You send your newsletter week after week… but how do you know if you’re actually doing well?
Without benchmarks, your metrics float in a vacuum. A 35% open rate might feel great — or discouraging — depending on your industry.
That’s why newsletter benchmarks matter: they give you context. They tell you if you’re lagging behind, keeping pace, or outperforming your peers.
In 2025, email metrics are shifting. Privacy changes like Apple’s Mail Privacy Protection (MPP), new Gmail spam filters, and the rise of mobile-first behavior all impact how numbers should be interpreted.
In this guide, you’ll learn:
The average newsletter benchmarks for 2025
Industry-specific numbers (so you’re not comparing finance to fitness)
Why certain metrics matter more than others today
How to use benchmarks to diagnose problems and drive growth
Monetization benchmarks (CPM/RPM) for sponsored newsletters
By the end, you’ll know exactly where your newsletter stands — and what to do next.
The Metrics That Matter in 2025
Before diving into numbers, let’s get definitions straight:
Open Rate → % of delivered emails that are opened.
Click-Through Rate (CTR) → % of delivered emails that receive at least one click.
Click-to-Open Rate (CTOR) → % of opens that result in clicks (a better measure of engagement).
Unsubscribe Rate → % of delivered emails that lead to unsubscribes.
Bounce Rate → % of emails that fail to deliver (hard vs soft).
CPM / RPM → Cost per thousand impressions (ad spend) or revenue per thousand emails (publisher monetization).
👉 Important: In 2025, open rates are less reliable due to privacy filters. CTR and CTOR are more trustworthy indicators of engagement.
Global Averages Across All Industries
According to MailerLite’s 2025 benchmarks, aggregated from 3M+ campaigns:
Open Rate: ~42.35%
Click Rate (CTR): ~2.00%
Click-to-Open Rate (CTOR): ~5.63%
Unsubscribe Rate: ~0.08%
Bounce Rate: typically <2% for healthy lists
👉 Translation: If you’re hitting ~40% opens and ~2% CTR, you’re “average.” If you’re consistently above these, you’re outperforming.
Benchmarks by Industry (2025)
Open Rates by Industry
Industries vary wildly. Here’s the data (MailerLite, 2025):
Religion: 59.70%
Hobbies: 53.33%
Non-profit: 53.21%
Health & Fitness: 48.90%
Consulting: 45.74%
Education: 45.32%
Politics: 44.83%
Finance / Business: 43.26%
Marketing & Advertising: 39.05%
Software / Web Apps: 38.14%
Retail: 37.50%
Manufacturing: 32.65%
Travel & Transportation: 22.57%
👉 Takeaway: if you’re in retail or travel, don’t panic when your open rates are lower. Benchmarks reflect industry norms.
CTR by Industry
Manufacturing: 4.29%
Politics: 4.28%
Education: 3.94%
Non-profit: 3.67%
Entertainment: 3.37%
Finance: 2.78%
Consulting: 2.63%
Retail: 2.58%
Marketing: 2.12%
Health & Fitness: 1.93%
Software / IT: 1.68%
👉 SaaS or marketing newsletters will always skew lower in CTR. Focus on CTOR instead to judge content resonance.
CTOR by Industry
While fewer sources track CTOR, industry patterns show:
Media & publishing newsletters (curation, content-heavy) → 8–12%
B2B SaaS → 4–6%
Ecommerce → 3–5%
👉 CTOR is your “true” engagement metric. If it’s low, your content isn’t delivering on your subject line’s promise.
CPM and Monetization Benchmarks
Unlike engagement benchmarks, CPM (cost per thousand) and RPM (revenue per thousand) aren’t standardized across industries. But here are ranges from Newsletter Operator and sponsor marketplace data:
B2B SaaS / Tech / Finance newsletters: $40–$100 CPM
Marketing / AI / Professional audiences: $30–$60 CPM
Lifestyle / wellness: $15–$30 CPM
General interest / consumer: $5–$15 CPM
👉 Translation: A 10,000-subscriber B2B newsletter might command $500–$1,000 per sponsorship. A consumer lifestyle newsletter with the same list might only pull $150–$300.
Rule of thumb: The more niche and affluent your audience, the higher your CPM.
Let’s say you run a career advice newsletter with:
36% open rate
1.5% CTR
4.1% CTOR
Benchmarks for professional/education niches:
Open rate: 40–45%
CTR: 2–4%
CTOR: ~5–7%
👉 Diagnosis:
Opens are slightly low → improve subject lines & sender reputation.
CTR is under → test stronger CTAs and clearer design.
CTOR is close to normal → content is resonating, but clicks aren’t optimized.
This tells you where to focus (call-to-action optimization, not content).
How to Improve If You’re Below Benchmarks
Boost Open Rates:
A/B test subject lines.
Use a recognizable sender name.
Segment by interest (avoid blasting everyone).
Lift CTR / CTOR:
Keep one clear CTA per email.
Use buttons instead of text links.
Tease content instead of giving everything away.
Reduce Unsubscribes:
Set clear expectations at signup.
Don’t over-send.
Offer frequency options (weekly vs daily).
Monetization Benchmarks:
If your effective CPM (revenue ÷ sends × 1,000) is below market, raise sponsor pricing or test affiliate/digital products.
Internal Benchmarks vs Industry Benchmarks
Industry benchmarks are useful, but your internal benchmarks matter most.
If you’ve lifted your open rate from 25% → 35%, you’re making progress, even if the industry sits at 40%.
👉 Always compare against:
Your own 3–6 month trends.
Your segment benchmarks (not just overall industry).
Key Takeaways
In 2025, the average newsletter open rate is ~42%, CTR ~2%.
Benchmarks vary dramatically: non-profits & hobbies >50%, travel <25%.
Open rates are less reliable — CTR/CTOR show true engagement.
Monetization benchmarks range: B2B tech can hit $100 CPM, lifestyle closer to $20.
Benchmarks should guide you — but internal improvement is the real game.
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