Choosing the perfect time to send emails is crucial for getting subscribers to engage with your content.

But when exactly is the best time to reach your audience? Let’s dive into some advice.

General Advice on Email Send Times

Here are some common tips endorsed by the email marketing community for when to send emails. These guidelines are a good starting point, but remember that they might not always apply. Keep reading to understand why these suggestions aren’t set in stone.

• Daylight Hours Win: It’s pretty straightforward – sending emails during the day, when people are awake and checking their inboxes, tends to be more effective than sending them at night.
• Monday Blues: It’s generally recommended to avoid sending email campaigns on Mondays. People are usually overwhelmed with work and emails piled up over the weekend, leading to quick deletions.
• Weekend Wanderlust: Weekends are typically associated with low open rates because people are busy with leisure activities and errands. Many marketers steer clear of sending emails on these days.
• Early Bird Event Reminders: While many emails are opened within an hour of delivery, some people take their time. It’s best to send event-related emails 3-5 days in advance, giving everyone a chance to see the information. Did you know that 23% of emails are opened within 60 minutes of being sent?
• Mid-Week Magic: Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday have long been favored by email marketers because they aim to avoid the Monday rush and the Friday frenzy. MailChimp confirms indicate that Tuesday and Thursday are the most popular for sending newsletters.

• Mid-Week, Mid-day Powerhouse: Sending email campaigns in the middle of the week and the middle of the day (between 1-3pm, or even 9-11am) is a classic approach that tends to yield decent results. It’s a safe and reliable option, but remember, playing it safe might not always yield the best outcomes. MailChimp suggests 2 pm highlights this as the prime time based on their research.

Why You Shouldn’t Always Follow Conventional Wisdom

While the tips above represent commonly accepted practices in email marketing, countless scenarios challenge these traditional recommendations. Let’s examine our own data at nexus-security. Prime Time for Emails: Thursday 8 – 9 am Most email marketing advice would suggest that 8 am is too early for newsletters. However, it works incredibly well for nexus-security, resulting in open rates exceeding 25%! Least Effective Send Time: Tuesday & Wednesday 8 – 10 am While Tuesday and Wednesday mornings are generally considered good times to send emails, our experience shows otherwise. Tuesday mornings yield open rates below 5%, while Wednesday mornings have click-to-open rates below 5%. This data clearly demonstrates that what’s considered standard isn’t always accurate. Here’s why those traditional tips don’t always hold true: Avoiding the Inbox Crowd. If everyone agrees that Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday are the best days to send emails, chances are your competitors think so too. Sending your emails on these popular days might cause them to get lost in the inbox clutter. Consider going against the grain and trying Mondays or Fridays. While generally not recommended, these days might work surprisingly well for you. The Device Factor. With the rise of mobile devices, conventional wisdom about email send times is being challenged. The usual mid-week, mid-day strategy makes sense for desktop users checking emails at work, but mobile users are active throughout the day, including evenings.

Although mobile activity is high on nights and weekends, a Brafton study shows revealed that 55% of consumers prefer opening emails on desktops, compared to only 25% on mobile devices. Keep in mind that this study was conducted in 2013, and with the increasing reliance on mobile devices, these figures might have shifted. I anticipate that as businesses optimize emails for mobile, open rates on these devices will continue to rise.

Understanding Your Audience is Key

To succeed in email marketing, it’s crucial to understand your target audience. Knowing their habits allows you to tailor your strategy accordingly. Here’s how demographics can override general “best time to send” advice:

• If you’re targeting a young, tech-savvy demographic, you can disregard the advice about avoiding evening emails. This audience might be receptive to emails later in the day.
• Friday, often avoided, can be highly effective for the entertainment industry, as people look for weekend activities.
• Weekends aren’t necessarily off-limits either. Imagine targeting a tech-savvy audience in a region with cold weather. They likely spend a good amount of time checking emails on weekends. Remember to factor in your target audience’s time zone and adjust email send times for optimal engagement.

The Real Answer to the “When to Send an Email” Question

The truth is, there’s no single “best time” to send an email – it all depends on your specific audience. It might seem like a cop-out, but it’s the reality. While general recommendations exist, as we’ve explored, they can easily be disproven. You might be thinking, “Come on, you haven’t given me a concrete answer!” And you’d be right; however, the mid-day, mid-week approach is a decent starting point. But if you truly want to excel in email marketing and identify the absolute best send time for maximum engagement, you need to TEST! A/B test your send times extensively. This is the most effective method for finding the perfect time to reach your audience.

Don’t Just Blame the Send Time for Low Open Rates

Low open rates aren’t solely due to send times. If you’re struggling, consider these factors:

• Is your Subject Line Compelling? Subject lines are paramount in email marketing, perhaps even more important than the email body itself. They determine whether someone opens your message. Craft enticing subject lines and avoid common mistakes. Check out our article on creating effective subject lines to increase open rates.
• Are You Overwhelming Your Subscribers? Don’t bombard your audience with too many emails. It might lead to lower open rates as they become fatigued.
• Is Your Message Mobile-Friendly? This is non-negotiable; your emails must be optimized for mobile devices.
• Is Your Email Copy Unclear? Download our 30 Free Small Business Email Examples & Templates.[/box] We’d love to hear your thoughts! What send times work best (or worst) for you? Share your experiences in the comments below. Also, explore our compilation of 35 insightful statistics and facts about email marketing.