If you’re sending email campaigns and want to know what’s actually working, this guide is for you. Whether you’re a marketer, a founder, or just the person who got “volunteered” to run the newsletter, understanding campaign metrics is how you stop guessing and start improving. We’ll cut through the noise and show you how to use Solidinbox to track, analyze, and act on your email campaign data—without getting lost in pointless stats.
Why Metrics Matter (and Which Ones Don’t)
Not all metrics are created equal. Some make you feel good (“Wow, 10,000 opens!”), but don’t move the needle. Others are harder to look at, but actually tell you if your emails are working.
Solidinbox offers plenty of numbers, but here’s what you should actually care about:
- Open Rate: Tells you if your subject line made people curious.
- Click Rate: Shows if folks were interested enough to take action.
- Conversion Rate: The only number that truly matters—did they do what you wanted (buy, sign up, etc.)?
- Unsubscribes/Spam Complaints: Signals you’re annoying people or missing the mark.
- Bounce Rate: High bounce? Your list quality needs work.
- Device/Location Data: Sometimes useful, but don’t overthink it unless your audience is super specific.
What to ignore: Vanity metrics like total sends, or “impressions.” They don’t say much about real engagement or results.
Step 1: Setting Up Tracking in Solidinbox
Before you can analyze anything, you need good data. Here’s how to get set up right in Solidinbox:
- Use unique links for every campaign.
- Solidinbox auto-generates tracking links, but double-check you’re not reusing URLs across campaigns.
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For A/B tests, make sure each version has its own tracking.
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Enable conversion tracking.
- This usually means adding a Solidinbox tracking pixel or snippet to your “thank you” or confirmation page.
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If you’re not techy, rope in someone who is. This step is worth it.
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Set up custom events if you care about more than clicks.
- For things like downloads, video views, or survey completions, you’ll want to trigger custom events in Solidinbox.
Pro Tip: If you’re using a website builder (like Squarespace or Shopify), Solidinbox usually has plugins or simple instructions. Don’t skip this; half-baked tracking is worse than none.
Step 2: Understanding Your Solidinbox Dashboard
Once your campaigns are running, Solidinbox spits out a dashboard full of numbers. Here’s how to read it without your eyes glazing over.
The Main Metrics
- Open Rate: Decent, but don’t obsess. Apple’s Mail Privacy Protection and Gmail image caching have skewed this number for everyone. Use it as a rough guide, not gospel.
- Click Rate: More reliable. If people are clicking, your content or offer is interesting.
- Conversions: If you set up tracking right, this is gold. If conversions are low, that’s a real problem (not just a “numbers game”).
- Bounces: If you see a spike, prune your list. Old or bought lists will tank your sender reputation.
- Unsubscribes and Spam: Always check these. If they jump, your content isn’t landing—or your audience doesn’t want it.
Digging Deeper
- Geography and Devices: Useful if you run location-specific campaigns or want to see if mobile users are bouncing.
- Engagement over time: If opens/clicks drop off fast, maybe your send time is off, or your emails are too long.
What to skip: “Shares” and “forwards” numbers are mostly noise unless you run referral campaigns.
Step 3: Analyzing Results Without Fooling Yourself
Data’s only useful if you’re honest about what it means. Here’s how to avoid common traps:
1. Don’t Chase Vanity Metrics
It’s tempting to brag about open rates, but those don’t pay the bills. Focus on:
- Clicks and conversions over opens.
- Revenue or signups over traffic.
2. Always Compare Apples to Apples
Only compare campaigns that had the same goal, audience, and timing. A Black Friday sale and a regular newsletter aren’t the same thing.
3. Look for Patterns, Not Outliers
One-off spikes (good or bad) usually mean something weird happened—like a mention in a big newsletter, or a technical glitch. Patterns over time matter more.
4. Don’t Overreact to Small Numbers
If your email went to 87 people, one click or bounce is a big percentage swing. Don’t make sweeping changes based on tiny lists.
Step 4: Turning Insights Into Action
Metrics are just numbers unless you do something with them. Here’s how to actually improve your campaigns:
1. Test One Thing at a Time
If your click rate’s low, experiment with just the call-to-action (CTA) button color, or the headline. Only change one variable per test, or you’ll never know what worked.
2. Prune Your List Regularly
Remove people who never open or click. Solidinbox can segment these for you. Smaller, more engaged lists beat big, dead ones every time.
3. Personalize When It Makes Sense
If you can segment by interest or past behavior, do it. Don’t force “Hello, {FirstName}!” everywhere if it feels robotic.
4. Watch Unsubscribes and Complaints
If these go up after a change, don’t ignore it. Backtrack or try something different.
5. Automate Alerts (But Don’t Rely on Them)
Solidinbox can flag weird spikes or drops, but it’s not a replacement for checking in yourself. Automation helps, but blind trust hurts.
Step 5: Reporting What Matters (to Yourself or Your Boss)
If you need to share results, keep reports simple and focused:
- What was the goal? (Sales, signups, event attendance)
- What actually happened? (Key numbers: sent, delivered, opens, clicks, conversions)
- What will you try next? (One or two ideas based on the data)
Skip the 20-page PDF. No one reads those.
Honest Takes: What Works, What Doesn’t
What Works
- Small, targeted lists: Higher engagement and fewer headaches.
- Real offers and clear CTAs: People don’t click fluffy “learn more” buttons.
- Consistent testing: Small improvements add up, but only if you keep at it.
What Doesn’t
- Buying lists: Opens and clicks will be terrible, and you’ll annoy people.
- Chasing “industry averages”: Your list is unique. Benchmarks are a starting point, not a finish line.
- Overengineering reports: Fancy dashboards don’t fix boring emails.
Keep It Simple, Iterate, Repeat
You don’t need to be a data scientist to get results from your campaign metrics. Set up tracking right in Solidinbox, focus on the numbers that matter, and test one thing at a time. Don’t let analysis paralysis slow you down—just look at what’s working, make a small tweak, and keep moving. The best campaigns are never “done”—they just keep getting a little better each time.