Definition
An email NPS campaign measures customer loyalty using the Net Promoter Score, a widely used metric built around a single question: "How likely are you to recommend us to a friend or colleague?" Responses are collected on a scale of 0 to 10 and grouped into promoters, passives, and detractors.
Delivered by email, the NPS campaign reaches customers at scale and captures loyalty data that can be tracked over time, segmented, and paired with follow-up actions based on how each customer answered.
How It Works
The NPS campaign — often run through email automation — sends a short email containing the recommendation question and a 0-to-10 scale, usually linking to a one-click survey. Responses are then classified.
- Promoters (9–10) are loyal enthusiasts likely to refer others.
- Passives (7–8) are satisfied but unenthusiastic, and may switch for a better offer.
- Detractors (0–6) are unhappy and at risk of churn or negative word of mouth.
The Net Promoter Score is calculated by subtracting the percentage of detractors from the percentage of promoters. Crucially, the campaign should not end at the score — follow-up matters as much as the number.
Why It Matters
NPS is a leading indicator of growth, because promoters drive referrals and detractors drive churn. An email NPS campaign makes this signal measurable and actionable at scale, revealing not just how the brand is doing but which customers need attention.
The real value comes from acting on the data. Reaching out to detractors to resolve issues, and to promoters to ask for referrals or reviews, turns a measurement exercise into a growth engine within the broader email lifecycle.
Best Practices
- Keep the survey to the single recommendation question to maximize response.
- Follow up with detractors promptly to understand and fix problems.
- Ask promoters for a referral, review, or testimonial while goodwill is high.
- Run NPS on a regular cadence so changes over time are visible.
Example
A software company emails its customers the NPS question each quarter. With 60 percent promoters and 15 percent detractors, its NPS is 45. The team contacts every detractor within a day, resolving issues before they escalate, and asks promoters for testimonials that fuel future campaigns.
Was this useful?
Related Glossary Terms
A/B Testing
A/B testing in email marketing is the practice of sending two variations of an email to a small sample of your list to determine which version performs better before sending the winner to the remaining subscribers.
Abandoned Cart Email
An abandoned cart email is an automated message sent to customers who added items to their online shopping cart but left without completing the purchase. It is one of the highest-converting email types in ecommerce.
AI Email Summary
An AI email summary is a short, machine-generated overview of an email's key points, shown by Gmail, Outlook and Apple Mail before a recipient opens the message. It is reshaping how email marketers think about subject lines, preview text and open rates.
AI Inbox Summary
An AI inbox summary is an AI-generated digest that condenses unread email — often highlighting news, actions and senders — changing how clearly your marketing email reaches and engages subscribers.
AI Inbox
An AI inbox is an email client that uses artificial intelligence to summarise, sort, prioritise and sometimes answer emails before the human recipient reads them. It is transforming email marketing metrics and copywriting.
AI Overview Email
An AI overview is a short, automatically-generated summary of a topic shown in AI search results, often drawing on and citing sources like email marketing content.
Frequently Asked Questions
NPS varies widely by industry, so the more useful reference is your own trend over time. A rising score indicates improving loyalty, while a falling one is a warning sign.
By subtracting the percentage of detractors (scores 0–6) from the percentage of promoters (scores 9–10). Passives (7–8) are excluded from the calculation.
Email reaches customers at scale, can be automated on a regular cadence, and allows follow-up to be triggered by each customer's specific score.
Follow up with detractors to resolve their issues and with promoters to request referrals or reviews, turning the measurement into concrete action.