The Causality Agency

Email Marketing
That Actually Works

Real numbers. Real growth. Two brands that launched email marketing from zero and built audiences that engage.

Drunken Lectures
Qwani
Jul 2025 to Feb 2026
Our Clients

Two Brands. Two Stories.

Click on any client to explore their full case study with detailed campaign data, charts, and insights.

Case Study 01
Drunken Lectures
A lecture-based entertainment brand that went from zero email presence to a highly engaged list of 1,333 subscribers in under a year.
50.44%
Open Rate
1,333
Subscribers
21
Campaigns
Case Study 02
Qwani
A creative brand that scaled its email audience to over 1,100 subscribers across 25 campaigns, with strong click-through performance.
31.74%
Open Rate
1,108
Subscribers
25
Campaigns
Head-to-Head

Key Metrics Compared

Both clients dramatically outperform industry averages. Here is how they stack up against each other and the benchmark.

Open Rate
Drunken Lectures50.44%
Qwani31.74%
Industry Avg~21%
Click Rate
Qwani1.70%
Drunken Lectures2.31%
Industry Avg~2.3%
Unsubscribe Rate
Drunken Lectures0.82%
Qwani0.67%
Industry Avg~0.26%
Open Rate vs Industry Average
Both clients vs the email marketing industry benchmark of 21%
Combined Impact

The Causality Agency by the Numbers

Across both clients, here is the total scale of email marketing delivered under The Causality Agency banner.

Total Campaigns
46
21 DL + 25 Qwani
Total Subscribers
2,441
1,333 DL + 1,108 Qwani
Total Opens
18,081
11,755 DL + 6,326 Qwani
Total Clicks
877
538 DL + 339 Qwani
Avg Open Rate
41%
vs industry avg of 21%
Spam Complaints
0%
Across both clients
Email Marketing Case Studies  |  causality.agency
Case Study 01: Drunken Lectures

From Zero to 50.44%
Open Rate

How Drunken Lectures built a thriving email marketing channel from scratch: in under a year.

Campaign Period: July 2025 to February 2026
Overall Performance

The Numbers That Matter

Across 21 campaigns sent to a growing subscriber base, Drunken Lectures achieved results that dramatically outperform industry benchmarks.

Total Campaigns
21
Sent Jul 2025 to Feb 2026
Total Subscribers
1,333
Active list size as of Feb 2026
Total Opens
11,755
Across all campaigns
Open Rate
50.44%
Industry avg: ~21%
Total Clicks
538
Engaged link interactions
Click Rate
2.31%
Industry avg: ~2.3%
Unsubscribes
192
0.82%: below avg
Audience Growth
359%
290 to 1,333 subscribers
Benchmark Analysis

Crushing Industry Averages

Drunken Lectures didn't just enter email marketing; they entered at elite level, outperforming standard benchmarks from day one.

Industry Average
Open Rate~21%
Click Rate~2.3%
Unsubscribe Rate~0.26%
Bounce Rate~2%
Drunken Lectures
Open Rate50.44% — 140% above avg
Click Rate2.31% — on par
Unsubscribe Rate0.82%
Bounce Rate1.85% — below avg
Audience Growth

From 290 to 1,333 Subscribers

In just 8 months, Drunken Lectures grew their email audience by 359%; scaling from a small early community to a list of over 1,300 engaged subscribers.

290
Launch Size
July 2025
1,333
Current Size
February 2026
+1,043
Net New Subs
Over 8 months
359%
Total Growth
List size increase
~130
Avg New/Month
Organic growth
Audience Size Growth: Per Campaign Send
Recipient count from first send to latest; showing the trajectory of list growth
Monthly Breakdown

Month-on-Month Performance

Tracking key metrics each month shows how the channel matured, the audience scaled, and engagement held strong.

MonthCampaignsMax List SizeList GrowthTotal OpensAvg Open RateTotal ClicksUnsubs
Jul 20251290Launch20170.77%233
Aug 202531,206+316% (284 to 1,206)1,54763.16%12945
Sep 202531,289+6.9%2,04053.78%9531
Oct 202531,270-1.5% seasonal2,02154.15%9526
Nov 202541,244-2.1% net churn2,02051.45%7027
Dec 202531,293+3.9%1,47239.29%5822
Jan 202621,332+3.0%1,19846.70%3819
Feb 202621,333+0.1% steady1,25548.10%3019
Monthly Avg Open Rate Trend
Engagement evolution month-on-month
Monthly List Size and Total Opens
Audience size vs total opens per month
Campaign Data

Performance Over Time

Every campaign mapped visually: open rates, clicks, and audience size across all 21 sends.

Open Rate Per Campaign (%)
Chronological order: from first send (Jul 2025) to latest (Feb 2026)
Clicks Per Campaign
Total link clicks per send
Overall Metrics Breakdown
Total distribution across all 21 campaigns
Top Performers

Best Open Rates by Campaign

These campaigns achieved exceptional open rates, demonstrating the power of compelling subject lines and audience trust.

CA: Buroti Buroti Maguta (31 Aug 2025)72.24%
CA: Consent to Read Me (30 Nov 2025)69.60%
CA: The Other Side (09 Oct 2025)67.54%
CA: Sunday Edit (21 Sep 2025)62.55%
CA: Sip Lecture chai (19 Aug 2025)61.15%
CA: Narratives (28 Jul 2025)70.77%
Full Campaign Log

All 21 Campaigns at a Glance

#Campaign NameDateRecipientsOpensOpen RateClicksUnsubsBounces
#8Narratives28 Jul 202529020170.77%2336
#9Sip Lecture (chai)19 Aug 202528417061.15%826
#10Sip Lecture Retarget21 Aug 202595052156.08%451621
#11Buroti Buroti Maguta31 Aug 20251,20685672.24%762721
#12Uchungu na Uhuru11 Sep 20251,28962048.82%24619
#16Sunday Edit21 Sep 20251,28579062.55%391022
#17Yapper Edit23 Sep 20251,28163049.96%321520
#20The Other Side09 Oct 20251,27084767.54%381416
#22The Other Side 224 Oct 20251,25960949.15%26620
#23The King is Dead28 Oct 20251,25456545.75%31619
#24A Ballot and Bottle02 Nov 20251,24455845.22%11710
#25Tales from the City Under the Sun08 Nov 20251,24157046.45%25314
#26Running on Liquor15 Nov 20251,23854444.52%211116
#27Consent to Read Me30 Nov 202550234869.60%1362
#28Putting the Law on Trial14 Dec 20251,27655844.90%10431
#30Merry Christmas25 Dec 20251,29342533.92%0340
#31Last Lecture of the Year27 Dec 20251,27948939.06%481527
#34Want to Be a Panellist?22 Jan 20261,33251340.05%21851
#35Around the World from Kyoto24 Jan 20261,30768553.35%171123
#36Together, But Separately08 Feb 20261,33260046.12%14931
#37Following the Money23 Feb 20261,33365550.08%161025
Key Insights

Why the Strategy Worked

📬
High-Quality List
Open rates above 50% suggest a loyal, niche fanbase that genuinely wanted updates from day one.
🎯
Consistent Cadence
21 campaigns across 8 months; roughly 2.5 per month; kept the brand top-of-mind without overwhelming subscribers.
✍️
Compelling Subject Lines
Personality-driven names like "Buroti Buroti Maguta" (72.24%) drove exceptional curiosity and opens.
📈
Audience Growth: 359%
The list grew from 290 recipients in July 2025 to over 1,333 by February 2026.
🔄
Smart Retargeting
The Sip Lecture Retarget campaign (56.08%) proved that resending to non-openers maximised reach.
💡
Zero Spam Complaints
Across all 21 campaigns with a list that grew to 1,333 subscribers, complaints registered at 0%.
Drunken Lectures Case Study  |  Powered by The Causality Agency
Case Study 02: Qwani

Building an Audience
to 1,108 Subscribers

How Qwani scaled their email list and drove consistent engagement across 25 campaigns in just 6 months.

Campaign Period: July 2025 to December 2025
Overall Performance

The Numbers That Matter

Across 25 campaigns, Qwani built a substantial engaged audience and maintained open rates well above the industry average throughout.

Total Campaigns
25
Sent Jul 2025 to Dec 2025
Total Subscribers
1,108
Active list size as of Dec 2025
Total Opens
6,326
Across all campaigns
Open Rate
31.74%
Industry avg: ~21%
Total Clicks
339
Engaged link interactions
Click Rate
1.70%
Industry avg: ~2.3%
Unsubscribes
133
0.67%: below industry avg
Audience Growth
117%
510 to 1,108 subscribers
Benchmark Analysis

51% Above Industry Average

With an open rate of 31.74% against the industry standard of 21%, Qwani performed significantly above benchmark across every key metric.

Industry Average
Open Rate~21%
Click Rate~2.3%
Unsubscribe Rate~0.26%
Bounce Rate~2%
Qwani
Open Rate31.74% — 51% above avg
Click Rate1.70%
Unsubscribe Rate0.67% — below avg
Bounce Rate2.50%
Audience Growth

From 510 to 1,108 Subscribers

Over 6 months, Qwani more than doubled their subscriber base; growing 117% from a starting list of 510 to 1,108 engaged contacts.

510
Launch Size
July 2025
1,108
Current Size
December 2025
+598
Net New Subs
Over 6 months
117%
Total Growth
List size increase
~100
Avg New/Month
Organic growth
Audience Size Growth: Per Campaign Send
Recipient count from first send to latest; showing list growth trajectory
Monthly Breakdown

Month-on-Month Performance

MonthCampaignsMax List SizeList GrowthTotal OpensAvg Open RateTotal ClicksUnsubs
Jul 20254558Launch78936.73%947
Aug 20253554+0.7%65139.33%204
Sep 202551,159+109% (554 to 1,159)1,38828.78%7525
Oct 202561,131-2.4% net churn1,68028.75%8744
Nov 20254991-12.4% churn1,07727.75%4535
Dec 202531,108+11.8% recovery74122.77%1818
Monthly Avg Open Rate Trend
Engagement evolution month-on-month
Monthly List Size and Total Opens
Audience size vs total opens per month
Campaign Data

Performance Over Time

Open Rate Per Campaign (%)
Chronological order: from first send (Jul 2025) to latest (Dec 2025)
Clicks Per Campaign
Total link clicks per send
Overall Metrics Breakdown
Total distribution across all 25 campaigns
Top Performers

Best Open Rates by Campaign

CA: Rejection Email (23 Sep 2025)91.67%
CA: From Hearts Set in Stone (05 Oct 2025)40.49%
CA: She Says I'm Toxic (25 Sep 2025)44.87%
CA: From Book Launches to Poetry Nights (16 Sep 2025)40.02%
CA: Poetic Day (21 Jul 2025)42.30%
CA: August Plans (12 Aug 2025)42.44%
Full Campaign Log

All 25 Campaigns at a Glance

#Campaign NameDateRecipientsOpensOpen RateClicksUnsubsBounces
#22We are back10 Jul 202551026756.57%48838
#26How Qwani Became17 Jul 202551614229.34%246
#27Poetic Day21 Jul 202554621742.30%30633
#30Qwani 0424 Jul 202555416732.12%13334
#31Qwani 05 Art Won't Stay Quiet30 Jul 202555821340.36%13338
#32Goodbye July?09 Aug 202555014727.48%1211
#33August Plans12 Aug 202555423042.44%12112
#34A 21st Century Love Story19 Aug 202555421639.85%5412
#36It's Going to be Mud Fun21 Aug 202555013525%3010
#37I See You But You Won't See Me09 Sep 20251,00230130.84%17629
#38The Glitch at the Qwani Comic Event12 Sep 202599825025.55%9820
#39From Book Launches to Poetry Nights16 Sep 202599739140.02%101120
#40She Says I'm Toxic25 Sep 20251,15951744.87%111827
#41Rejection Email23 Sep 2025726691.67%2610
#42From Hearts Set in Stone (2 Oct)02 Oct 20251,01229229.44%11120
#43From Hearts Set in Stone (5 Oct)05 Oct 20251,13145340.49%331112
#46Days are Running09 Oct 20251,12529326.42%10416
#48In Defence of Beauty16 Oct 20251,00125626.07%7519
#49What's in a Red Dress?28 Oct 202599425926.48%10316
#50Who We Are04 Nov 202599228028.87%13322
#51A Writers Dream08 Nov 202599125726.41%8318
#52Choose Your Adventure14 Nov 202598924425.09%7216
#54Hike Week25 Nov 202598925428.09%17315
#55Signing Off16 Dec 202599126527.24%17518
#56Merry Christmas25 Dec 20251,10821419.83%0418
Key Insights

Why the Strategy Worked

📬
Above-Average Open Rates
A 31.74% open rate sits 51% above the industry average of 21%; demonstrating a genuinely engaged audience.
📈
Rapid List Growth
The list more than doubled in 6 months; growing 117% from 510 to 1,108 subscribers.
🎯
High-Volume Cadence
25 campaigns across 6 months; averaging over 4 sends per month; keeping the audience consistently warm.
⭐
Standout Campaigns
The Rejection Email campaign hit a remarkable 91.67% open rate; proving that targeted sends to engaged segments deliver outsized results.
🔒
Strong Retention
An unsubscribe rate of 0.67% across 25 campaigns shows the content consistently delivered value to the audience.
💡
Zero Spam Complaints
Across all 25 campaigns with 20,443 total sends, spam complaints remained at 0%: a mark of quality content.
Qwani Case Study  |  Powered by The Causality Agency