If you’ve ever found yourself in a tangle of numbers, wondering which email metrics actually matter, this episode is for you.  This week, Alyssa and Melissa unravel the tangled web of open rates, bounce rates, click rates, and complaint rates, guiding email senders toward clarity. They discuss why maintaining low bounce and complaint rates is essential, and explore the impact of metrics on email deliverability. They also explore the value of subscriber engagement and the reality of cold subscribers. Understanding these metrics (which ones deserve your attention and how to interpret them) is vital for your email deliverability.  In this episode, we discuss: 04:42 - Understanding open rates and their impact on deliverability09:59 - Exploring bounce rates and new ConvertKit features13:34 - The importance of monitoring complaint rates17:58 - The nuances of click rates21:05 - Cold subscribers and list cleaning strategies24:01 - Every sender’s deliverability puzzle is unique25:35 - Know your metrics and look for abnormalities Key Takeaways Open rates are more than just percentages; they're indicators of your emails landing in the inbox, especially important post-Apple's Mail Privacy Protection.Maintaining a bounce rate below 2% is critical, and a sudden spike can signal deeper deliverability troubles that merit further investigation.Complaint rates are a vital health check for your domain reputation, and staying below 0.1% is essential, especially with stricter Gmail rules in place.The enigma of click rates can be demystified by examining content strategy and understanding the role of bot clicks, not just deliverability factors.Regularly engaging with and cleaning your cold subscribers can significantly boost the overall health and deliverability of your email list. Quotes “If I were to give any advice to someone who is experiencing a drop in open rates, it would be to not panic and just start slowly digging into different aspects of why your open rates might be changing.” ~ Melissa Lambert “Get really familiar with your metrics. What's normal for you? What's a normal open rate for you? What's a normal click rate for you? And spot anything that is abnormal.” ~ Alyssa Dulin Links ConvertKitConvertKit Creator NetworkGoogle Postmaster ToolsGmailYahooSubscribe to the weekly Deliverability Dispatch Newsletter!Subscribe to the monthly Deliverability Defined newsletter!Facebook MarketplacePilates Reformer Connect with our hosts Alyssa DulinMelissa Lambert Stay in touch Apple PodcastsSpotifyTwitterFacebookInstagramDeliverability Defined Website Try ConvertKit's deliverability in action It's now free to use ConvertKit with an audience of 1,000 subscribers or less! Start building your audience and reaching their inboxes: convertkit.com/pricing.