LinkedIn enhances newsletter analytics with email tracking
Finally! LinkedIn now shows email open rates and sends, helping businesses track how well their newsletters perform.
LinkedIn has expanded its newsletter analytics with two new email-focused metrics, addressing a long-standing request from marketers and businesses.
These updates offer deeper insights into how newsletters perform via email, complementing existing engagement data.
💡 Pressed for time? Here’s what matters:
- LinkedIn now tracks email sends and open rates for newsletters, offering better insights for marketers.
- New metrics include Email Sends (number of subscribers who received an email alert) and Email Open Rate (percentage of recipients who opened it).
- Why it matters? Businesses can now compare LinkedIn newsletter performance with traditional email platforms and gain more transparency on engagement.
- The gap? LinkedIn still doesn’t share subscriber emails, limiting direct audience management.
What’s new in LinkedIn’s newsletter analytics?
The latest update introduces:
- Email Sends: Tracks the number of subscribers who received an email alert for a newsletter article.
- Email Open Rate: Estimates the percentage of recipients who opened the email alert.
While LinkedIn notes these figures are approximate, they provide valuable data on how newsletters reach and engage audiences via email.
Why this update matters
Previously, it was unclear how much LinkedIn users relied on email notifications versus in-app alerts to access newsletters. This led to uncertainty about LinkedIn’s effectiveness as a newsletter distribution channel compared to dedicated email services.
Now, with email-specific data, businesses can:
- Compare LinkedIn newsletter performance with external email platforms.
- Gain insights into how subscribers interact with newsletters via email.
- Provide advertisers and sponsors with better transparency into branded content distribution.
Gaps that still remain
Despite these advancements, LinkedIn still does not share subscriber email addresses with newsletter authors, limiting direct audience management. Some industry professionals have suggested an opt-in feature for email sharing, but LinkedIn has not announced any plans to implement such a function.
While these new data points mark progress, content marketers and businesses continue to seek further improvements in LinkedIn’s newsletter tools. For now, these insights help refine distribution strategies and engagement tracking for LinkedIn’s growing newsletter ecosystem.
What is LinkedIn newsletters?
LinkedIn newsletters allow individuals and Pages to create and distribute recurring content to their followers. Subscribers receive notifications and email alerts when new editions are published. The feature is designed to help content creators build a loyal audience by leveraging LinkedIn’s vast professional network.
To create a newsletter, users must have creator mode turned on and meet LinkedIn’s eligibility criteria, including a history of adhering to platform guidelines. Once approved, authors can track engagement through analytics, interact with subscribers, and optimize content based on performance insights.
Patrecia Meliana
How LinkedIn newsletters compare to traditional email newsletters
Unlike traditional email newsletter platforms like Mailchimp, LinkedIn newsletters function within a social media ecosystem.
Mailchimp and similar services send newsletters directly to a subscriber’s inbox, giving businesses full control over email lists, branding, and segmentation. In contrast, LinkedIn’s newsletters primarily operate within its platform, leveraging its professional network for distribution and engagement.
How they compare:
- Audience ownership: Mailchimp users own their subscriber lists, while LinkedIn does not provide access to subscriber email addresses.
- Distribution method: LinkedIn newsletters are shared via in-app notifications and email alerts, whereas Mailchimp sends newsletters directly to inboxes.
- Engagement metrics: LinkedIn provides insights on social engagement (comments, shares, reactions), whereas email platforms focus on open rates, click-throughs, and conversions.
Each approach serves different marketing needs—LinkedIn newsletters benefit from built-in audience reach, while email-based newsletters offer more flexibility in personalization and direct customer communication.
