Writers: How to Read Email Reports to Improve Your Newsletters and Book Sales

From Edie: Learn how to read email reports as a writer. Discover what open rates, clicks, and unsubscribes reveal—and how they can boost your book sales.

Writers: How to Read Email Reports to Improve Your Newsletters and Book Sales

by Kate Huff @KateOliviaHuff

When you hit “send” on your newsletter, it’s tempting to check the “send newsletter” box and move on to the next thing on your list. But don’t forget about the little report your email platform generates after your email is sent. 

That’s golden information, you shouldn’t ignore it! (Or forget about it.) 

Your email reports are like a quiet conversation with your readers. They may not always reply directly, but their clicks, opens, and even their unsubscribes are speaking louder than you think. If you learn how to listen, those numbers become the key to writing better emails, building stronger relationships, and even growing your book sales.

Let’s break down the information on your reports, so you know what to look for when you read those handy pieces of information next time!

Open Rates: Did Your Subject Line Work?

Your subject line is the front door to your newsletter. Open rates show you whether or not readers decided to walk through it.

• A higher open rate usually means your subject line did its job—it was clear, intriguing, or personal enough to grab attention.
• A lower open rate can be a signal that your subject line didn’t connect, or maybe your send time wasn’t right.

Pro tip: Experiment with tone. Try a playful subject line one week and a straightforward one the next. Watch which one sparks more opens and go with that tone the next time you send an email. 

Research is showing that if you include your name in the subject line, it will increase open rates. (This is current as of the day this article was posted, and these things change often, so make sure you double-check this information!)

Click Rates: Did Your Content Trigger Action?

Once readers are inside, the next question is: did they do anything? Click rates measure whether your content inspired action.

• High click rates mean your content resonated and was easy to engage with.
• Low click rates may mean your links weren’t visible enough, or your content didn’t feel relevant.

Pro tip: There is a balance between too many clickable links and not enough links. If there are too many, you may get dinged as spam. If there are not enough, you won’t learn anything from your readers. I tend to lean towards the “more is better” side and have never been dinged as spam. (Email me if you want to run your email through a spam checker. I’ll send you the link!)

Unsubscribes: A Hidden Gift

Unsubscribes can sting (especially if it’s someone you know personally), but in general, they’re not bad. In fact, they help keep your list healthy.

• Sometimes people unsubscribe because they’ve outgrown your content, and that’s okay.
• Other times, it can be a nudge to rethink your content strategy if you see an unusual spike after a specific email.
• Most likely, it has nothing to do with you and everything to do with the number of emails people receive in a day.

Pro tip: Take a moment to reframe unsubscribes as list-cleaning or removing dead weight. A smaller, engaged list is far more valuable than a large, silent one. (If you’re having to pay for the number of subscribers, you really don’t mind when they drop off!)

Replies: The Golden Ticket

If someone takes the time to hit “reply,” that’s gold. It means your email felt personal enough for them to talk back. These replies can tell you more than any metric ever could.

• Notice what sparked that conversation—a story, a question, or a specific resource?
• Use that insight to craft more emails that feel like a two-way street instead of a broadcast.

Pro tip: Make sure you’re asking questions in your email that ask for engagement. (The fancy marketing word is “Call to Action.”) If you don’t ask your readers to respond, they probably won’t unless you’re sending them life-changing information. And let’s be real. That’s usually not happening in an author’s newsletter!

Spotting the Patterns

The real treasure in email reports isn’t in one single number. It’s in the patterns over time.

• Which topics consistently perform well?
• Do readers prefer your funny subject lines or your straightforward ones?
• What kinds of links get the most clicks—resources, stories, or offers?

When you start leaning into what works, you’ll notice your engagement steadily increases. And the best part? It won’t be by accident. It’ll be on purpose, backed by the clues your readers are already giving you.

Let’s sum it up!

Email reports may look like dry stats at first glance, but they’re actually a window into your readers’ behavior and preferences. Treat them as a conversation, not just a scoreboard. The more you pay attention, the more you’ll be able to serve your audience with content they want to read, making a deeper connection.

So the next time you send an email, don’t stop at “send.” Open that report, study the clues, and let your readers quietly tell you exactly how to keep the conversation going.

TWEETABLE

Writers: How to Read Email Reports to Improve Your Newsletters and Book Sales from @KateOliviaHuff on @EdieMelson (Click to Tweet)

Kate Huff is a storyteller at heart and loves finding Gospel elements in all stories, especially fairytales. She believes fairytales that explain the Gospel in clear and captivating ways have the power to change the world, one person at a time. Her first manuscript is currently with an agent, and she’s working on her second fiction novel along with a few non-fiction projects. 

Kate works as a freelance content writer and newsletter specialist. She has over twenty years of experience crafting content, specifically newsletters, across diverse sectors, including non-profits, sales, and fundraising. She helps authors and entrepreneurs create compelling newsletters that connect with their audiences and offers tailored content creation services, as well as training on how to build newsletters and grow subscriber bases.

You can find her at WWW.KATEOLIVIAHUFF.COM or on most socials as @kateoliviahuff. Sign up for Newsletters Made Simple for Authors at HTTPS://REBRAND.LY/NEWSLETTERS-MADE-SIMPLEfor simple tips to take your newsletter from good to great!