How Often Should You Email Your List? Here Are 5 Deciding Factors You Need to Know. Is the right strategy once a month, once a day or somewhere in between? A seasoned exec in the field offers profit-boosting insights.
By Svetoslav Dimitrov Edited by Maria Bailey
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Professionals have been arguing for decades over the age-old question of how often to email a marketing list. On one side are those who believe contacting readers more than once a month is a no-no. On the other, we have those who think daily emails are best for maximizing profits.
Who's right? Let's find out by looking at several factors.
1. Your industry
A company selling numerous health supplements might be emailing its list every day, or even twice per day. But if a lifestyle coach decides to bombard people on their list more than twice per week, this might lead to a significant number of unsubscribes. Conversely, if there is anxiety regarding emailing more than once per quarter, these valuable contacts might still unsubscribe because they might have forgotten about you.
According to SendGrid, the average click-through rates (CTR) by industry varies from 5.7% for non-profit through 14% for retail, to as much as 38.4% for computers and other electronics sectors.
Key takeaway: Your industry determines email frequency. For example, if running an ecommerce company, it's likely best to email at least three times a week. If you're in the coaching business, keeping that list updated once a week is a good idea. With respect to a non-profit organization, strive to send email newsletters at least once per month.
Related: How to Stop Consumers From Hitting 'Unsubscribe'
2. What you're selling
How many emails to send depends on what is being offered. On one hand, if selling a product, you might be well advised to increase the frequency of emails around the holidays for special promos — you might even send three to five on these special offers' last days. On the other hand, if the goal is to sell consulting services, sending emails every day would be overkill. It's vital to build a personal connection with the reader, and sending too frequently might actually hamper that process.
That said, presenting emails less than once a month might backfire, too. For example, an insurance company mentioned in a recent Seventh Sense email best practices report managed to increase revenue by 45% by sending more frequently.
Key takeaway: If selling physical products, it's recommended that you email a list three to five times per week. If selling digital products, the right tactic is likely two to three times per week, and for a service-based enterprise, a good goal is at least once per week.
Related: How to Turn Failures Into Wins As an Entrepreneur
3. How big and mature is your list
If a marketing list is fairly new, readers will need time to get used to messages, so you might be best advised to send emails once or twice per week. Once that list matures and reaches hundreds of thousands, that approach could change to sending promotional emails twice or even three times per day. Why? According to Omnisend, it's because larger senders have more products and/or more content worthy of being shared in bulk email campaigns.
No matter how big or mature a contact list is, the most important thing to remember is to not treat readers simply as potential buyers. A better strategy is to focus on providing value first — sales second. Even if you're selling something in every email, it's better to do so in a way that dependably shares something valuable with an audience. This sets you apart from the competition and will increase the lifetime value of every customer.
Key takeaway: If you've just launched an email list, sending newsletters more than once or twice per week is not recommended. If you've been emailing regularly for several months, it's fine to make them more frequent, and if a list is large, mature and warmed up, it's recommended to email every day. Just make sure to segment subscribers into categories so that you can tailor them to different needs.
Related: 5 Email-Marketing Strategies to Conquer Consumer Inaction
4. The data
Pay attention to your stats. Analyze open rates, click rates and how many subscriptions and unsubscribes are being received. These numbers are a goldmine because they help you apply vital changes to a marketing strategy.
For example, let's say you're sending three times per week — on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Open-and-click rates on Monday and Wednesday are between 25% and 30%, but on Friday they are lower than 20%. Based on this data, it might be better to either stop sending emails on Friday altogether or schedule them for another day.
According to Campaign Monitor, the best day with the highest email open rates is Monday, at 22%. However, keep in mind that improving customer engagement rates don't always correlate to a higher frequency of emails. Sometimes, sending fewer can increase engagement. Test how an audience responds, analyze the data and adjust strategy accordingly.
Key takeaway: Always be on top of statistics. If you notice that open and click rates are higher when sending more emails, then commit to a strategy with more frequency. However, if open rates plummet when sending more often, experts suggest sending fewer emails, but with more value.
5. Customer preferences
One of the easiest ways to determine how often you should reach out to a list is to simply ask its members. You can present simple preference questions when they sign up to receive emails — the so-called "email preference center" — which can increase subscriber satisfaction if handled well. Or you can get needed answers by asking people to fill in a quick poll. Then, once you have the resulting data, divide a list into segments and email them according to preferences.
Key takeaway: One of the best ways to determine email frequency is to poll audiences. Once you have answers, adjust how often you visit inboxes. The important thing is to segment the list into different groups (perhaps according those who would like to be updated daily, weekly or monthly). This strategy will bring you better open rates and fewer unsubscribes.
Related: These 3 Big Companies Are Crushing It With Email Marketing
The bottom line
The question of how often to reach out to an audience doesn't have a definite answer. That's because businesses vary in goals, clients and strategies. The best way to determine frequency is to test what works and what doesn't, including the times and days you send. Also test the subject lines, leading sentences and call-to-action buttons.
Once you find a winning strategy, double down on it! Just don't forget that every email you send — whether promotional or not — should provide value to the customer. Sending just for the sake of it will result in lower engagement, higher unsubscribes and reduced profits.
