How to Track Newsletter Clicks in GA4 With UTM Links
Tag email links with UTM parameters and see exactly which newsletters bring visits and sales in GA4.
Many email clients and apps do not pass a referrer when someone clicks a link. Without tagging, newsletter visits often appear in GA4 as "Direct" traffic, and you cannot tell which email or link worked. UTM parameters fix this.
The UTM parameters you need
- utm_source โ the newsletter or list name, for example
weekly-newsletter. - utm_medium โ always
email. GA4 uses this to put the visit in the Email channel. - utm_campaign โ the specific send, for example
2026-11-diwali-offers. - utm_content (optional) โ which link in the email:
header-banner,product-1,footer-link.
Read what UTM parameters are in GA4 for the full list.
Step 1: Agree on naming rules
Use lowercase, hyphens instead of spaces, and the same values every time. "Email", "email" and "E-mail" show up as three different mediums. Write the rules down and share them with anyone who sends emails.
Step 2: Build the links
Use the free UTM builder to add the parameters to each link. Many email platforms can also add UTM tags automatically โ check their settings and make sure they use your naming rules.
Step 3: Send a test
Send the email to yourself, click a link, and check GA4's Realtime report. The visit should appear with your source, medium and campaign.
Step 4: Read the results
- Reports โ Acquisition โ Traffic acquisition, set the dimension to Session campaign, Session source or Session manual ad content.
- Filter Session medium to
emailto see only newsletter traffic. - Add key events (conversions) to compare which emails led to purchases or enquiries.
Common mistakes
- Using UTM tags on internal links within your own site โ this overwrites the original source.
- Different spellings across campaigns.
- Forgetting to tag links in the email footer and signature.
Read how to build UTM links for more examples.
A worked example
A bookstore sent two emails a week but could not tell whether they drove sales โ GA4 showed a spike in Direct traffic on send days. It started tagging every link with utm_medium=email, a source per list and a campaign per send, and used utm_content for each book featured. Reports soon showed that the weekend "staff picks" email brought most orders, while the midweek offers email brought visits but few purchases.
If your newsletter is built from your blog's RSS feed, see RSS feed to email newsletter.
A sample naming sheet
- utm_source: weekly-newsletter, offers-list, new-customers
- utm_medium: email (always)
- utm_campaign: year-month-topic, such as 2026-12-winter-sale
- utm_content: header, button-1, product-name, footer
Keep the sheet in a shared document and add every new value before using it. After a few months you will be able to compare campaigns fairly, because every email was tagged the same way.
Also track sign-ups as a key event, so you can see which website pages grow your newsletter list.
Related guides
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Frequently asked questions
Why does email traffic show as Direct in GA4?
Many email apps do not pass referrer information. UTM tags solve this.
What should utm_medium be for email?
Use "email" so GA4 assigns the visit to the Email channel.
Can I see which link in an email was clicked?
Yes, by giving each link a different utm_content value.
Do UTM tags affect SEO?
No. They are for tracking, and tagged links in emails do not affect search rankings.