Email links often need UTM parameters because an email click may not provide a useful referrer. Tags tell your analytics reports which message and link generated the visit.
A simple email convention
Start with utm_source=newsletter or a specific sender platform, utm_medium=email, and a stable campaign value.
utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=summer_sale&utm_content=hero_button
Distinguish links inside one email
Use utm_content for the hero button, text link, footer link, or product card. Keep the source, medium, and campaign the same when they belong to the same email.
Automations and recurring newsletters
Choose whether a campaign represents the whole promotion or one send. Document the rule. Avoid creating dozens of near-identical values that make reporting difficult.
Before sending
- Check every destination URL.
- Confirm the source and medium spelling.
- Use different content values for important link positions.
- Test a link in a real email preview.
Build the links with the BestUTM builder and keep a campaign sheet for future reference.
Use a campaign sheet
Record the message name, send date, destination, source, medium, campaign, and content value. This makes it possible to explain older email traffic after the original send has disappeared from the email platform.
For important sends, test both the email preview and a real received message. Email platforms may rewrite links, and that final version is what the reader clicks.
Make the rule usable for the team
A tracking rule only works when the person creating the link can find it at the moment of work. Put the convention in the campaign brief, template, or handoff document rather than relying on a senior marketer to explain it each time.
After the campaign, keep the final links and the reasoning behind unusual values. This turns one-off decisions into reusable team knowledge.
Examples by email type
A monthly digest might use utm_campaign=october_digest; a product announcement might use utm_campaign=new_feature_launch; an abandoned-cart sequence could use utm_campaign=cart_recovery. The useful part is that the name describes the business initiative consistently.
If a message contains links to multiple products, use content to identify the card or CTA. Do not turn each product into a new medium.
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