Let’s Talk Growth

Why I Resent My Newsletter and What the Numbers Taught Me About Alignment, Engagement, and Letting Go

Author: Desiree Whitehead

I’ve spent most of the last year helping other businesses grow, teaching workshops, auditing CRMs, speaking on panels, and building campaigns. I’ve been out there doing the work. But one thing I hadn’t done?

Email my own list.

This Q3 newsletter was the first time I sat down, paused, and focused on showing up directly in my community’s inbox.

And because I believe in practicing what I preach, I followed best practices:

 ✅ Clear message
 ✅ Strategic send
 ✅ Well-timed resend

The results? Transparent, imperfect, and incredibly worth sharing.

Campaign Summary: Wolf Pack Wisdom Q3
MetricSend 1 (Jul 2)Send 2 (Jul 25)CombinedIndustry Avg
Open Rate25.64%10.44%36.08%20%–30% (✓ above)
Click Rate0.85%1.20%2.05%1%–2% (✓ above)
Click-Through Rate3.33%11.54%14.87%1.5%–3% (✓ 5x higher)
Unsubscribe Rate5.13%2.41%7.54% total0.1%–0.5% (⚠️ above)
Campaign Summary: Wolf Pack Wisdom Q3
Metric Send 1 (Jul 2) Send 2 (Jul 25) Combined Industry Avg
Open Rate 25.64% 10.44% 36.08% 20%–30% (✓ above)
Click Rate 0.85% 1.20% 2.05% 1%–2% (✓ above)
Click-Through Rate 3.33% 11.54% 14.87% 1.5%–3% (✓ 5x higher)
Unsubscribe Rate 5.13% 2.41% 7.54% total 0.1%–0.5% (⚠️ above)

Send 1 (Jul 2)

  • Open Rate: 25.64%
  • Click Rate: 0.85%
  • Click-Through Rate: 3.33%
  • Unsubscribe Rate: 5.13%

Send 2 (Jul 25)

  • Open Rate: 10.44%
  • Click Rate: 1.20%
  • Click-Through Rate: 11.54%
  • Unsubscribe Rate: 2.41%

Combined

  • Open Rate: 36.08%
  • Click Rate: 2.05%
  • Click-Through Rate: 14.87%
  • Unsubscribe Rate: 7.54% total

Industry Avg

  • Open Rate: 20%–30% (✓ above)
  • Click Rate: 1%–2% (✓ above)
  • Click-Through Rate: 1.5%–3% (✓ 5x higher)
  • Unsubscribe Rate: 0.1%–0.5% (⚠️ above)
 

Note: CTR shows engagement. Click rate shows reach.

  • Click-through rate (CTR) = clicks ÷ opens
  • Click rate = clicks ÷ total delivered

The Real Story Behind the Data

Resends Don’t Just Work, They’re Essential.

In every industry I’ve touched, B2B, B2C, SaaS, education, resends make a measurable difference. The first send warms the list. The second one finds the rest of the people who needed the message, just at a different time.

That 11.54% click-through rate on the resend? That wasn’t noise. That was momentum.

I don’t send emails just to check a box. When I show up, it’s intentional. This time, I showed up twice and it paid off.

The High Unsubscribe Rate Was Intentional.

Let’s not skip over the big number. Yes, 7.54% of the list unsubscribed across both sends.

But here’s the thing: That was the plan.

This was the first message I’d sent in a long time. There was no magical “re-engagement” campaign ahead of it. I wasn’t trying to reintroduce myself slowly, I came back aligned and direct.

Before sending, I made sure the list was clean. I removed anyone who slipped past our suppression filters. These filters already exclude people who previously opted out or needed to be suppressed. What was left?

 ✅ Long-time community members
 ✅ Past clients and warm prospects
 ✅ HubSpot users I knew could benefit
 ✅ And some silent subscribers who’d been around for years

The unsubscribes helped me do what most people avoid: curate the room.

Every unsubscribe means I’m one step closer to a list that’s aligned, engaged, and clean for deliverability. And let’s be honest if someone hasn’t connected with me in all this time, they probably weren’t going to.

Clicks Matter More Than Opens And My Clicks Were Clear.

What’s wild is the combined CTR of 14.87% from just two focused calls-to-action:

  • Book a Brand Messaging Workshop discovery call
  • Claim a Free HubSpot Audit

No fluff. No detours. Just two ways to connect based on the work I’m proud to offer.

It reinforced what I’ve always believed: When you align your offers with your strategy, the right people show up.

This Wasn’t About Perfection, It Was About Alignment.

You don’t need to overhaul everything. You don’t need a 12-part drip sequence. You just need to be clear on:

  • Who you serve
  • What you’re offering
  • Why it matters now

I wasn’t waiting for the perfect time. I just stopped making excuses and hit send twice.

The Takeaways

  • Resend your emails. No, really. We are all busy and get easily distracted.
  • Focus your offers. Make it obvious what you want them to do.
  • Don’t fear unsubscribes. They’re a signal, not a judgment.
  • Track both CTR and click rate. Together, they tell the full story.
  • And if you’ve been quiet for a while? Show up anyway. There’s power in restarting from an aligned place.

Ready to See What Your Data Isn’t Telling You?

You don’t know what you don’t know and that’s okay. Let’s figure it out together.

Book a Discovery Call
We’ll walk through where you are, what’s working, and what’s quietly costing you growth.

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