A lot of teams fixate on newsletter click metrics, like click rate, click-through rate, and click-to-open rate. We’ll cover the differences and why those numbers are less reliable than they used to be in a future edition.

Here, I want to encourage you to focus on who is clicking your links. Popular email service platforms (ESPs), like Beehiiv, HubSpot, Mailchimp, and Kit, will show you a list of contacts who clicked a link in your newsletter.

These people are clearly engaged with your content, trust you with their time, and are much more likely to take you up on other opportunities. This is especially true for those who click on the calls-to-action (CTAs) related to your business, as opposed to links to articles or resources you curate.

It’s worth spending time to reach out to these people individually.

After you send your next newsletter, pull up your performance data and review the list of people who clicked a link.

Some subscribers may be using an email security tool that will automatically scan and click every link in a newsletter. Two obvious signs that this is happening are:

For everyone else who clicked on a link that showed intent to learn about your services, send them a short note. It doesn’t have to mention that you saw they clicked on a link:

“Hi [x], as you may have seen in my recent newsletter, I’m thinking about [y] and how to help my subscribers understand the concept better. I’m curious about your thoughts. Would a deeper dive on the topic be helpful? I’d be happy to jump on a quick 30-min call as well, if that’s easier for you.”

Take this simple template and edit it for your use case. And if you have a dedicated sales rep or team, make sure they’re getting click data as well, so that they can spend more time chasing higher-quality leads.

Looking at click data with our clients has led to some very cool discoveries—like consistent engagement from well-known authors, legendary musicians, and executives at major enterprises.

Do you have a story like this? I’d love to hear it. I’ll send the first person who replies the following postcard (in the mail, of course).

I love running my kids to daycare in the fall. The cool air and blowing leaves calm all three of us down before we begin our “work” (which has particular meaning at their Montessori school).

That’s it for this edition of Priority Mail. Next up, one simple fix under the Strategy & Positioning category.

Until then, feel free to grab 30 minutes with me here to talk through your biggest newsletter pain point. I’m happy to review a recent edition and your ESP setup so that we can discuss ideas tailored to your audience and process.

Chris

GM at Future Forest