Newsletter Issue Tracker

Who this is for

A record of every newsletter issue and how it landed. Each row holds one send with its subject line, list size and results, and the sheet works out the open and click rates so issues can be compared across the year.

Creators, small businesses, clubs and small charities who email their subscribers and want a running record that stays with them if they change email platform.

What this helps you track

• When each issue went out and what its subject line was
• How many subscribers it went to
• Opens, clicks and unsubscribes for every issue
• Open and click rates worked out the same way each time
• Average rates for the year and how much the list has grown

How to use it

1. Write the newsletter name, the platform you send from and the year.
2. After each send, add the issue number, send date, subject line and the number of subscribers it went to.
3. Once the figures have settled, copy the opens, clicks and unsubscribes from your platform's report.
4. The open and click rates and the summary are worked out in the browser and the workbook; on paper, use the formulas in the table note.
5. Read the subject lines against the open rates to see which kinds of subject your readers respond to.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser
• Excel / Google Sheets workbook

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The workbook uses plain formulas only — SUM, IF, COUNTIF and the like — so it opens in Excel, LibreOffice and Google Sheets without anything breaking, and every calculated cell is grey so you can see which figures it worked out.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

How are the rates worked out?

Open rate is opens divided by subscribers at send; click rate is clicks divided by subscribers at send, both as percentages. Some platforms divide clicks by opens instead, so figures may differ slightly from your platform's report.

What is a good open rate?

The sheet does not say. Rates vary with the list, the subject and how platforms count opens. The useful comparison is between your own issues over time, which is what the summary gives you.

How is list growth worked out?

The subscribers at the last issue minus the subscribers at the first issue on the sheet. It is the net change, after new sign-ups and unsubscribes have both been counted.

When should I copy the figures in?

At the same point after each send, chosen by you, so every issue is measured over the same window. Note the point you use at the foot of the sheet.