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What's a Good Email Bounce Rate? 2026 Benchmarks
Every couple of weeks, someone in the community asks some variation of "is my bounce rate normal?" or "what should my bounce rate be?" If you Google "what's a good bounce rate" right now, here's what you'll get: One article says under 2% Another says 3–5% is average Another says over 5% is a red flag Constant Contact's own data shows the average bounce rate across users is 10.09% Hot take: The only bounce rate benchmark that actually helps you is your own. When it comes to email marketing, don't fall into the trap of comparing your metrics to industry averages. Just as in life you shouldn't compare yourself to others, you should apply that same mindset to your email performance. Instead of chasing external benchmarks, focus on comparing your current results to your own data; your list, your industry, and your sending habits make your own trends the only meaningful metric that matters. What we want to know What's your bounce rate baseline? Do you pay attention to industry benchmarks, or do you track against yourself? If your bounce rate has climbed in the last 6 months — what did you figure out was causing it? 3407/02/2026We want your input on our new Reporting Hub designs!
Hi all, Kyle here from the Performance & Analytics team! Our designer Katie DeVoe and I have been hard at work on some updated designs for the main Reporting page in Constant Contact -- the place you land when you click Reporting in the navigation. We're trying to solve a couple of problems here: Reporting is passive today. It can be difficult to interpret metrics and decide on what to do next. Why send if you can’t tell if your email was successful or not? We want to make Reporting simpler to understand and offer you personalized suggestions and next steps. It's hard to quickly identify what matters. A lot of information on the page is extraneous or better suited to drill-downs. We want to make it easier to see what's important, then get more details if you want them. These designs introduce a new channel-level email reporting experience with four key changes: "What to Do Next" summary — Get an immediate read on what's working and what's not, then some advice on what to do next. At-a-Glance metric cards — one for each of our primary metrics, plus a few new ones for Revenue and our Website Tracking features (if you have them set up). Compact filters with all of the options you're used to that. Plus, these ones follow you as you scroll down the page. Slide-out detail panels— A new way to drill down into Reporting metrics that sits in-between the 20,000 foot view in the Hub and the drill-down reports/spreadsheets. The example here is for Click rate. We want to try to include calls-to-action in these panels to give you some guidance on how to improve different metrics. We've also got a few experimental things in the works on the page (a bit further down): A "sent emails" table that shows you all of the campaigns that are contributing to the metrics you're looking at: Some "best time to send" information (an extension of what's currently in testing on the Schedule page) We would love to get your initial impressions, comments, and concerns in this early stage. What are you excited about? Is there anything you'd expect to see that's missing? Would you use this at all (vs. just looking at the stats for an individual email)? Come to think of it, when was the last time you looked at a report and came away with a good idea of what to do next? I know there have been a lot of changes to the interface over the past year, but Katie and I believe this is a significant improvement over what's available today. Thanks for being a part of this journey with us! --Kyle 21006/30/2026From Likes to List: Turning Social Media Followers Into Email Subscribers
Tomorrow is Social Media Day, and today is National Camera Day, so let's talk about the place where all those great photos and posts you're creating can actually do the most work for your business. Here's something I want every small business owner to hear: your social media followers are not your owned audience. They are borrowed. Every single one of them. If Instagram, Facebook, or LinkedIn changed their rules tomorrow (and they will), your access to those people changes too. Your email list? That goes wherever you go. So the real power move isn't just showing up on social media. It's using social media to move people onto your email list, where you actually own the relationship. A few ways to do that: Put your email signup link in every social bio. Not buried in a Linktree five clicks deep. Right there, easy to find. Mention your newsletter in your posts. A simple "I go deeper on this in my newsletter, link in bio to subscribe" works beautifully. Create a lead magnet, something genuinely useful that your ideal client would actually want, and promote it on social. A checklist, a short guide, a template. Something specific enough that they'll trade their email address for it. Social media is the front door. Email is the conversation that happens once they walk in. Both matter, but only one of them is truly yours. Are you actively moving your social followers to your email list? What's working for you? Or what's getting in the way? I'd love to hear where you're at with this. ELITE Advocate | Small Business Expert 4106/29/2026Using Nextdoor.com for Marketing
I'm a big fan of using NextDoor.com for all sorts of reasons. I've written a lot of articles on the platform and how to use it most effectively. Here's a short tutorial on how to use Nextdoor.com and if you have any questions about the platform or how to use it to build your email list and make local connections feel free to post your question in the comments or reach out to me directly. 3706/24/2026Cross-promotion. It works. See this example.
My mission is simple: help businesses use email campaigns not just to sell, but to genuinely educate their audience. I put that into practice — and I want to show you exactly how it's done. One of the most powerful (and underused) email strategies is cross-promotion with complementary, non-competing businesses. When you partner with another business that serves the same audience but doesn't compete with yours, everyone wins: their subscribers learn about you, your subscribers learn about them, and both audiences get more value in their inbox. So today, I'm proud to spotlight someone doing incredible work in the health and wellness space: It's Vicky Countess — Bone Health Coach at Vicky Countess Coaching Vicky is hosting a FREE virtual workshop this Thursday, June 25 from Noon – 12:45 PM ET, and I think it's exactly the kind of education every one of us needs. Here's why this matters: We know that women tend to have to deal with osteoporosis more commonly than men do. But did you know that 1 in 4 men over 50 will suffer an osteoporosis-related fracture, too? Or that a single fall can lead to complications that are life-changing — or even fatal? Vicky and I have seen this firsthand with our own family, and Vicky has dedicated her career to making sure others don't have to go through the same thing. This workshop will cover practical steps you can take right now to protect your bone health and reduce your risk of a devastating fracture. 📅 Thursday, June 25 🕛 Noon – 12:45 PM ET 💻 Virtual — registration required 👉 Register here: https://www.vickycountesscoaching.com/upcoming-events/ This is exactly the kind of partnership I encourage my clients to build — two businesses, different lanes, shared audience, mutual value. No competition. Just community. If you're a business owner wondering how to add more value to your email list while also expanding your reach, this is a great real-world example of how it's done. 4006/23/2026The One Email That Earns the Most Trust (And It's Not Your Newsletter)
We just passed the longest day of the year, and I want to talk about the email that works the hardest for your business while you're not even looking at it. Your welcome email. When someone signs up for your list, the welcome email is the very first impression they get of you in their inbox. It sets the tone for the entire relationship. And here's the wild part: welcome emails have some of the highest open rates of any email you'll ever send. People are paying attention in that moment. They just said yes to hearing from you. They're curious. So what should it do? It should feel like YOU. Not a generic "thanks for subscribing" with a stock photo. It should sound like the person they just signed up to hear from. Tell them what to expect (how often you'll email, what kind of content you share). Give them something useful right away, whether that's a tip, a resource, or just a warm hello. And make it clear you're a real human on the other end. In Constant Contact, you can set this up as an automation so it goes out the moment someone subscribes. Set it once, and it works for you around the clock. It's one of the best places to start with automation because it's simple and the impact is immediate. If you've never set one up and want a hand getting started, feel free to reach out. I love helping folks get this one right. Do you have a welcome email set up? If yes, when was the last time you looked at it? If not, what's holding you back? Let's talk about it. ELITE Advocate | Small Business Expert 2006/22/2026A webinar on how to use Facebook groups
This is a webinar that digs into how to use Facebook groups. I mostly spend time on Facebook in groups organizing different kinds of activities. Though this webinar was created five years ago most of the concepts and actual steps exactly the same. I hope you enjoyed this and I'd be curious to hear if you have anything to add. https://vimeo.com/593466684?share=copy&fl=sv&fe=ci 3406/19/20265 steps to run a contest integrated to your email
In this article I will review a simple yet effective strategy to conduct a monthly contest that is linked to your email marketing strategy + grow your subscriber base. Far too often we see contests where all you need to do is like a post, or tag a friend. But where's the long term connection? Sure, a spike in likes or comments bag boost exposure but Here are 5 steps to conduct a monthly contest that is linked to your email marketing. Step1: Establish a monthly prize, ideally one that is connected to your business and one that is somewhat different each month. Consider playing on monthly seasons, holidays, or themes. Step2: Announce the contest and prize in your monthly email - must have a monthly email at least to provide an update and announce the contest. Step3: Announce the contest on social media with a link to enter the contest (enter the contest via a Constant Contact signup link). Name the list MONTHLY CONTEST. Step4: Announce the winner in the next month's email newsletter + share the current month's contest details. Let the person know they have to open the email to see if they have won. This will skyrocket your open rates. Step5: Move all new contacts that have been added to the monthly contest list into another list, to have a new fresh start for your next month. This way you dont need a new contest URL every month. Simple as that! 4306/16/2026Is your product or service irreplaceable?
This is a fact: ➡️ Unless your product or service is irreplaceable and there are no substitutes for what you offer, you need to market your business - otherwise, you'll be forgotten. This is also a fact: ➡️ I don't know of any products or services that have no substitute - there's always going to be a competitive product or service of some kind that can be a substitute for what you sell. Sure, you'll hear things like "we have no competitors" from some people, but that is a naive way of thinking. I can't think of a business with a 100% monopoly having no substitutes, can you? (If you know of one, please let me know what it is.) So unless your product or service can not be substituted by anything else on the market, you'll need/want to market your business. ➡️ The good news is that it doesn't need to be complicated marketing. Just keep your name and product top of mind. 3306/16/2026Don't Ghost Your Email List This Summer
Summer is here, and I already know what's about to happen for a lot of small business owners. Business slows down a little. You get busy with vacations, family stuff, longer days outside. And your newsletter quietly slides to the bottom of your to-do list. "I'll get back to it in September" becomes the plan. I get it. I really do. But here's what I've seen happen too many times: September rolls around, and now it's been three or four months since your last email. Your subscribers have forgotten who you are. Your open rates tank. And the thought of writing that "I'm back!" email feels so awkward that you put it off even longer. The fix is simpler than you think. You don't have to send a weekly essay all summer. You just need to stay in the game. A monthly email is the baseline. That's it. One email a month keeps you top of mind in their inbox and keeps your list healthy. Here's my summer tip: use the slower pace to your advantage. Batch a few emails now, while things are calmer, and schedule them out. Future-you will be so grateful. Even two or three pre-written emails can carry you through the whole summer without breaking a sweat. What's your summer email plan? Are you batching content ahead of time? Keeping your regular schedule? Or do you need a game plan? Drop your answer below and let's help each other stay on track. ELITE Advocate | Small Business Expert 2006/15/2026
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