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The Madison Avenue Field GuideA field guide to marketing & advertising, by Brandon Mina

GlossaryEmail & LifecycleList Growth Rate

Email & Lifecycle

List Growth Rate

The rate at which an email or SMS list grows over a period, calculated as new subscribers minus unsubscribes, bounces, and complaints, divided by list size.

By Brandon MinaCEO, BrandPilot AIUpdated November 2026

Short answer

List growth rate is the rate at which an email or SMS list grows over a period, calculated as new subscribers minus unsubscribes, bounces and complaints, divided by list size. Because lists naturally decay, a healthy program needs steady growth. Tracking it shows whether acquisition efforts are keeping pace with list attrition.