Click Rate vs Click Through Rate : How to effectively use them

Do you have a decent CTR but few conversions? A high CTOR but no prospects calling you back?

Ah, if only analyzing the performance of a cold email was as simple as counting the responses received! 😅

In this article, we’ll break down these KPIs once and for all, avoid common pitfalls, and provide the best strategies to boost your performance.

The Difference Between CTR and CTOR

In cold emailing, measuring the impact of your campaigns isn’t just about the open rate. But don’t worry, we’ll get to that soon!

CTR (Click-Through Rate) measures the percentage of recipients who clicked on a link in your email relative to the total number of emails sent. CTOR (Click-To-Open Rate) measures the percentage of recipients who clicked on a link in your email relative to the total number of unique email opens.

🔢 CTR = (Unique Clicks ÷ Total Emails Sent) × 100

🔢 CTOR = (Unique Clicks ÷ Total Unique Opens) × 100

👉 Key takeaway: We’re talking about “unique clicks,” meaning if a recipient clicks on a link multiple times, it is only counted once. A recipient clicking 10 times on a link shouldn’t artificially inflate the results. The same rule applies to email opens.

CTR:

• Provides an overall view of whether your email is reaching a broad audience.

• Evaluates whether the email is engaging enough.

• Measures the effectiveness of campaigns aimed at generating traffic.

CTOR:

• Assesses content effectiveness by indicating whether your content converts.

• Is more precise than CTR in measuring the reader's actual interest.

• Measures the effectiveness of campaigns aimed at engaging prospects before an interaction.

In other words, CTR depends on both the subject line and the content quality, while CTOR only depends on the content and the CTA.

Example: Two campaigns sent to 10,000 contacts, each with 100 unique clicks.

The CTR is the same (1%), but Campaign B’s CTOR is twice as high as Campaign A’s. Campaign A had more opens but its content converted fewer clicks, whereas Campaign B had fewer opens but a much more engaging content.

Does this mean a good CTOR is better than a good CTR? Not necessarily.

Which Metric Should You Prioritize in Cold Emailing?

Choosing Your Primary KPI to Analyze Performance

Ask yourself: "Is my goal to generate traffic or engage my prospects?"

Use CTR for:

✔️ Driving the maximum number of visitors to a landing page (sign-up, purchase, download, etc.).

✔️ Measuring the overall impact of your email, from open rate to clicks.

✔️ Optimizing your ability to grab attention.

Example: You send a cold email with the goal of driving as many prospects as possible to a sign-up page—CTR is the key metric. However, without a high CTOR, a good CTR alone does not guarantee that your message is relevant.

🚨 In cold emailing, CTR alone is not always enough. A high click rate without real engagement can indicate poor prospect qualification or a misaligned CTA.

Use CTOR for:

✔️ Measuring content relevance once the email is opened.

✔️ Running a B2B prospecting campaign aimed at initiating contact.

✔️ Improving your copywriting, especially for offers and call-to-actions.

Example: You send a personalized prospecting email to a targeted list of decision-makers. Since these emails are often opened out of curiosity, CTOR is more relevant to determine whether the message and its CTA are effective.

Ideally, track both metrics to get a complete view of your performance.

⚠️ Mail Merge for Gmail Tip: In cold emailing, an excessively high CTR can be misleading. Always analyze CTR in relation to response or conversion rates. A good CTR should be correlated with real engagement.

Use Cases

Here are concrete examples to help you make the right choice :

What Are the Benchmarks for a Good CTR and CTOR?

What is a good click-through rate?

Click-through rates vary depending on the industry, targeting, and level of personalization. Here are some general benchmarks:

❓ Why these differences? In cold emailing, recipients do not expect your message. The CTR is lower because the goal is not just to generate clicks but to initiate a conversation.

CTOR is generally a better indicator because it measures actual engagement once the email is opened.

How to Compare with Your Own Industry?

General benchmarks are useful, but nothing beats a comparative analysis in your own field.

To do this, use:

• Specialized email tools like Woodpecker, Lemlist, or Mailshake, which provide insights into average rates by industry.

• Data from your own campaigns to evaluate performance.

• Market studies and sector reports on B2B email marketing (HubSpot, Mailchimp, Smartlead, etc.).

Here is a table showing average CTRs by industry based on cold email campaigns conducted with our Mail Merge for Gmail tool.

The average CTR across these industries in 2024 is 6.04%.

Our little secret: well-optimized campaigns with

• the right cold emailing software

• the right copywriting method.

💡 Mail Merge for Gmail Tip: Don’t compare cold email CTRs with traditional newsletter rates—cold emailing follows different engagement patterns!

How to Optimize Your CTR and CTOR in Cold Emailing?

Here are our best tips. Some are more suited to boosting CTR, others to improving CTOR.

We deliberately choose not to categorize them. Your ultimate goal is to create an effective cold emailing campaign, right? So don’t think about the KPI. Focus on doing great work.

Clarity of the CTA (Call-to-Action)

Such a small button can drive big results! Build it properly:

• Only one CTA per email

• Clear and actionable message

• Non-committal CTA

Example:

✅ "See an example" (simple, direct, no commitment)

❌ "Schedule a call" (too demanding)

Click Button Placement and Design

Who said UI and UX were useless? Certainly not us. Here are the key points:

✔ A CTA visible from the first scroll

✔ Use bold text, contrasting colors, and spaced layout

✔ Clickable text instead of HTML buttons to avoid spam filters.

Personalization

Address your prospect directly. Mentioning their name and copying a generic text isn’t enough! Talk about the prospect before talking about your offer. To do this:

1. Identify a specific pain point

2. Mention a fact or need that gives a reason to open the email

3. Show that you did your research ("I saw that you're hiring for [position]. Here’s how we helped [similar company] speed up onboarding.")

4. Segment your email list based on recipients' interests

Example:

❌ "We help businesses improve their conversion." (too generic)

✅ "[Company Name], you handle [problem X]. Here’s how [similar company] doubled their qualified leads." (specific & engaging)

💡 Expert Tip: With Mail Merge for Gmail, you can insert personalized fields (name, company, industry…) directly from a Google Sheet. This allows you to send personalized emails at scale, increasing CTOR by directly addressing prospects’ pain points.

In fact, our study clearly shows that ultra-personalized content can increase CTR and CTOR by 20% to 40%.

Structuring Your Content

A cold email should never look like a block of text. Here are some best practices:

✔ Well-crafted Subject lines

✔ Short and punchy opening sentence

✔ Short, well-spaced paragraphs

✔ One email = one key idea

✔ Make sure to start strong

✔ Also, end it properly

💡 Mail Merge for Gmail Tip: Reread your email in 5 seconds. If the main message isn’t immediately clear, shorten it.

User Experience

✅ Mobile-friendly format: 70% of B2B emails are opened on a smartphone

✅ Avoid attachments and heavy images, as they are often blocked by filters

✅ Test your email on multiple platforms (Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail)

Expert Insight: Why Adding an Unsubscribe Link Helps Improve CTR and CTOR in Cold Emailing

Even though it may seem counterintuitive, including an unsubscribe link in a cold emailing campaign actually improves performance:

• A cleaner CTR, as only interested contacts remain.

• A more realistic CTOR, without false engagement.

• Better deliverability, by avoiding spam complaints.

In fact, our study is clear: excessive email frequency is the leading cause of unsubscribes.

At Mail Merge for Gmail, you get a tool that not only allows you to track your metrics (CTR, CTOR) but also ensures they remain reliable and actionable.

How Does It Work?

It’s simple! We offer two methods, both fully compliant with the "one-click unsubscribe" recommendation from the latest bulk sender directive.

1️⃣ Inserting a standardized unsubscribe footer : a fully pre-formatted footer with a clear unsubscribe option.

2️⃣ Adding a direct unsubscribe link: a simple link that allows recipients to opt out easily.

Whenever a recipient unsubscribes, you’ll see it reflected in your campaign tracking status.

Word of the end :

Analyzing the performance of a cold email campaign isn’t just about tracking a single metric. Sure, CTR and CTOR are crucial indicators of your campaign's impact, but without context, they can become "vanity metrics."

Continuous optimization is the key! And for that, don’t just rely on numbers that make you feel good—try Mail Merge for Gmail today and start making data-driven decisions!