Email campaigns can be a black box if you don’t know what to look for—or worse, you’re staring at a dashboard full of numbers that mean nothing to your bottom line. If you’re running campaigns and want to actually know what’s working (and what isn’t), this guide is for you. We’ll dig into Mailgenius, show you where to find the metrics that matter, and help you cut through the noise.
Whether you’re a marketer tired of guessing, a founder running your own campaigns, or just someone allergic to marketing fluff, you’ll find real, actionable advice here.
1. Getting Started with Mailgenius Campaign Tracking
First things first—this article is about Mailgenius, and if you’re not familiar with it, Mailgenius is a platform that helps you test, track, and improve your email deliverability and campaign results. Their dashboard is straightforward but has enough knobs and dials to get lost in if you’re not careful.
Before you start:
- Make sure you’ve sent at least one campaign using Mailgenius.
- Give your campaign a clear, memorable name—you don’t want “Untitled Campaign 6” haunting your reports.
Once your campaign is live, you’ll see it show up in the dashboard. If you’re not seeing any data, double-check that you sent through the right account and your tracking is enabled (it happens more than you think).
2. Navigating the Mailgenius Dashboard
The dashboard is where you’ll spend most of your time, so let’s make sure you’re not missing the obvious.
What You’ll See (and What Matters)
- Campaign List: All your recent campaigns, sorted by date.
- Overview Graphs: Opens, clicks, bounces, and some trend lines.
- Detailed Reports: The nitty-gritty—recipient activity, device stats, and more.
Pro tip: Don’t obsess over every single metric. Some numbers just look impressive but don’t actually help you make better decisions.
Ignore the Fluff
You’ll see a ton of data, but here’s what’s usually not helpful: - Raw Send Counts: Unless you’re troubleshooting a technical issue, you already know how many emails you sent. - “Average Time Opened”: This is almost always misleading. People open emails when they feel like it, not on your schedule.
3. Step-by-Step: Tracking Email Campaign Performance
Let’s break down exactly what to look at, in the order you should check it.
Step 1: Check Deliverability
Before you care about opens and clicks, make sure your emails are actually landing in inboxes.
- Bounce Rate: If more than 2-3% of your emails are bouncing, you’ve got a list problem (bad addresses, typos, or spam traps). Prune your list.
- Spam Rate: If you’re getting flagged, stop everything and fix your content or authentication.
What to ignore: If a few emails bounce, don’t sweat it. No one has a perfect list.
Step 2: Look at Open Rates—But Don’t Obsess
Open rates are, frankly, a bit of a mess. Apple’s Mail Privacy Protection and other tools mean these numbers are inflated.
- Benchmark: If you’re above 30-35%, you’re doing fine. Under 20%? Time to review your subject lines or your list quality.
- Trends Matter More: Is your open rate dropping over time? That’s more important than the raw number.
Caveat: Don’t waste hours trying to get from 42% to 46%. Focus on bigger wins.
Step 3: Focus on Click Rates
This is where you actually learn if your content works.
- Unique Click Rate: 2-5% is typical for most industries. If you’re below that, maybe your call to action is buried, or your offer isn’t clear.
- Click-to-Open Rate: This is the percentage of people who clicked after opening. If this is low, your email is probably…well, boring.
What not to do: Don’t chase vanity clicks. If people are clicking, but not converting on your site, you’ve got a different problem.
Step 4: Track Unsubscribes and Complaints
You want a healthy list, not just a big one.
- Unsubscribe Rate: Under 0.5% is normal. If you see spikes, look at what changed in your content or targeting.
- Spam Complaints: Even a small number can hurt your sender reputation. Watch this closely.
Step 5: Dig Into Device and Location Data (If You Care)
Mailgenius shows you which devices and locations people are opening from. This can help with: - Design: If 80% of opens are mobile, make sure your emails don’t look terrible on a phone. - Timing: If you have lots of international readers, don't send at 2am their time.
But honestly, don’t overthink this unless you see a glaring problem.
4. Analyzing Trends Over Time
Looking at one campaign doesn’t tell the whole story. Here’s how to actually learn something from your data:
- Compare Campaigns: Did a new subject line help or hurt? Did sending on Tuesday get more clicks than Thursday?
- Spot Patterns: Are certain topics always pulling better numbers? Are you losing engagement over time?
- Test Small Changes: Don’t overhaul everything at once. Change one thing per campaign and watch what happens.
Pro tip: Don’t trust a single spike (up or down). Look for patterns over several sends.
5. Custom Reports and Segmentation
Mailgenius lets you slice and dice your data a few ways. Use this if you’re ready to get more advanced:
- Segment by Audience: Compare how different lists (customers vs. leads) perform.
- Drill Down by Link: See which links are getting clicked, not just total clicks.
- Export Data: If you really want to geek out, pull the data into Excel or Google Sheets for your own analysis.
What’s not worth your time: Spending hours building custom reports if you don’t actually use the insights. Start simple.
6. Common Pitfalls (and How to Avoid Them)
You can easily waste time or misread what’s happening. Here’s what to watch out for:
- Chasing Perfect Metrics: There’s no such thing. Industry averages are just that—averages.
- Ignoring List Quality: The better your list, the better your results. Spend more time here than fiddling with font size.
- Overreacting to One Bad Campaign: Sometimes people just aren’t in the mood. Don’t panic.
7. What Actually Moves the Needle
After years of sending campaigns, here’s what actually matters:
- Good List Hygiene: Regularly remove inactive or bouncing addresses.
- Clear, Honest Subject Lines: Don’t trick people into opening.
- One Clear Call to Action: Too many links? People get confused.
- Consistent Sending Schedule: Don’t ghost your list, then send 5 emails in a week.
The dashboard is just a tool. It won’t fix bad content or a bad list.
8. Quick Troubleshooting Checklist
If your numbers look off, here’s what to check:
- Are you sending to real, opted-in addresses?
- Is your tracking pixel or link tracking enabled?
- Did you test your emails before sending to the whole list?
- Is your content getting flagged by spam filters?
- Are you sending at a reasonable time for your audience?
Fix the basics before you blame the platform.
Keep It Simple and Iterate
Don’t drown in data. Focus on the few metrics that actually tell you if your emails are getting delivered, opened, and clicked—then look for patterns, not one-offs. The Mailgenius dashboard can’t write better emails for you, but it can show you where you’re winning and where you’re not.
Start simple, iterate, and remember: the best results come from regular tweaks, not massive overhauls. Trust your gut, not just the graphs.