UTM Tracking¶
UTM parameters are tags added to the links in your emails so you can track campaign performance in analytics tools like Google Analytics, Mixpanel, or PostHog. MailJawn can automatically append UTM parameters to every link in your campaigns.
How It Works¶
When UTM tracking is enabled, MailJawn appends query parameters to the destination URLs in your email at send time. A link like:
Becomes:
https://example.com/upgrade?utm_source=email&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=january-product-update
Your analytics tool reads these parameters and attributes the visit to your email campaign.
Note
MailJawn respects existing UTM parameters. If a link already contains a utm_source parameter, MailJawn won't overwrite it.
UTM Parameters¶
MailJawn supports the five standard UTM parameters:
| Parameter | Purpose | Example Value |
|---|---|---|
utm_source |
Where the traffic came from | email |
utm_medium |
The marketing medium | newsletter |
utm_campaign |
The specific campaign name | january-product-update |
utm_content |
Differentiates links within the same campaign | hero-button |
utm_term |
Identifies paid search terms (rarely used for email) | — |
Project-Level Defaults¶
You can set UTM defaults at the project level. These apply to every campaign in the project unless overridden.
| Setting | Default Value |
|---|---|
source |
email |
medium |
newsletter |
campaign |
(empty — auto-generated per campaign) |
content |
(empty) |
term |
(empty) |
Tip
Set source and medium once at the project level, then let MailJawn auto-generate the campaign value for each send. This keeps your analytics consistent without extra work.
Enabling UTM Tracking¶
UTM tracking is off by default. Enable it in your project settings by turning on the UTM tracking toggle. Once enabled, the project defaults apply to all campaigns.
Per-Campaign Overrides¶
Any campaign can override the project defaults. Override values replace the project default for that specific parameter only — other parameters still use the project defaults.
For example, if your project defaults are:
| Parameter | Project Default |
|---|---|
source |
email |
medium |
newsletter |
And a campaign overrides medium to promo, the final UTM parameters for that campaign would be:
| Parameter | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
utm_source |
email |
Project default |
utm_medium |
promo |
Campaign override |
Auto-Generated Campaign Names¶
When utm_campaign is not explicitly set (at either the project or campaign level), MailJawn automatically generates it from the campaign's name or subject line. The value is "slugified" — converted to lowercase with spaces replaced by hyphens.
| Campaign Name | Generated utm_campaign |
|---|---|
| January Product Update | january-product-update |
| 🎉 New Feature Launch | new-feature-launch |
| Weekly Tips #42 | weekly-tips-42 |
Viewing UTM Data¶
Once your campaign is sent and subscribers click links, the UTM parameters appear in your analytics tool under the traffic source reports. Look for:
- Source:
email(or whatever you configured) - Medium:
newsletter,promo, etc. - Campaign: The specific campaign identifier
This lets you compare email campaign performance against other channels (social, organic search, paid ads) and compare campaigns against each other.