Unsubscribe rate
The percentage of recipients who opt out after an email, calculated using the reporting platform’s stated denominator.
Unsubscribe rate measures how many recipients leave a mailing audience in connection with a send. A common formula is unsubscribes divided by delivered emails, multiplied by 100, although providers can define the denominator differently.
If 10 people unsubscribe from an email delivered to 2,000 recipients, that formula produces a 0.5% unsubscribe rate. Compare it with previous sends to a similar audience, then review whether the topic, frequency, or signup promise changed.
An unsubscribe is a clear preference, not necessarily a content failure. Make opting out straightforward and distinguish unsubscribe rate from total list churn, which may also include hard bounces and other removals.
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