Discover 5 internal email analytics best practices that go beyond opens and clicks. Learn how to track engagement, prove ROI, and improve comms strategy.
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Access NowToo many internal communications teams rely on surface-level metrics like open rates, number of sends, and click-through rates (CTRs) as proxies for success. But these outdated indicators often mask more than they reveal. They don’t show whether messages land, employees feel informed, or whether communications drive real change.
An HFS Research market impact report, developed with data management company Syniti, reveals that global 2000 enterprises admit that more than 40% of their organizational data is unusable. At the same time, Don’t drown in data debt; champion your Data First culture states that close to 85% of respondents to their survey recognize that data is a cornerstone of business success, and therefore “precious.” Furthermore, only one in four enterprise leaders has fully implemented an active company-wide data management strategy.
The report also highlights a needs gap emerging from the fact that the traditional data management approach offers standardized solutions that don’t address the complex needs of modern data initiatives.
“Enterprise data management requires a fresh perspective and unconventional thinking. Despite its critical importance, the ‘same old, same old’ approach has not propelled the data needle forward.”
HFS Research
Additionally, internal comms require different analytics than marketing email because the aims are fundamentally different. Marketing emails are about acquisition, conversion, and revenue. Internal emails are about clarity, alignment, behavior change, trust, and retention. Your “audience” is already within the organization. Typically, they’re busy, distracted, in different roles (desk-based, non-desk, frontline), sometimes in different places and with different tools. The stakes are internal culture, morale, change adoption, not just clicks.
We’re going to share internal email analytics best practices that are rooted in recent, reputable 2025 research. These are practices that help internal communicators not just measure more, but measure better. They help communicators understand true engagement, surface gaps, and improve impact.
Email remains the leading internal communications channel. Gallagher’s Employee Communications Report, featuring findings and insights from its State of the Sector 2024/25 survey, confirms this. It states that whether sent from the company to employees or leadership to employees, email announcements are the top choice. When sent from the company, usage is 92% versus other channels, which range from 65% for E-newsletters to only 12% letters and printed materials. When sent from leaders, usage is 84%, which is way above the other channels that range from 48% for videos to a mere 9% for podcasts. Effectiveness is ranked at 80% for emails from leaders and 78% from the company.
The report also talks about the use of measurement data. Despite the high usage figures, Gallagher found that half of communicators surveyed were dissatisfied with their channels’ ability to reach all employees — regardless of work type or location. They also found that a lack of analytics and measurement is one of the top barriers linked to delivering for the business.
This shows that while email may still be the backbone of internal comms, without analytics, you’re essentially flying blind.
Unlock the full potential of your internal communication efforts with our free Internal Comms Metric Guide.
Strong analytics help communicators do far more than count sends or opens. They inform strategy by revealing which topics and formats capture attention, and which consistently fall flat. These insights show trends in employee engagement, for example, whether leadership messages gain traction or if certain departments regularly disengage. With this data, internal comms teams can refine content, adjust timing, and select channels that actually resonate.
Analytics also prove ROI by connecting communication activities to measurable business outcomes. Instead of reporting that emails were sent, communicators can demonstrate that messages have driven compliance completions, increased training participation, or boosted adoption of new tools. This makes it easier to justify budgets, secure leadership support, and position internal comms as a strategic partner rather than a tactical function.
Robust analytics also ensure that important messages reach the right people. With segmentation and delivery insights, communicators can identify blind spots, for instance, frontline workers missing critical safety updates or remote teams disengaging from culture messages. Correcting these gaps not only prevents missed information but also helps build trust by showing employees that the organization values their attention and tailors communication to their needs.
There is no dispute that traditional metrics fall short. Outlook and Gmail weren’t built for internal comms measurement. Their tracking options are limited, often skewed by auto-opens or filters, and they don’t reveal deeper engagement signals such as whether employees read, acted on, or shared key information.
Outlook email tracking with the current classic Outlook is very basic. It involves specific third-party tools or plugins that integrate with Outlook, providing real-time feedback and data about email engagement. Outlook itself doesn’t currently have integrated email analytics.
Gmail is widely used, but it has a major analytics gap and lacks native analytics features.
Simpplr’s 2025 State of Internal Communications and Intranet Technology Report highlights the consequences of organizations using outdated or fragmented systems. However, the performance gap they identify is a little different, showing that organizations with an intranet are twice as likely to rate internal communications as excellent. The report also states that a lack of adequate employee comms technology negatively impacts the overall employee experience and resultant business outcomes.
“What we discovered reveals a stark reality: There’s a massive performance gap emerging between organizations that have invested in modern intranet technology and those still cobbling together legacy systems — or without any system at all. And this gap is getting wider every day.”
Simpplr
Additionally, despite “the clear advantages of modern intranet technology, many organizations remain trapped by predictable obstacles. Processes get in the way of progress, poor user experiences abound, and technical systems are fragmented and frustrating.”
Internal comms teams don’t just need more data, they need the right data.
Internal email analytics best practices include auditing your content and distribution, segmenting your audience, setting clear goals and calls-to-action, analyzing open rates, read times, CTRs, and soliciting human feedback to understand message reception beyond basic metrics. By combining quantitative data with qualitative insights, organizations can refine their messaging, improve employee engagement, and ensure information effectively reaches and resonates with their target audience.
Ultimately, measuring what truly matters helps you prove value, fine-tune strategy, and strengthen employee engagement.
Here are five best practices, backed by 2025 insights, that move beyond vanity metrics to reveal real impact.
Open rates only tell you if an email landed in an inbox. They don’t prove that employees read or acted on it. Instead, track scroll depth, time spent reading, and acknowledgement rates (e.g., clicking “I’ve read this” or answering a pulse question). These deeper indicators show whether content is actually consumed and understood, which are far stronger measures of engagement than a quick glance at subject lines.
Employees aren’t a monolith. You need to understand your various audiences. For this reason, analytics should be broken down by role, department, location, and even device type to uncover patterns of disengagement. For example, a frontline team may consistently miss safety updates, while a regional office may skim leadership messages. Segmentation not only highlights blind spots but also empowers communicators to tailor follow-up campaigns that are relevant and effective.
5 Internal Email Analytics Best Practices That Actually Work
Internal comms stretch far beyond email. Employees toggle between email, mobile apps, intranet hubs, and collaboration platforms like Teams or Slack. Measuring channel performance side by side reveals where employees prefer to engage and where information gets lost. These insights can help you decide the right channel mix and ensure important updates reach employees wherever they are.
Unlock the full potential of your internal communication efforts with our free Internal Comms Metric Guide.
Single-email metrics can be misleading. Group related messages into campaigns tied to an initiative such as benefits enrollment, compliance training, or product launches. Also, measure awareness, completion, or adoption at the initiative level. This approach provides a much clearer picture of communication effectiveness over time and shows leadership how comms directly drive program success.
Analytics only matter if they connect to what the business values. So, go beyond opens and clicks by aligning comms dashboards to participation, compliance, and engagement KPIs.
Ask these questions, and more: Did your campaign boost training completion rates? Did safety emails reduce incidents? Did recognition messages improve eNPS? Demonstrating impact on tangible outcomes not only proves ROI but also secures greater leadership support for internal comms.
Even the best internal email strategy falls short without the right tools to measure it. Basic email clients like Outlook or Gmail were never designed for internal communications analytics. At best, they offer rudimentary tracking such as open rates — often skewed by auto-opens or image blocking — and basic click counts. What they can’t provide is the level of insight needed to understand whether employees are truly engaging with content, or whether communications are driving alignment and change.
That’s why advanced analytics tools are vital.
Modern internal comms platforms give communicators the same sophistication that marketers have enjoyed for years, but with a focus on employee engagement, not conversions. These tools help you move past vanity metrics to see how communication contributes to real organizational outcomes.
When evaluating tools, look for the following capabilities:
Without these capabilities, internal comms teams risk mistaking activity for impact. However, with them, they can measure what truly matters — not just whether an email was sent, but whether it informed, engaged, and contributed to business goals.
Cerkl Broadcast is designed to give internal communicators the depth of insight they need without the blind spots produced by basic email tools. Its analytics go beyond surface-level tracking to show how messages perform, how employees engage, and how communications connect to real outcomes.
The superior tools Cerkl Broadcast offers that can help with analytics include its email platform and real-time communications analytics.
With these capabilities, Broadcast transforms analytics from “nice to know” numbers into strategic intelligence that helps teams continuously improve.
Analytics aren’t just about reporting numbers. They’re about proving value, refining strategy, and making sure employees get the messages that matter most. By focusing on deeper engagement metrics, segmentation, campaign reporting, and outcomes, internal communicators can finally move past vanity stats and deliver measurable impact. If you’re ready to take the next step, download our Internal Comms Metrics Guide. It’s packed with practical frameworks, examples, and tips to help you build a measurement strategy that aligns communication with business results. Better still, it’s absolutely free.
Unlock the full potential of your internal communication efforts with our free Internal Comms Metric Guide.
What are the most important internal email metrics to track? The most important metrics go beyond opens and clicks, and they need to include engagement depth (scroll rate, time spent), segmentation insights, and acknowledgement or action rates. These indicators will show whether employees are truly reading and acting on your messages.
How often should I review internal email analytics? A proven best practice is to review analytics after each major campaign and track trends monthly or quarterly. Regular reviews help you spot disengagement early, refine strategy, and prove long-term impact.
What tools do I need for advanced internal email analytics? Basic email clients can’t deliver the insights internal comms teams need, so advanced analytics tools are essential. To ensure internal email analytics best practices, look for platforms that provide dashboards, segmentation, campaign reporting, and multi-channel insights tailored for employee engagement.
Unlock the full potential of your internal communication efforts with our free Internal Comms Metric Guide.
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