Best Practices Guide Email Benchmarks
Best practices guide emails share expert knowledge, tips and methodologies that help subscribers improve in a specific area. These emails position the brand as a trusted advisor rather than a seller, building authority and goodwill that pays off when the subscriber is ready to buy.
| Metric | Average | Above Average | Excellent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Rate | 28-40% | 46%+ | 56%+ |
| Click-Through Rate | 6-15% | 22%+ | 32%+ |
| Click-to-Open Rate | 22-36% | 42%+ | 55%+ |
| Forward Rate | 1-3% | 5%+ | 8%+ |
| Unsubscribe Rate | 0.2-0.5% | Below 0.12% | Below 0.06% |
Why Best Practices Benchmarks Matter
Educational content builds the most durable form of brand authority. A subscriber who learns something valuable from your email is more likely to open the next one, trust your recommendations and eventually buy from you. Forward rate is a uniquely important metric for best practices content because it measures whether the content is valuable enough to share — a strong indicator of quality.
Benchmarks by Content Depth
| Content Depth | Open Rate | CTR | Forward Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quick tip (single insight) | 30-42% | 6-12% | 1-2% |
| Comprehensive guide | 28-38% | 8-18% | 1.5-3.5% |
| Checklist or framework | 32-45% | 10-22% | 2-4% |
| Case-based learning | 30-40% | 8-16% | 1.5-3% |
Best Practices
- Address a specific, frequently encountered problem rather than writing broadly about a topic
- Structure content with clear headings and numbered steps so the email is scannable and actionable
- Include downloadable resources or templates that increase the practical value of the content
- End with a natural next step — related resources, a tool that solves the problem or a consultation offer
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Frequently Asked Questions
A good best practices email open rate is 28-40%. Subject lines that promise a specific solution to a known problem outperform general knowledge-based subject lines. The audience for educational content is typically narrower than promotional audiences, which affects aggregate open rates.
Best practices emails can be longer than promotional emails — 300 to 800 words is typical — because the subscriber has opted in for education. However, the first 100 words must communicate enough value to justify reading further. Use subheadings to create natural rest points for scanners.
Put the core content in the email body. Requiring a click to access educational content reduces readership by 40-60%. Use the email body to deliver the main insights and offer a downloadable version as a supplementary format for subscribers who want to save or share.