The Best Time to Send Your Email Newsletter (2023)

Email newsletters are a great way to keep in touch with your customers and generate leads.

However, frequency is key.

Send them too much, and you’ll see your unsubscribe and spam rates soar. Send them too infrequently, and they may forget you exist–leading to fewer sales for you, and less value for subscribers.

So what is the ideal frequency? Where is the sweet spot? Why is it even necessary to find out your ideal email newsletter frequency?

Great questions. This article will discuss how to determine the right frequency to send your newsletter, the best time of day to send emails, and as a bonus, we will also include some tips on optimizing your newsletters for maximum engagement.

Why Is It Important To Find the Right Frequency for Your Email Newsletter?

Sending newsletters at the optimal frequency provides many benefits.

First, it increases the visibility of the newsletter and allows readers to develop a sense of trust in the content. By sending out newsletters regularly, readers know when to expect new content and can look forward to reading it each time.

It also helps increase engagement and loyalty from readers, as they are more likely to open emails consistently when sent at an optimal frequency. Consistent engagement with the newsletter can lead to more followers or subscribers, fostering long-term growth.

Finally, sending emails at the right frequency ensures your subscribers see important messages on time. This keeps potential customers informed about what's happening and ensures that those events are noticed due to consistent reminders.

The “20 Miles March” Concept

The 20 Miles March is an idea first created by Jim Collins, a well-known management author and consultant. It refers to the notion that to achieve long-term success, businesses must set tangible goals and work towards them with consistent effort over a long period.

Jim Collins invites us to imagine the following scenario:

"Imagine standing with your feet in the Pacific Ocean in San Diego, California, looking inland. You're about to embark on a three-thousand-mile walk from San Diego to the tip of Maine.

On the first day, you march 20 miles. On the second day, you march 20 miles. And again, on the third day, you march 20 miles, heading into the heat of the desert. It's hot, more than a hundred degrees, and you want to rest in the cool of your tent. But you don't. You get up, and you march 20 miles. You keep the pace, 20 miles a day, no matter the weather. And eventually, you get to Maine.”

Sounds reasonable, right? This guy is consistent–and persistent.

“Now, imagine another person who starts out with you on the same day in San Diego. He gets all excited by the journey and logs 40 miles on the first day. Exhausted from his first gigantic day, he wakes up to hundred-degree temperatures. He decides to hang out until the weather cools, thinking, "I'll make it up when conditions improve."

“He maintains this pattern—big days with good conditions, whining and waiting in his tent on bad days. By the time he enters Kansas City, you, with your relentless 20-mile march, have already reached the tip of Maine. You win by a huge margin."

That is the power of finding your right frequency and being disciplined to win the long-term game.

The Ideal Newsletter Frequency To Maximize Engagement and ROI

Is a weekly newsletter too much?

How about monthly? Daily?

Unfortunately, there isn’t a simple answer.

When it comes to newsletters, different businesses require different sending frequencies.. Some businesses may thrive by sending out weekly newsletters; for example, an investment newsletter would likely be best to send daily, since financials change so quickly. Others may be better off with monthly, or even bi-monthly updates.

In short, there is no one-size-fits-all approach. You have to consider your audience and industry.

For example, Morning Brew focuses on news. How often do you want to know about what is happening in the world? The answer is daily, for many readers. On the other hand, how often do you want a review of the latest news from a big sports event? That might be better weekly–it all depends on how frequent the games are.

By testing different frequencies and measuring the engagement and ROI from each campaign, you can pinpoint what works best for your business and use that as your ideal newsletter frequency. Performing this analysis ensures that the content you send out is always timely and relevant, helping to maximize overall engagement and ROI.

In case you’re still not sure what makes sense for your business, let’s go through some of the advantages and disadvantages of each frequency.

Every Day

The good thing about a daily newsletter is that it has the potential to engage readers and customers more frequently, potentially generating repeat visits and sales. Daily newsletters also keep customers informed about the latest news and updates. Provided there is enough news to share to warrant a daily newsletter, meeting this need is a fantastic way to build brand loyalty.

However, sending a newsletter daily can be demanding on your resources and difficult to maintain over time. Additionally, you run the risk of increased unsubscribe rates if your subscribers perceive you as invasive, or worse–being marked as spam by recipients.

A good example of a daily newsletter is Morning brew. Morning Brew is an online newsletter providing a daily digest of business, tech, and media news. Created in 2014, it is now growing to become one of the world's most popular newsletters, delivering over seven million views worldwide every weekday!

Morning Brew offers quick, easy-to-digest summaries with actionable insights for readers to stay ahead of the curve on the news that matters most. Because the world has exciting things happening every hour, Morning Brew’s business model allows for daily content.

Every Week

Why do you need weekly newsletter emails?

Sending out newsletters once weekly is typically seen as ideal for keeping readers engaged without overwhelming them with content. Additionally, when you send a newsletter every week, you can become part of your readers' routine, which can help build loyalty.

The only problem with a weekly newsletter is that it can be easy to forget about your newsletter if you don't consistently write quality content. In other words, readers may expect more from a weekly newsletter than a daily newsletter.

An excellent example of a weekly email newsletter is Founder OS. Founded by Matt Gray, Founder OS is a newsletter that gives you need-to-know systems to grow your audience, brand, and community. Its promise is, “You will get one business growth tip each Saturday AM.”

Every Month

Monthly newsletters are perfect for businesses or organizations that need more time to build up enough content to share. A monthly newsletter allows you time to create higher-quality content, which can lead to better engagement rates with your readers.

The downside of this frequency is that it can cause readers to forget about your business if they don't receive regular updates on new products or services.

Email newsletters sent monthly are more similar to a magazine than a newsletter. It could work with certain monthly subscriptions, such as training or other material focused on long-format content.

Best Frequency

A survey by Seventh Sense indicates that most respondents prefer to send emails weekly or several times a week. 45% of people said they email once a week, while 33% reported sending emails multiple times per week. These figures make it clear that most individuals are comfortable with a more frequent emailing schedule.

However, every individual and business should set their own standards based on their specific needs and preferences. Therefore, it is essential to find an appropriate balance between how often you communicate and the amount of information provided in each message.

What Is the Best Day of the Week To Send Out a Newsletter?

According to a survey by Databox, Tuesdays are the clear frontrunner when it comes to sending marketing emails. Over 40% of respondents cited Tuesday as the prime day for maximizing engagement with their email campaigns. Mondays come in at a close second, while Wednesdays and Thursdays follow behind with roughly 15% each.

Take advantage of this information by scheduling your weekly email on the right days to get the most out of your efforts.

Is It Better To Send a Newsletter on Friday or Monday?

Again, this will depend somewhat on your business model and audience. However, most experts recommend avoiding Fridays–and weekends, in general.

Many readers will be spending less time on their phone or computer on the weekends, instead catching up on chores, engaging in hobbies, shopping…you get the drill. And, given Monday was the second most popular day of the week in the Databox survey, it’s a clear winner in most cases.

How Do I Know What Frequency Is Right for Me?

Still not clear? No sweat.

As we have discussed, the right frequency depends on your business. Since you don't want to run 40 miles on the first day and succumb to exhaustion, before you decide which frequency is best for you, you must consider two things: your target audience, and the type of content you are offering.

1. Analyze your target audience: Before deciding on the frequency of your newsletter, it is important to consider who you are targeting with it. Consider their age, gender, interests, and online habits when determining the best frequency for them.

For instance, if you are targeting Gen Z, as the bulletpitch is doing, you should send out more frequent newsletters to keep up with their shorter attention span. But if you are writing to busy CEOs, like Arcbound is doing, keep your newsletter frequency lower, as they prefer more in-depth content.

2. Evaluate your content: It's essential to consider the type of content you plan to share in your newsletter when deciding how often to send it out. If you have a lot of fresh and exciting content like Alex Banks, founder of Through the Noise, choose a higher frequency–weekly, or even daily. However, a monthly newsletter might be more appropriate if you have less material to share.

Conclusion

The frequency with which you send out email newsletters depends on what kind of content you want to create. There is no one-size-fits-all solution, as different organizations have different needs and goals. However, it is important to find the right fit. Sending your email newsletter at the right time will help you to:

1. Increase the visibility of the newsletter

2. Increase engagement and loyalty from readers

3. Keeps potential customers informed about what's happening

4. Close more deals

With a consistent approach, your email campaigns will be effective and rewarding in the long term. However, it is essential to clearly understand your audience and the best way to reach them.

Answer the following questions to get a better idea of what newsletter frequency is right for you:

1. What type of content are you producing?

2. How often does your target audience look for new content?

3. How much time do you have to create quality newsletters?

4. What is your budget for creating and sending your newsletter?

5. When does your target audience check their email?

You can gain more insight into what newsletter frequency works best for your business by answering these questions.

With beehiiv analytics, you can find which frequency works best, and how many people are opening your email. You can even send polls to discover what your audience prefers. Sign up to get started now!