Understanding Metrics

Applies To:   PoliteMail Desktop    PoliteMail Online   □ PoliteMail O365


Version: □ 4.94   □ 4.97   5.0+


The most common type of chart you will see when viewing a Metrics Report in version 5 is the pie chart. Each of these shows various metrics, defined in the glossary below.

If you sent the message using Individual Measurement, you can click on any metric and get a list of recipients who interacted with the message.

  • The outer circle represents the value on the message you are viewing.
  • The inner circle represents this value against your company average.
  • The large center percentage is the metric for the message.
  • The smaller percentage is the metric for the company average. A triangle pointing up (▲) indicates the message performed better than the average, and a triangle pointing down (▼) indicates the email performed below the average.
  • The percentage to the right of the triangle shows the amount of the variance.


If exporting your results report to Excel, you may see more fields than what displays on screen. You can find a more detailed description of each field here.

Metrics Glossary

TermDefinition
Attention RateOf the people who have opened the message, the percentage of viewers who read more than 3 seconds.. Low attention rate indicates issues with the subject line, time and date sent, or from address.
  • The Audience Attention Rate is the Opens (minus Ignored) divided by Delivered.
  • The Open Attention Rate is the Opens (minus Ignored) divided by the Opens.
Average ReadThe average read time of the message:
  • The Desktop Avg Read is the average read time on computer.
  • The Mobile Avg Read is the average read time on mobile device.
Average Read Time Sum of Read Time / Read Count.  Average of all Reads in time (excluding ignored and left open).
Click ThruThe percentage of sent messages where a recipient clicked on a link in the message
  • The Desktop Click Thru is the click thru rate from computer
  • The Mobile Click Thru is the click thru rate from mobile device
Click Thru RateClicks / (Sent - Undeliverable).  A click is an individual recipient (unique devices in aggregate) who clicks at least one link in the email message.
Content UtilizationClicked URLs / Total URLs.  The ratio of unique URLs clicked to unique URLs included in message.
DesktopEmail accessed via desktop/laptop computer, as identified via browser user agent.
DevicesUnique devices tracked (devices identified via browser agent)
Didn't ClickIndividual recipients who did not click any links in the message.
Didn't OpenNo data recorded, message not opened, or images/content not downloaded.
Effective RateClick Thru Rate / Opens.  Effective Rate is the ratio Clicks to Opens, which indicates how effective the call to action was at getting clicks, counting only those you know had an opportunity to see it (opens). It excludes the recipients who ignored the email and measures the recipients who both opened the email and clicked a link.
Engaged ReadsIndividual recipients who had the message open for over 50% of the content length. Sums all non-ignore opens by individual recipient. This metric is taken from those who have opened the email.  
Engagement Rate
Takes into account both the average amount of time spent reading the message compared to the calculated time to read and the unique click rate.  See this article for details on Reach, Readership, and Engagement.
IgnoredIndividual recipients who opened but had the message open for less than 3 seconds. (of unique devices in aggregate)
ImagesImage count in message
ImpressionsTotal number of all previews/opens (non-unique, total open count)
Left OpenA read time of over 150% of the Time to Read is considered left open.
Likely ForwardTracked messages which were opened by 3+ unique devices.
MobileEmail access via a mobile device, as identified via browser user agent.
Multiple ClicksIndividual recipients (unique devices in aggregate) who clicked more than one link (or same link more than once)
Multiple OpensCount of individual recipients with more than one open of more than 3 seconds in duration (less than 3 seconds is a quick preview and not counted) that occurred more than 7 seconds apart from the previous open.  This time period is configurable using the MultipleOpensWindow app setting.
Multiple ReadsIndividual recipients who had more than one read (greater than 30% time open)
Open RateOpens / (Sent – Undeliverable).  An open occurs when the message content (tracking image) is requested from the PoliteMail Server. Opens are a unique count of messages opened at least once, by individual recipient (by unique device in aggregate) out of total number of sends. This includes messages previewed in the reading pane in Outlook.
Out of OfficeOut-of-office replies (returned to a mailbox PoliteMail is monitoring). Does not work with Aggregate tracking.
Opt-OutOpt-out or unsubscribe actions taken on this message.
Opt-InOpt-in (to a PoliteMail subscription list)
Percent ReadThe Average Read Time divided by either the Report's Minimum Engagement Rate (20,000) or Time to Read, whichever is greater.
ReachThe ratio of your audience opened the message compared to the total sent.  See this article for details on Reach, Readership, and Engagement.
Read Rate
Reads / (Sent - Undeliverable).  A read is an individual recipient who had the message open for at least 30% of the content length, calculated by the number of words in the email. It is the sum of all non-ignore or skimmed opens.
Readers %ReadAverage non-ignored read time / Time to Read.  This shows how much time those recipients that did not ignore your message spent reading it, compared to the calculated read time.
ReadershipThe amount of time spent by your audience to view and read the message.  A Readership Rate is the ratio of the time spent reading the message to the calculated read time.  See this article for details on Reach, Readership, and Engagement.
RepliesIndividuals who replied to the message
SentTotal recipients message was addressed to (count of members in any lists)
SkimmedIndividual recipients who had the message open for less than 30% of the calculated time to read.
Time to ReadThe calculated time to read entire message content at 200 words per minute (wpm).
Total ClicksTotal count of all clicks (non-unique count)
Total LinksTotal links included in the email message
Total URLsTotal unique URLs included in the email message
UndeliverablesHard bounces (returned to a mailbox PoliteMail is monitoring). Does not work with Aggregate tracking.
WordsWord count in a message