Understanding the need for impeccable timing in your email marketing strategy is one of the most important steps in turning your emails into real business-generating machines. So yes, they do exist, and we’re going to tell you the best times to send emails.
Ah, email marketing! A wonderful and powerful tool – until your precious email becomes yet another victim of the dreaded “delete” button before it even makes it to the recipient’s inbox.
The secret to successful email marketing is like good timing in a joke: it’s all about the moment. There are those magic hours on certain days when people are super receptive to opening and devouring your content. And then there are those other times that are best left unsaid, because your email will go straight to the limbo of oblivion in the inbox.
But calm down! We’ve had the same doubts and we’ve done some research to find out the best times to send emails, especially newsletters, looking at open rates, click-through rates and even conversion rates.
Are there really better times to send email?
Absolutely! It’s like sending this message on WhatsApp. If you send it during the day when people are accessing the app and are more likely to read it, you have a better chance of not being ignored. Now, if you decide to send it at 3 a.m., it’s gone.
It’s the same with email. You want your hard-earned newsletter to stand out, to be the first to be seen. But if it’s buried under an avalanche of fresh email, by the time it’s finally found, it’s too late for the reader to get excited. Or worse, if it’s on the second page of emails, there’s a good chance it hasn’t been seen at all.
The key is to make your email shine at the top of the inbox because, as you already know, most of us attack from the top down. The higher up it goes, the better chance it has of being read before digital fatigue sets in.
And there are times when, frankly, no one wants to chat. Even if your email is there, shining at the top, with wonderful copy in the subject line, it can be deleted at the snap of a finger, mercilessly. 🥲
So one strategy is to also try to find the best times to send emails. It’s not just open rates that go up, but clicks and maybe even sales. Changing the send time is just one of the tests you have to run in the world of email marketing.
So when does the magic happen? Let’s start by talking about the hottest days to send your emails and then fine-tune to find the right time.
So what are the best times to send emails?
What’s the right time for your email marketing to not only reach the top of the inbox, but also catch the eye of your audience?
The studies out there vary, but a general consensus points to between 9am and 11am as the golden hour. Why is that? Because that’s when the vast majority of people have calmed down from the early morning rush and are more likely to take a look at your email.
And the “silver medal” goes to the time between 4 pm and 6 pm, when the workday is winding down. That’s when people start to focus on the personal stuff that got put on the back burner during the day, and that’s where the emails that were left for later come in.
Depending on your content, it may also make more sense to send it when your reader is waking up, as is the case with the very famous “The News”. The idea is to bring you the most important news so that you can be up to date with Brazil and the world in 5 minutes. That’s why you get it at 6 a.m., which makes perfect sense.
In fact, according to GetResponse research, “early bird” emails before people wake up seem to be on the rise. However, the question remains as to whether people actually look at the email when they wake up, and whether these emails don’t get pushed further down the page, right?
So everything is a test! It may be that your strategy and your target audience don’t match the research.
And what’s the best day of the week?
Want to know the best days to send that killer email? Tuesdays and Thursdays are at the top of the list, and Wednesday is just around the corner, almost taking the top spot.
According to research by the website CoSchedule, these are the best days of the week to send email in 2024, ranked from best to worst:
- Thursday
- Tuesday
- Wednesday
- Monday
- Friday
- Saturday
- Sunday
They’ve been conducting the survey since 2016, and the best days to send emails were: Tuesday, Thursday, and Wednesday. Thursday has become more important in recent years.
Image: CoSchedule
According to GetResponse’s benchmark study, Tuesdays are (just barely) at the top of the list. But while Tuesdays (before Mondays and Fridays) lead the way with the highest average opens and clicks, the truth is that they’re not that different from other days.
Image: Getresponse
So here’s a tip: Midweek is your golden target for sending newsletters. It makes perfect sense when you think about it. Over the weekend, people are more relaxed, and on Monday, everyone is trying not to trip over their own feet as the work week begins. But then comes Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, and everyone is caught in a perfect balance of “help, I’m tired” and “I’m swamped. 😂
Each type of audience and segment has its own rhythm when it comes to email. So, if you’re curious, why not send this newsletter on Friday and see how it goes? If it doesn’t go as expected, no stress, you can adjust course later. So, despite the statistics, we recommend doing your own tests!
Oh, and to finish with the days, one thing is for sure, no matter which study you check, the villains of the story are always the same: weekends.
On the weekend, people are more likely to relax and put their email aside, unless it’s something very personal or they’re planning to take a break. If you can, wait until the week begins. Of course, there may be exceptions, depending on your line of work, but that’s another story.
Tips for finding the best times to send email
Before you dive in and take this information as absolute truth, take a break and remember that each reader is a separate universe, and what works for the majority may not work for your John or Mary.
Yes, these timing tips will give you an idea of when to send your emails, but don’t forget to set the clock according to your audience.
Here are 5 tips to help you improve your strategies:
1. Test sending at different times
Charts and graphs showing the best times to send emails are great starting points, but they are not rules set in stone. To find the golden time for your emails, you’ll need to roll up your sleeves and do a little testing here, a little tweaking there.
Here’s the deal: Try sending at different times and see what happens. Treat it as an experiment:
Get a set of data that makes sense, change one thing at a time (like testing Tuesdays at 10am versus Thursdays at 10am), give it time to be sure of your results,
Avoid atypical periods, such as holidays, which can throw off your conclusions.
2. Focus on clicks and conversions, not just who opens the email
Let’s talk about a myth: the idea that email marketing success is only measured by open rates. Yes, it’s nice to see that everyone is opening your email, but that’s only the beginning of the story.
The grand finale we want is conversion: your reader clicking where they should, buying what you sell, visiting your website or doing whatever you have planned in your strategy.
So keep an eye on the big picture, not just who opened the email. Think about it: if a campaign has an incredible open rate, but no one does what you want them to do, was it worth it? What if another campaign doesn’t get as many opens, but those who do open do exactly what you want them to do?
In the end, what matters is who converts, not just who takes a look.
If you’re following the experimentation tip, focus on clicks and actions, not just who opens the email. We want times that drive results, not just curiosity.
3. Don’t ignore unsubscribe rates
The time you choose to send your messages can also affect the number of people who decide to “unsubscribe” from your mailing list. If your emails always arrive at times that don’t fit into your audience’s routine, don’t be surprised if they start to unsubscribe.
But it’s not just about time. Content is king! If your email doesn’t deliver value, it doesn’t matter if you sent it at the most perfect time in the world.
If you’re noticing a wave of unsubscribes, it may be time to rethink your email marketing strategy.
4. Do good segmentation
Every one of your subscribers is unique. So why treat them as if they were all the same? Instead of a one-size-fits-all approach, why not create campaigns that speak directly to different groups?
This is called segmentation: grouping your subscribers by common characteristics and then personalizing content for each group.
You can segment by any criteria that makes sense for your business. Not only does this strategy help you personalize your content, but it can also be a golden key to discovering the best times to send your emails.
Remember, not segmenting your list can be a mistake. Check out our list of common email marketing mistakes to avoid the pitfalls that catch many professionals off guard.
5. Keep an eye on the competition
Believe it or not, your competitors can be a valuable source of inspiration, even if the idea of “spying” on what they’re doing isn’t the most appealing. They’re in the same market, targeting people similar to those you’re trying to reach, so why not learn from them?
Subscribe to your competitors’ newsletters. See when they decide to speak to the public. What day of the week? What time of day? Do they personalize their content for different segments of their audience?
This strategy isn’t just about copying schedules; it’s about understanding the battlefield. If you and your competitor are fighting for the same customer’s attention, you don’t want to send your email at the same time they send theirs, right?
But be careful! Don’t fall into the trap of thinking your competitor has all the answers. They’re trying to get it right just like you. Before you try a new tactic, test it to see if it really works for your audience.
Conclusion
Think of statistics as a stepping stone, not the finish line, okay? It’s pretty telling that different studies come to different conclusions – it just goes to show that email patterns vary widely from person to person.
These studies are great for giving us direction: we know that, in general, the middle of the week (Tuesday through Thursday) is a strategic time to send email, and that the best times to send email are usually in the morning or at the end of the day.
When it comes to the details, however, each audience has its own unique characteristics. The surefire strategy for finding the perfect time to send your emails is to get to know your audience and test, test, test different approaches.
So what are the best times to send emails out there? Do they coincide with the ones we’ve mentioned here? Share your experiences in the comments below!
