

Using the formula: (25 ÷ 5,000) × 100 = 0.5%.

What is a Good Unsubscribe Rate?

While benchmarks vary by industry, a healthy unsubscribe rate is typically under 0.5%. If your rate consistently climbs above 1%, it is a strong signal that something is wrong. High rates may be caused by:

  • Irrelevant Content: The content does not match what the subscriber signed up for.
  • Frequency: You are sending emails too often, leading to "inbox fatigue."
  • Misleading Subject Lines: If the email content doesn't deliver on the promise of the subject line, users will leave.
  • Purchased Lists: Sending to people who never opted in will always result in high unsubscribe and spam report rates.

Difference Between Unsubscribe Rate and Spam Rate

It is important not to confuse unsubscribes with spam complaints. An unsubscribe is a polite way for a user to leave. A spam complaint (marking the email as "Junk" or "Spam") is a negative signal to Inbox Service Providers (like Gmail or Outlook) and can severely damage your sender reputation and future deliverability.

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