Attribute every channel
Attribute newsletter revenue
Prove what your email list is worth, and learn which issues drive sales.
3 min read
Email clients don't send a referrer, so newsletter visits usually land in Direct. With one change to your links, every issue gets its own revenue number.
Why this matters
A newsletter is one of the few channels you own. Knowing its revenue tells you how much to invest in growing the list, and which topics and offers your subscribers actually buy.
Why most analytics tools can't tell you
Email tools report opens and clicks. Opens are unreliable, and clicks don't say who paid. Without tagged links, analytics tools file the visit under Direct.
How Datasense does it
Datasense reads the UTM parameters on your links. Give each issue its own utm_campaign and the Campaigns tab shows visitors and revenue for every issue.
How to do it
- 1Add UTM parameters to every link in the issue: ?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2026-10-issue.
- 2Connect your payment provider in Settings → Revenue: Stripe, Polar, Lemon Squeezy, Paddle or Dodo Payments, with an API key. Datasense registers the webhook and imports your last year of payments. Any other provider works through the Payments API.
- 3After you send, open the Sources card and switch to the Campaigns tab.
- 4Sort by Revenue to rank issues, and click one to see which pages its readers visited.
Most email tools can add UTM parameters to every link for you. Turn that on once and every issue is tracked.
Turn it into action
- Write more about the topics behind your best-earning issues.
- An issue with clicks and no revenue: test a clearer offer, or link to a page that converts better.
- Compare revenue per visitor from email with other channels before spending on list growth.
In the docs:Track UTM campaigns →