When should you send newsletters to achieve maximum impact?
Many people wonder when to send newsletters and how timing affects whether your newsletter is read or not. We have analysed over 200 million newsletters sent over the last two years. Here is what our own statistics show.
Let us assume that your newsletter is packed with great offers and interesting information, and has an attention-grabbing subject line. But what do you do now? Do you just press "send" as soon as you finish writing, and hope for the best?
No. Now you need to choose a set time for your newsletter. Whether weekly or monthly, predictability helps make it a regular, welcome addition to the recipient's inbox. It is easier to establish a routine when people know when to expect it. Analysis shows that 23 percent of all opened emails are opened within the first hour, and by the next hour, the open rate drops by 50 percent.
So you need to decide two things: Which day should you send, and what time of day?
Fortunately, at Make we have plenty of data from our own email marketing software, along with a fair amount of expertise. Here are our best tips for you.
Which day should you send your newsletter?
The conventional advice often found online is to choose mid-week days, particularly Tuesday or Thursday. This is typically argued on the basis that most people have enough on their plate on Mondays, while no one has the patience to read emails on Fridays.
Our data suggests otherwise.
First of all, from the best to the worst day to send email, there is less than a 10 percentage point difference in open rates. The specific day is not critical. However, for those looking to optimise their campaigns, it is smart to avoid weekends.
Otherwise, it is interesting that Friday ranks so high. Perhaps because work habits differ from country to country, or perhaps because our habits have changed over time. If we were to guess, we assume many professionals enjoy winding down with some emails as the working week comes to an end.
What time should you send your newsletter?
Once you have chosen the day of the week, you are not quite there yet. Now you must choose between 24 possible hours (or even more, if you want to be unconventional and consistently send emails at 15:38).
Looking at our own data again, most emails are opened between 13:00 and 19:00. This is followed by morning times, while the fewest are opened in the middle of the night, for obvious reasons. The top three most popular times are 18:00 (7.68%), 15:00 (7.00%), and 19:00 (6.86%). It seems we do not just like reading emails at the end of the week, but also at the end of the day.
We use the following rule of thumb: Send at the same time every time, and do not start sending after 15:00. It takes several hours to send out a large campaign, so it should ideally be ready in the inbox before eight in the evening.
When are the best sales days of the year?
Do not forget who you are emailing
There is one problem with all the data and recommendations we have not addressed yet: they are just averages.
There is a business for every target audience in the world, which means there is no single correct answer for when to send your newsletter. We have two tips if you want to go beyond just following online advice:
Trust your instincts
Test them out
You know your recipients best and likely have an idea of how they spend their week and days. If you are a B2B company, you probably want to reach recipients during working hours while they are still in business mode. If you offer leisure activities, it may be smart to test evening or even weekend campaigns.
Similarly, it pays to take online advice with a pinch of salt. When everyone learns that Thursday at two o'clock is the best time for email, a flood of emails arrives at the same time, competing for attention. It can sometimes pay to go against the trend and find a time with less competition.
Do not hesitate to experiment. Use the analytics in your email tool to see which campaigns get the best response. At best, you will find a highly effective time to send; at worst, you have learned what to avoid.
Ultimately, neither the day nor the time you send is the most important factor in getting your newsletter read. Focus above all on creating great content and subject lines that entice the recipient to open.