Newsletter Performance Report
Comprehensive analysis of May 2026 Digest Newsletter performance with year-over-year comparison, industry benchmarking, and link click details
Executive Summary
The May 2026 Digest Newsletter maintained solid deliverability and open rates well above industry averages, though engagement metrics softened slightly versus March. This report provides a detailed analysis of key performance indicators, year-over-year comparisons, industry benchmarking, and individual link click performance.
Detailed Performance Analysis
May 2026 Newsletter Performance Details
| Metric | Value | Volume | Performance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sent | 100% | 127,691 | Baseline |
| Delivered | 95.53% | 122,102 | Within Standard |
| Hard Bounced | 0.36% | 466 | Average |
| Soft Bounced | 4.01% | 5,123 | Average |
| Opened | 41.85% | 51,099 | Excellent |
| Clicked | 1.25% | 1,700 | Good |
| Unsubscribed | 0.20% | 259 | Good |
| Click-to-Open Rate | 3.04% | 1,527 / 51,099 | Mid-Range |
May 2026 Newsletter Preview
Click the thumbnail below to view the complete newsletter
Email: "Cut Through the Noise" — Sent: May 1, 2026
Year-Over-Year Performance Comparison
| Metric | May 2026 | 2025 Average | Change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deliverability Rate | 95.53% | 95.08% | +0.54% | ↑ Slight Improvement |
| Open Rate | 41.85% | 37.00% | +4.85% | ↑ Above Average |
| Click Rate | 1.25% | 1.32% | +0.07% | ↓ At Average |
| Click-to-Open Rate | 3.04% | 3.56% | -0.23% | ↓ At Average |
| Unsubscribe Rate | 0.20% | 0.19% | +0.01% | → Stable |
| Hard Bounce Rate | 0.36% | 0.31% | +0.05% | ↑ Near Average |
May 2026 open rates remain well above the 2025 average (37.00%) at 41.10%, though click and click-to-open rates dipped below the 2025 benchmarks for the first time this year. Deliverability held steady at 95.53%, consistent with 2025 norms. The hard bounce rate ticked up to 0.55%, which may warrant list hygiene attention. Across the five 2026 issues so far (Jan–May), open rates continue to lead 2025 averages in every month.
Industry Benchmark Comparison
Comparison against industry standards for real estate/professional services newsletters (Source: Mailchimp 2025 Benchmarks, Campaign Monitor 2025 Report)
| Metric | May 2026 Performance | Industry Average | Industry Top Quartile | Performance Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open Rate | 41.85% | 20–25% | 35%+ | ★ Top Quartile |
| Click Rate | 1.25% | 1–3% | 2.5%+ | ◉ Mid-Range |
| Click-to-Open Rate | 3.04% | 3–8% | 6%+ | ◉ Mid-Range |
| Unsubscribe Rate | 0.20% | 0.1–0.3% | <0.15% | ◉ Within Range |
| Bounce Rate (Total) | 4.38% | <5% | <2% | ◉ Within Range |
| Deliverability Rate | 95.53% | 94–97% | 97%+ | ✓ Within Standard |
May 2026 deliverability (95.53%) remained within the industry standard range, and the open rate of 41.10% continues to outperform industry averages. Click and CTO rates softened and now sit below the 2025 average — there is opportunity to revitalize engagement by experimenting with CTA placement, button styling, and content variety in May.
Link Click Performance
Detailed breakdown of all tracked links in the May 2026 newsletter — 7,212 total clicks across 19 tracked links.
| Link / Destination | Total Clicks | % of Clicks | Unique People | % of People |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newsletter Landing Page (Main) | 1,805 | 33.09% | 1,142 | 35.23% |
| Coach's Tip — Duplicate Your Clients, Multiply Your Opportunities | 1,163 | 21.32% | 652 | 20.11% |
| Fresh Perspective — 4 Powerful Question Strategies Smart Communicators Swear By | 1,042 | 19.10% | 568 | 17.52% |
| Subscribe Page | 966 | 17.71% | 497 | 15.33% |
| Member Spotlight — How One Boundary Helped Me Avoid Burnout | 110 | 2.02% | 95 | 2.93% |
| Good Life Story — Nicole Vermillion | 61 | 1.12% | 50 | 1.54% |
| Whitelist Page | 59 | 1.08% | 27 | 0.83% |
| Unsubscribe Page | 47 | 0.86% | 41 | 1.26% |
| Resources Page | 30 | 0.36% | 18 | 0.56% |
| TOTAL (Tracked Links) | 7,212 | 100% | — | — |
1. Newsletter Landing Page (Main): Strongest single page with 1,864 clicks (25.9%) from 1,179 unique visitors — consistent with April's pattern.
2. Coach's Tip: "Focus Fuels Production" by Yensley Barrows drew 1,251 clicks (17.3%), continuing the trend of the Coach's Tip as the top editorial anchor.
3. Fresh Perspective: Brian Buffini's "What's Wrong with the Real Estate Industry?" received 1,221 clicks (16.9%) — nearly identical engagement to April's Fresh Perspective.
4. Subscribe Page: 1,003 clicks (13.9%) from 541 unique visitors, confirming the newsletter is consistently driving subscription growth.
Notable: Member Spotlight and Good Life Story see significantly lower click volume (287 and 210), suggesting these sections have a narrower appeal or benefit from different placement in the email.
Key Insights & Recommendations
1. Build on Engagement Recovery: May's uptick in CTOR (3.04% → 3.33%) is encouraging. Test placing the strongest CTA higher in the email layout to push this toward the 2025 average of 3.56%. A/B test button styling or placement above the fold.
2. Continue List Hygiene Momentum: Hard bounces dropped from 0.55% to 0.36%, likely due to the ongoing cleanup. Continue the regular list maintenance cadence to keep the trend moving toward the 2025 average of 0.31%.
3. Maintain the Single Landing Page Format: The May issue continued using the single landing page with anchor links (introduced in April). The improved engagement vs April suggests readers are adapting to the format. Compare Q2 performance (Apr–May) against Q1 (Jan–Mar individual blog links) at the half-year mark to make a final format decision.
4. Adjust Content Placement: Member Spotlight and Good Life Story together account for only ~7% of content clicks despite occupying significant real estate in the email. Consider testing these in lower positions, or A/B test a shorter version against the current format.
Monthly Performance History
| Month | Sent | Delivered | Open Rate | Click Rate | Unsubscribe Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 2025 | 115,934 | 95.30% | 39.28% | 1.94% | 0.07% |
| February 2025 | 104,937 | 95.36% | 41.78% | 1.53% | 0.11% |
| March 2025 | 72,860 | 93.19% | 34.93% | 0.96% | 0.05% |
| April 2025 | 112,568 | 95.47% | 40.84% | 1.47% | 0.10% |
| May 2025 | 112,139 | 94.73% | 38.29% | 0.67% | 0.09% |
| June 2025 | 111,816 | 95.17% | 37.08% | 1.86% | 0.19% |
| August 2025 | 86,917 | 94.35% | 26.21% | 0.52% | 0.35% |
| September 2025 | 116,335 | 95.36% | 36.47% | 0.89% | 0.32% |
| October 2025 | 116,771 | 95.42% | 36.40% | 1.21% | 0.27% |
| December 2025 | 122,677 | 95.55% | 35.92% | 1.79% | 0.28% |
| January 2026 | 126,732 | 95.54% | 38.71% | 1.54% | 0.37% |
| February 2026 | 126,465 | 90.12% | 46.43% | 1.68% | 0.34% |
| March 2026 | 128,121 | 95.65% | 43.99% | 1.62% | 0.19% |
| May 2026 | 127,691 | 95.53% | 41.10% | 1.25% | 0.20% |