List Growth Rate Calculator

How to use this list growth rate calculator

To calculate your list growth rate, enter the number of new subscribers gained during a given period, the number of unsubscribes, and the total number of subscribers at the start of the period. The tool will instantly calculate your list growth rate, providing insights into the effectiveness of your list-building efforts.

List growth rate formula

List Growth Rate (%)=((Number of New Subscribers−Number of Unsubscribes)/Total Subscribers at the Start of the Period )×100

Understanding the list growth rate result

The list growth rate result indicates how effectively you are expanding your audience. It can be either positive or negative.

• A positive growth rate shows that your email list is expanding. The higher this rate, the more potential customers you are reaching.
• A negative growth rate suggests that you are losing more subscribers than you are gaining, which could indicate issues with your content strategy, frequency, or targeting.

When to calculate list growth rate

Calculating list growth rate should be a regular part of your email marketing strategy. Key scenarios for calculating list growth rate include:

• After running new email marketing campaigns or subscriber acquisition efforts to assess their effectiveness
• During quarterly or monthly marketing performance reviews to track audience growth trends
• When evaluating the impact of content or frequency changes on subscriber growth
• To measure the effectiveness of lead magnets, such as ebooks, webinars, or exclusive offers
• While benchmarking against industry standards or competitors to stay competitive

How to calculate List growth rate with example

Imagine that your subscriber list had 5,000 contacts at the beginning of the month. Over the month, you gained 300 new subscribers but lost 50 due to unsubscribes. You can calculate the list growth rate as follows:

List Growth Rate (%)=((Number of New Subscribers−Number of Unsubscribes)/Total Subscribers at the Start of the Period )×100

List Growth Rate = ((300−50)/5,000) × 100 = 5%

In this example, your list growth rate is 5%, indicating a healthy increase in your email subscriber base over the month.

How to improve your list growth rate

You can improve your list growth rate by using the following strategies:

• Offer valuable incentives for signing up, such as discounts or free resources.
• Use clear and compelling calls to action on your website and social media.
• Optimize your signup forms to be user-friendly and easily accessible.
• Promote your list through targeted ads and content marketing.
• Leverage social proof, like testimonials or subscriber counts, to build credibility.
• Run referral programs encouraging existing subscribers to refer others.
• Regularly review and adjust your strategy based on performance data.