Newsletter Performance Report
Comprehensive analysis of March 2026 Digest Newsletter performance with year-over-year comparison, industry benchmarking, and link click details
Executive Summary
The March 2026 Digest Newsletter achieved strong deliverability — the best of 2026 so far — and continued elevated open rates well above 2025 averages. This report provides a detailed analysis of key performance indicators, year-over-year comparisons, industry benchmarking, and individual link click performance.
Detailed Performance Analysis
March 2026 Newsletter Performance Details
| Metric | Value | Volume | Performance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sent | 100% | 128,121 | Baseline |
| Delivered | 95.65% | 122,543 | Within Standard |
| Hard Bounced | 0.35% | 451 | Good |
| Soft Bounced | 4.00% | 5,127 | Average |
| Opened | 43.99% | 53,901 | Excellent |
| Clicked | 1.62% | 1,982 | Good |
| Unsubscribed | 0.19% | 249 | Good |
| Click-to-Open Rate | 3.68% | 1,982 / 53,901 | Mid-Range |
March 2026 Newsletter Preview
Click the thumbnail below to view the complete newsletter
Email: "Wrap Up Q1 the Right Way" — Sent: March 2, 2026
Year-Over-Year Performance Comparison
| Metric | March 2026 | 2025 Average | Change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deliverability Rate | 95.65% | 95.08% | +0.57% | ↑ Slight Improvement |
| Open Rate | 43.99% | 37.00% | +6.99% | ↑ Strong Improvement |
| Click Rate | 1.62% | 1.32% | +0.30% | ↑ Improving |
| Click-to-Open Rate | 3.68% | 3.56% | +0.12% | ↑ Improving |
| Unsubscribe Rate | 0.19% | 0.19% | 0.00% | → Stable |
| Hard Bounce Rate | 0.35% | 0.31% | +0.04% | → Stable |
March 2026 continues the strong 2026 trend with open rates nearly 7 percentage points above the 2025 average (37.00%). Deliverability fully recovered from February's dip, returning to the 95%+ range in line with 2025 norms. Click rates also outperform the 2025 average. Across all three 2026 issues so far (Jan–Mar), cumulative performance is trending above the prior year on every key engagement metric.
Industry Benchmark Comparison
Comparison against industry standards for real estate/professional services newsletters (Source: Mailchimp 2025 Benchmarks, Campaign Monitor 2025 Report)
| Metric | March 2026 Performance | Industry Average | Industry Top Quartile | Performance Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open Rate | 43.99% | 20–25% | 35%+ | ★ Top Quartile |
| Click Rate | 1.62% | 1–3% | 2.5%+ | ◉ Mid-Range |
| Click-to-Open Rate | 3.68% | 3–8% | 6%+ | ◉ Mid-Range |
| Unsubscribe Rate | 0.19% | 0.1–0.3% | <0.15% | ◉ Within Range |
| Bounce Rate (Total) | 4.35% | <5% | <2% | ◉ Within Range |
| Deliverability Rate | 95.65% | 94–97% | 97%+ | ✓ Within Standard |
March 2026 marks a return to form: deliverability is back within the industry standard range (95.65%), and the open rate of 43.99% continues to dramatically outperform industry averages. Click and CTO rates remain mid-range — there is opportunity to push these higher by experimenting with CTA placement, button styling, and content variety such as more prominent video thumbnails.
Link Click Performance
Detailed breakdown of all tracked links in the March 2026 newsletter — 7,729 total clicks across 9 tracked links.
| Link / Destination | Total Clicks | % of Clicks | Unique People | % of People |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vimeo Video Player — Derek Video | 2,210 | 28.60% | 1,384 | 29.76% |
| Blog: Coach's Tip — A Simple, Honest Q1 Check-In | 1,535 | 19.86% | 933 | 20.07% |
| Blog: The Power of Habits (Brian's Perspective) | 1,231 | 15.93% | 702 | 15.10% |
| Press: From Podcast to Platform (Announcement) | 260 | 3.36% | 186 | 4.00% |
| Blog: A Quarterly Review That Puts People First (Member Spotlight) | 235 | 3.04% | 168 | 3.61% |
| Unsubscribe Page | 82 | 1.06% | 61 | 1.31% |
| Coaching Page | 65 | 0.84% | 49 | 1.05% |
| Subscribe — buffini.com/company/subscribe/ | 58 | 0.75% | 41 | 0.88% |
| Resources Page | 53 | 0.69% | 44 | 0.95% |
| TOTAL (Tracked Links) | 7,729 | 100% | — | — |
1. Video (Vimeo): The embedded Derek video was again the #1 click driver with 2,210 clicks (28.6%) from 1,384 unique viewers — maintaining video as the single most-clicked element for the third straight month.
2. Coach's Tip Blog: "A Simple, Honest Q1 Check-In" by Casey Mathes drew 1,535 clicks (19.9%), making it the top editorial content link.
3. Brian's Perspective Blog: "The Power of Habits" received 1,231 clicks (15.9%), strongly validating the newsletter's feature article placement.
4. Announcement — Podcast to Platform: The press release about the new platform generated 260 clicks (3.4%) — a strong result for an announcement-style content type.
Key Insights & Recommendations
1. Maintain Deliverability Vigilance: March's 95.65% is back in range, but the February dip to 90% is a reminder of how quickly inbox placement can shift. Continue monitoring sender reputation, SPF/DKIM/DMARC authentication, and ISP-level filtering before each send.
2. Lean Into Video — It's Proven: Video was the #1 click element for the third month in a row. Consider A/B testing a larger or more prominent video thumbnail placement — even above the intro text — to see if it can drive even higher engagement.
3. Build on the Q1 Momentum: With a three-issue open rate average of ~44%, April's send carries high expectations. Analyze the subject lines and send times of all three Q1 issues to identify what's driving this sustained lift and replicate those elements.
4. CTO Rate Opportunity: Click-to-open ratios (3.68% in March) are mid-range vs. the 3–8% industry standard. With 53,901 openers, even a 1-point CTO improvement would mean ~540 additional clicks. Test secondary CTAs, inline text links, and button color/placement to push this metric higher.
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% |