← All topicsMetrics & Reporting › Clicks & Engagement
Accuracy / correctness · 2
benchmark hedgeArticle states 'A typical CTR sits between 1% and 5%' fairly plainly. The script deliberately does NOT state this as fact, it defers benchmarks to 004.002.011 and only says 'varies a lot by audience and offer.' This is the correct call per the misleading-framings rule (no benchmark stated as fact). Kept out on purpose.
denominator correctaiSummary defines CTR as 'unique clicks divided by delivered messages times 100' while the article body says 'clicks divided by delivered emails.' Script uses 'unique clickers / delivered' and explicitly teaches the unique-vs-total distinction, matching the article's calculation sibling (004.002.003) and the aiSummary. Denominator (delivered, not opens) is correct.
Would elevate the video · 1
exampleArticle's framing 'newsletters linking out to articles cluster lower; promotional emails with a single clear CTA do better' is a concrete teaching nugget about WHY CTR varies. Script omits it to stay off benchmarks, but a single sea-themed line ('a newsletter full of links clicks differently than one clear Buy button') could add texture without stating a number. Optional add.
Considered, left out · 2
cross linkArticle links to inbox placement rate as the companion 'are emails even reaching people' metric. Script keeps this idea in the takeaway ('watch inbox placement') without over-explaining it, correct depth, its own video.
redundantArticle's closing paragraph re-states CTR-vs-open-rate reliability. Script already lands that in Beat 4, so re-saying it would be padding. Left out rightly.
What is click-through rate (CTR), and why it beats open rate
Question: 004.002.001 · What is click-through rate (CTR)? · ~2:45 · single-question video
COLD OPEN
Opens tell you they noticed. Clicks tell you they cared.

Open rate tells you how many people noticed your email. Click-through rate tells you how many actually did something about it. One number is a lot easier to trust than the other, and here's why.

⬡ split-compare, LEFT "Opened, noticed" (a pixel loading) vs RIGHT "Clicked, acted" (a finger tapping a link)
BEAT 1, the plain-English answer

Click-through rate, CTR, is the percentage of the emails you delivered that got at least one link click. Someone got your email, and they tapped something inside it. That's a click.

⬡ talking-stat, big "CTR", pill underneath: "delivered emails that earned a click"
BEAT 2, the formula (get the denominator right)

The math is simple. Take the people who clicked, divide by the emails you actually delivered, multiply by a hundred. Notice the bottom of that fraction: delivered emails, not opens. Everyone who got the message is in the denominator, whether they opened it or not.

⬡ dissect, show CTR = unique clickers / delivered x 100, highlight "delivered" in teal
BEAT 3, one clicker, or every click?

Quick thing that trips people up. Most tools count unique clickers, one person, counted once, no matter how many times they tapped. Some count total clicks, every single tap. Same campaign, two different numbers. Check which one your platform is showing before you compare anything.

⬡ split-compare, LEFT "Unique: 1 person = 1" vs RIGHT "Total: 1 person, 4 taps = 4"
BEAT 4, why CTR beats open rate
A click is harder to fake than an open.

Here's why people care about CTR. Since Apple Mail started quietly pre-loading tracking pixels, open counts got mushy, a machine can trigger an "open" nobody ever saw. But a click still needs a human to choose to tap. That makes CTR a cleaner read on whether your content actually moved anyone. Not perfect, we'll get to the bots, but cleaner.

⬡ myth-fact, MYTH "Opens = engagement" / FACT "A click takes a real decision"
TAKEAWAY
⬡ title-card

So if you want to know whether your email is even reaching people, watch inbox placement. If you want to know whether your content is working, CTR is the number to watch. What counts as a good one? That varies a lot by audience and offer, so that's its own video.

NEXT / SUBSCRIBE

If this cleared it up, subscribe, there's a whole series on the metrics that actually matter. Next up: how a click even gets recorded, and why some of them aren't real people.

⬡ end-card, Subscribe + Next: "What is a click event" (004.002.002)
DESCRIPTION

What is click-through rate (CTR) in email? CTR is the percentage of delivered emails that earned at least one link click: clickers divided by delivered, times 100. This video covers the formula (and why the denominator is delivered emails, not opens), the unique-versus-total-clicks gotcha, and why CTR is a cleaner engagement signal than open rate now that Apple Mail pre-loads tracking pixels. What counts as "good" varies by audience and email type, so we save benchmarks for their own video.

Next: How a click event gets recorded → [link 004.002.002]

How is CTR calculated → [link 004.002.003]

Full written guide → reviewmyemails.com/emailalmanac/metrics-and-analytics/click-through-rate/what-is-click-through-rate

#email #emailmarketing #deliverability

CONNECTIONS
• next: 004.002.002 What is a click event and how is it recorded
• related: 004.002.003 How is CTR calculated · 004.002.005 What is CTOR · 004.001.001 What is an open rate
• vocab: click-through rate, delivered, unique clicks, Apple Mail Privacy Protection