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Spam Complaint Rate
from Email Marketing
Metrics type
Actionable
Units of measure
Percent / Ratio
Direction
Less - better
Check frequency
Weekly
Description
The percentage of emails that recipients mark as spam.
Why it is important
A higher Spam Complaint rate can harm sender reputation and deliverability. Tracking this percentage guides marketers in identifying and addressing content or targeting issues promptly.

It ensures better engagement and reduces the risk of being marked as spam, contributing to improved email campaign performance and overall sender reputation.
Formula
(Spam Complaints / Successful Deliveries) * 100
Calculation example
If you had 5 spam complaints for an email campaign that had 500 successful deliveries, the Spam Complaint Rate would be (5 / 500) * 100 = 1%
Affected metrics
Spam Score
Abuse Complaints
Affecting metrics
n/a
Connecting metrics
n/a

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Suggested slices for dashboards
by Email Content Type
by Sender Reputation
by Target Audience
by Email List Health Score
by Time of Day
The revenue impact pathway
Available in JetMetrics Lite only
Questions to be Answered
1. How does the spam complaint rate impact email deliverability and the overall reputation of the sender's domain?
2. What strategies can be implemented to minimize the spam complaint rate and maintain a positive relationship with recipients?
3. How does the spam complaint rate correlate with the content, frequency, or targeting of email campaigns?
4. Are there specific triggers or content elements that tend to result in higher spam complaint rates?
5. How can the analysis of spam complaint rates guide decisions about email content, segmentation, and subscriber engagement?
6. Can the spam complaint rate be used as an early warning system for potential deliverability issues and list hygiene concerns?
7. What role does transparency and clear communication play in minimizing the likelihood of recipients marking emails as spam?
Possible causes of worsening
Misleading Content
Content that is deceptive or does not match the expectations set by the subject line can lead to recipients marking emails as spam, increasing the spam complaint rate.

Overly Aggressive Marketing
Aggressive or pushy marketing tactics can annoy recipients, prompting them to mark emails as spam, negatively impacting the spam complaint rate.

Explore more causes in full version of JetMetrics Lite
Tactics to improve this metric
Explore in JetMetrics Lite or Ask professionals in the Community
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