Clickthrough Rate (CTR)

Percentage of email recipients who click on links. Indicates engagement level.

What is Clickthrough Rate (CTR)?

Clickthrough rate (CTR) is the percentage of email recipients who click on one or more links within your email. It measures engagement beyond opens—showing who found your content compelling enough to take action.

CTR Formula:
CTR = (Unique Clicks / Emails Delivered) × 100

Example:

1,000 emails delivered
50 unique clicks
CTR = 50/1,000 × 100 = 5%

Related Metrics:

Click-to-Open Rate (CTOR): Clicks divided by opens (measures effectiveness for those who opened)
Total Clicks: All clicks (including multiple clicks by same person)
Unique Clicks: Individual people who clicked (more meaningful for campaigns)

Why CTR Matters

Engagement Quality

CTR measures meaningful engagement.

Open Rate vs. CTR:

Open rate: Subject line worked
CTR: Content resonated enough to take action

High opens with low CTR means your subject lines work but your content doesn't deliver on the promise.

Intent Signal

Clicking demonstrates buying interest.

Click Intent Levels:

Low intent: Opening email (curiosity)
Medium intent: Clicking one link (exploring)
High intent: Multiple clicks, visiting pricing page (serious interest)

Deliverability Impact

Engagement affects inbox placement.

Email providers track:

Opens
Clicks
Replies
Time spent reading

Higher engagement signals lead to better inbox placement over time.

CTR Benchmarks

By Email Type

Email Type	Poor CTR	Average CTR	Good CTR	Excellent CTR
Cold Email	<0.5%	0.5-1%	1-2%	>2%
Newsletter	<1%	1-3%	3-5%	>5%
Promotional	<1%	1-2%	2-4%	>4%
Transactional	<5%	5-10%	10-15%	>15%
Nurture Sequence	<1%	1-2%	2-4%	>4%

Click-to-Open Rate Benchmarks

CTOR measures effectiveness among those who opened.

CTOR	Assessment
<5%	Poor - content not resonating
5-10%	Below average
10-20%	Average
20-30%	Good
>30%	Excellent

CTOR Calculation:
CTOR = (Unique Clicks / Unique Opens) × 100

Improving CTR

Link Placement

Where links appear affects clicks.

Link Placement Best Practices:

Primary CTA above the fold (visible without scrolling)
Multiple links to same destination (different anchor text)
Natural link placement within relevant content
Clear visual hierarchy for CTAs

Avoid:

Burying your main CTA at the bottom
Single link in long email
Unclickable buttons or links

Anchor Text

What the link says matters.

High-CTR Anchor Text:

Action-oriented: "See the full case study"
Specific: "Download the 2026 benchmark report"
Benefit-focused: "Calculate your potential savings"
Curiosity-inducing: "See how [Company] increased revenue 300%"

Low-CTR Anchor Text:

Generic: "Click here"
Vague: "Learn more"
Unclear: "Go to page"
Action-less: "Our website"

Call-to-Action Design

Visual design affects clicks.

High-Converting CTA Design:

Contrasting color that stands out
Button-style links (not just text)
Clear, actionable text
Appropriate size (not too small, not overwhelming)
White space around CTA

Mobile Considerations:

44x44 pixels minimum tap target
Easy to click with thumb
Not crowded by other elements

Content Value

Content must deliver on subject line promise.

High-CTR Content:

Delivers on subject line's promise
Provides actionable insights
Includes relevant examples
Links to valuable resources
Scannable and concise

Cold Email CTR

Lower Benchmarks

Cold email CTR is lower than other email types.

Why Cold Email CTR Is Lower:

No prior relationship
Recipients don't know you
Lower trust and context
Higher filtering by recipients

Cold Email CTR Targets:

Poor: <0.5%
Average: 0.5-1%
Good: 1-2%
Excellent: >2%

When to Include Links

Cold email CTR is often secondary to reply rate.

Include Links When:

You have valuable content to share
Social proof strengthens your case
Your goal is website visit (not reply)
Link destination clearly adds value

Skip Links When:

Goal is direct reply
Link feels promotional
URL looks long or spammy
Link destination isn't clearly valuable

Measuring and Testing

A/B Testing

Test CTA elements systematically.

Elements to Test:

Button vs. text link
Different anchor text
Link placement
Button color
CTA wording
Number of links

Test Structure:

Test one variable at a time
Minimum sample size (500+ emails per variant)
Statistical significance threshold (95% confidence)

Tracking Setup

Proper tracking enables optimization.

Tracking Essentials:

UTM parameters on all links
Unique tracking per campaign
Click heatmap data
Individual link tracking
Time-to-click measurement

Common CTR Mistakes

Too Many Links

Multiple CTAs reduce clicks.

Link Saturation:

1-2 links: Higher CTR per link
3-5 links: Moderate CTR
6+ links: Lower CTR, confusion

Rule of Thumb: One primary CTA, optional secondary CTA.

Misleading Subject Lines

Subject lines promising one thing but delivering another.

The Problem:

High opens (good subject line)
Low clicks (content mismatch)
Damaged sender reputation

Solution: Content must deliver on subject line's promise.

Broken Links

Nothing destroys credibility faster.

Prevention:

Test all links before sending
Use link shorteners for tracking (with caution in cold email)
Check mobile rendering
Verify landing page functionality

Unclear CTAs

Recipients don't know what happens when they click.

Bad Examples:

"Click here" (where?)
"Learn more" (about what?)
"Go here" (why?)

Good Examples:

"See the full case study"
"Download your free guide"
"Calculate your ROI"

Key Takeaways

CTR = percentage of recipients who click links in your email
Formula: (Unique Clicks / Emails Delivered) × 100
Benchmarks: cold email 0.5-1% average, newsletters 1-3% average
CTOR (Click-to-Open Rate) measures effectiveness among opens: 10-20% is average
High CTR requires: relevant content, clear CTAs, proper link placement, good design
Test: anchor text, button design, link placement, number of links
Cold email CTR is lower than other types—reply rate often matters more
Too many links confuse and reduce overall CTR
Content must deliver on subject line's promise
Track with UTM parameters and unique tracking per campaign
Mobile: ensure tap targets are 44x44 pixels minimum

Sources:

Related Terms

CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost)

Total sales and marketing spend divided by new customers. Lower is better.

Cadence

Sequence and timing of touchpoints in outreach campaign.

Call-to-Action (CTA)

Specific action you want prospect to take. Clear CTA improves conversion.

CAN-SPAM Act

US law regulating commercial email. Requires opt-out mechanism and sender identification.