Newsletter link tracking
numbers that outlast the issue.
Your newsletter tool counts clicks for each send. A tracked link adds a count that belongs to the link, across issues, channels and even a change of email platform, with location, device, UTM tags and conversions for every click.
Quick answer
To track newsletter links, create a tracked link for each destination you want to measure, put it on a domain you own, and paste it into your issue in place of the raw URL. Your newsletter tool keeps counting clicks per send. The tracked link adds a running count per link, with the time, approximate location, device and UTM tags of every click, and can tie clicks to sign-ups or sales. Known bots and cloud-server traffic are filtered out, but some email security scanners still register as clicks.
From: The Weekly Digest
Issue #48: the guide is out
Read the guide
link.yourbrand.com/guide?utm_campaign=issue-48
Save a webinar seat
link.yourbrand.com/webinar?utm_campaign=issue-48
Shop the sale
link.yourbrand.com/shop?utm_campaign=issue-48
Clicks per link, issue by issue
The same links, carried from one issue to the next
| Link | #46 | #47 | #48 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| /guide | 212 | 148 | 391 | 751 |
| /webinar | – | 96 | 74 | 170 |
| /shop | 57 | 63 | 120 | 240 |
The issue tag sits on the short link, as in ?utm_campaign=issue-48, so each issue gets its own column while the link keeps one count.
What your newsletter tool already measures
Mailchimp, beehiiv, Substack, Kit and most other newsletter tools rewrite the links in each issue to count clicks: total clicks, click rate and, usually, which subscribers clicked. That answers the question they are built for: how did this send do?
The numbers stop at the edge of the send. The same link in last month's issue or in a social post is counted somewhere else or not at all, and if you change tools, the history stays behind. A tracked link is counted at the link, wherever it travels. Tool-specific notes are on the Mailchimp, beehiiv, Substack and Kit pages.
- One running count per link, across every issue and channel that carries it.
- For each click: the time, approximate country, region and city, device, operating system, browser, language and UTM tags.
- Sign-ups and sales tied back to the click that led to them, with conversion tracking.
- A destination you can change after sending, so a broken link in an issue that already went out can still be fixed.
Two redirects, and both are fine
When your newsletter tool tracks clicks, it wraps every link in its own redirect. A reader passes through the tool's redirect, then through your tracked link, then lands on the page. Both counts are real.
Expect them to differ a little, because each tool decides in its own way which bots to drop and what counts as a unique click. If you would rather have one source of truth, some tools let you turn their click tracking off; check yours.
| Question | Newsletter tool | Tracked link |
|---|---|---|
| How did this issue do? | Yes, per send | Yes, with its own links or UTM tag |
| Which subscriber clicked? | Usually | No. Clicks are counted, not named |
| How has this link done over every issue? | Per send only | Yes, one running count |
| Clicks from the web version or a social share | Varies by tool | Yes |
| Did the click lead to a sale? | Varies by tool | Yes, with conversion tracking |
Tag each issue without making new links
Use utm_medium=email so Google Analytics files newsletter visits in its Email channel, a utm_source that names your newsletter, and a utm_campaign for the issue. The free UTM builder assembles them.
You don't need a new tracked link for every issue. Leave the campaign tag off the destination and add it to the short link, such as link.yourbrand.com/guide?utm_campaign=issue-48. Track Link records it with each click and passes it on to your site, so one link keeps a running count while each issue gets its own row. A tag already on the destination takes precedence.
Clicks nobody made
Subscribers on company addresses often sit behind email security that opens each link to check it, sometimes seconds after delivery. To a link tracker, your newsletter tool included, that can look like a click.
Track Link leaves out link previews and bots that identify themselves, and drops redirect clicks from the major cloud-compute networks. Some scanners still look like a person, Microsoft's Safe Links among them. Watch for a burst of clicks right after a send, or every link in the issue opened within the same second, and lean on unique visitors and conversions. More in why your link shows clicks nobody made.
Use your own domain, and skip the notice
Spam filters judge each link in an email by its domain, and a public shortener domain is shared with millions of senders, spammers among them. Put tracked links on a subdomain of the domain you send from, such as link.yourbrand.com; the email link shortener page covers why and how. Free includes 1 custom domain.
Free links show a short Track Link notice for about two seconds before forwarding: fine for testing, not for every subscriber. Starter ($5.60/mo) and above send readers straight to the page, which is our honest recommendation for links that go to a list.
How to track links in your newsletter
- 1Connect a subdomain of the domain you send from, such as
link.yourbrand.com. It takes one CNAME record, and HTTPS is set up for you. - 2Create a tracked link for each destination you want to measure, tagged with
utm_medium=emailand a source that names your newsletter. - 3Paste the tracked links into your newsletter tool in place of the raw URLs, on buttons, images and text links alike.
- 4Send yourself a test and click each link once. Note the time, so you can tell your own clicks apart later.
- 5After the send, read clicks and unique visitors per link next to your tool's report, and add conversion tracking to see which links led to sign-ups or sales.
What tracked links don't do
- Name who clicked. A link sent to a whole list counts clicks, not subscribers. Track Link doesn't show names, email addresses or IP addresses.
- Count opens. Those need an image pixel, and pixels are unreliable in email: see how accurate an email tracking pixel is.
- Keep long history on Free. How far back you can look: 7 days data retention on Free, 6 months data retention on Starter. Older clicks come back into view when you upgrade.
- Count without limit on Free. Free records up to 1,500 clicks per month, and a large list can use that in one send. Plans and limits explains what happens at the cap.
Questions people ask
How do I track clicks in my newsletter?
Create a tracked link for each destination, paste it into your issue instead of the raw URL, and send as usual. Each click is recorded with its time, approximate location, device and UTM tags, and the link keeps one running count across every issue that uses it.
How do I track newsletter engagement beyond opens?
Look at clicks per link, unique visitors and what readers did after the click. Opens rely on images, which many mail apps preload, proxy or block. A click needs someone to act, and conversion tracking shows whether it became a sign-up or a sale.
Can I see which subscriber clicked a link?
Not in Track Link. A link shared with a whole list records clicks, not people, and we don't show names, email addresses or IP addresses. Your newsletter tool already reports which subscribers clicked.
Why do my newsletter clicks look higher than my audience?
Usually email security scanners checking links, plus your own test clicks. We filter known bots and cloud-server traffic, but not every scanner. Why your link shows clicks nobody made explains how to spot them.
Do tracked links work in Substack, beehiiv, Mailchimp and Kit?
Yes. They are ordinary HTTPS links, so they work in any newsletter tool, on buttons, images and text. Put them on your own domain, not a public shortener, to keep filters happy.
Is newsletter link tracking free?
You can start free with 10 tracked links, click analytics and conversion tracking, signing in with Google or Microsoft and no credit card. Free links show a short notice before forwarding, so for subscriber-facing links Starter ($5.60/mo) and above, which forward instantly, are the better fit.
More on tracking links in email
Email link tracking
Track clicks in any email campaign or one-off message.
Email signature link tracking
Find out which signature links people actually click.
Cold email link tracking
Which prospects clicked, without hurting deliverability.
UTM parameters for email
A naming scheme for source, medium and campaign in email.
Email link shortener
Keep the links in your emails on a domain you own.
Give every newsletter link a number that lasts
Start free with 10 tracked links and click analytics, no credit card.
Create a tracked link