Content Recommendation Email Benchmarks
Content recommendation emails use subscriber behaviour (past clicks, purchases, browsing) to suggest relevant content, products, or resources. They are a key personalisation tactic for maintaining engagement between major campaigns.
| Metric | Average | Above Average | Excellent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Rate | 25-40% | 42%+ | 50%+ |
| Click-Through Rate | 5-15% | 18%+ | 25%+ |
| Click-to-Open Rate | 20-35% | 38%+ | 45%+ |
| Recommendation Relevance Rate | 40-60% | 65%+ | 75%+ |
Why These Benchmarks Matter
Personalised content recommendations generate 2-5x higher click rates than non-personalised alternatives. They keep subscribers engaged between promotional campaigns and deepen their relationship with your brand.
Content Recommendation by Industry
| Industry | Open Rate | Click Rate | Lift vs Non-Personalised |
|---|---|---|---|
| Media / Publishing | 28-42% | 6-16% | +40-80% |
| Ecommerce | 22-35% | 5-12% | +30-60% |
| SaaS / Software | 25-38% | 5-14% | +30-50% |
Best Practices
- Use behavioural data: Recommendations based on past behaviour outperform demographic-based recommendations by 40-80%.
- Show variety: Offer 3-5 recommendations covering different topics or categories to increase the chance of a relevant match.
- Explain the recommendation: "Based on your interest in deliverability" gives context that increases click-through.
- Refresh recommendations regularly: Stale recommendations reduce relevance. Update recommendation data at least weekly.
Related Benchmarks
Abandoned Browse Email Benchmarks
Abandoned browse email benchmarks for product views without cart addition, category-level browsing recovery, and personalised product recommendations with open rates of 30-42% and CTR of 5-12%.
Abandoned Wish List Email Benchmarks
Abandoned wish list email benchmarks for saved item reminders, price drop alerts, and stock notifications with open rates of 30-45% and CTR of 6-15%.
Account Creation Email Benchmarks
Account creation confirmation email benchmarks for open rates, click-through rates, and activation rates. Account creation emails confirm successful registration and guide users to their first action.
Account Deletion Email Benchmarks
Account deletion email benchmarks for open rates, click-through rates, and recovery rates. Account deletion emails confirm account closure and offer a final opportunity to recover the account.
Account Upgrade Prompt Email Benchmarks
Account upgrade prompt email benchmarks for freemium-to-paid conversions, tier upgrades, and feature unlocks with open rates of 22-35% and CTR of 4-10%.
Account Verification & Confirmation Email Benchmarks
Email marketing benchmarks for account verification and confirmation emails. Open rates 40-65%, CTR 20-40%, verification completion rates, re-verification, MFA notification, and security alert data.
Frequently Asked Questions
5-15% is typical. Above 18% is excellent. This compares very favourably to standard newsletter click rates of 2-5%.
3-5 recommendations per email is optimal. Fewer than 3 limits the chance of relevance. More than 5 can cause choice paralysis.
Was this useful?