10 Challenges Faced When Adjusting Email Marketing Cadence
Navigating the complexities of email marketing cadence can be daunting, but with the right strategies, success is within reach. This article delves into the top challenges marketers face, offering expert insights on how to overcome them effectively. Discover how to reframe email expectations, re-engage lost audiences, and more to optimize your email marketing efforts.
- Reframe Email Expectations
- Re-Engage Lost Audiences
- Implement Dynamic Segmentation
- Listen to Customer Feedback
- Use Data to Guide Decisions
- Balance Information Density
- Let User Behavior Dictate Timing
- Adopt a Behavior-Based Cadence
- Tailor the Email Experience
- Prioritize Content and Testing
Reframe Email Expectations
One challenge I faced when adjusting my email marketing cadence was maintaining engagement while reducing frequency. I used to send more frequent emails, but I realized that too many action-driven messages overwhelmed my audience—especially in marketing, where implementation takes time. When I scaled back to once a week, I noticed a drop in open rates at first.
The solution? Reframing expectations. I introduced a structured approach: one actionable email per week and, if I sent a second email, it was either a quick tip (with no CTA) or something time-sensitive. This made my emails feel more intentional rather than just another piece of inbox clutter. Over time, the engagement stabilized, open rates improved, and the list felt more responsive.
Lesson learned: Changing your cadence isn’t just about sending fewer or more emails—it’s about making sure each email has a clear purpose. If your audience understands what to expect and consistently finds value, they’ll stay engaged no matter the frequency shift.
Sascha Hoffmann
Lifecycle Marketing Consultant, SH Media
Re-Engage Lost Audiences
After seeing prolonged low open rates, we decided to stop sending emails to people who had not opened one of our messages in 30 days or more. This led to a huge decrease in our total sends, roughly a 70% decline. The issue was avoiding the connection between missing revenue goals and a decrease in total sends (as total opens didn’t change since the people we stopped sending to weren’t opening anyway).
Our solution was to build back out the funnel and re-engage the lost audiences. We funneled lost users into a retargeting Meta campaign to re-engage them with free downloads that were sent to them via email. This had them on the lookout for our emails, opening those emails, and then re-engaging with our brand.
We saw a 50% increase in engaged email users over a 6-month period, but our open rate doubled, so we were averaging about 50% more total opens per email than we were when we were sending to the full group. It felt like going on a diet… it wasn’t fun to cut out all the volume, but we ended up way healthier after sticking to the plan.
Jack Nations
Marketing Manager, Colibri Group
Implement Dynamic Segmentation
For many brands that we work with, the biggest challenge is effective audience segmentation. Businesses often start with a one-size-fits-all approach, which eventually leads to subscriber fatigue and declining engagement rates, especially as your subscriber count grows into the tens of thousands.
To address this, we encourage implementing a dynamic segmentation strategy based on newsletter preferences, purchase history, and engagement levels (among other segments). By creating these segments with tailored content frequencies—ranging from weekly broadcasts for highly engaged customers to monthly broadcasts for less active subscribers—we saw a 42% improvement in click-through rates and a 35% reduction in unsubscribe rates. The key was moving from a static communication model to a responsive, data-driven approach that respected each subscriber’s individual preferences and interaction patterns.
Kar Lo
Email Marketing Specialist, Lo Marketing Company
Listen to Customer Feedback
Email marketing is a delicate balance. Too frequent, and you risk frustrating your audience. Too sparse, and you fade into the background. When we adjusted our email cadence, the biggest challenge was a sudden spike in unsubscribes. It was a wake-up call. One customer emailed us directly, saying, “I love your service, but I don’t need a reminder every week that I’m moving to Australia.” That stuck with me.
We stepped back and re-evaluated our approach. Instead of increasing frequency across the board, we introduced behavioral triggers. Customers received updates based on their actual moving timeline, not an arbitrary schedule. Engagement rebounded. Unsubscribes dropped. It was proof that listening—not just sending—makes the difference.
Hugh Dixon
Marketing Manager, PSS International Removals
Use Data to Guide Decisions
One challenge I faced when adjusting our email marketing cadence was striking the right balance between engagement and overwhelm. We were testing new frequency levels to see what our audience responded to best, but I noticed that when we sent more frequent emails, open rates dropped by about 12% in a couple of weeks. We realized that it wasn’t just about the number of emails but the content quality and timing that really mattered.
To address it, we pivoted by narrowing down our messaging to be more targeted and relevant to each segment of our audience. We also experimented with the timing, testing different days and times based on user behavior. This adjustment led to a 7% increase in click-through rates and a 9% improvement in overall engagement. It was a good reminder that adapting quickly and using data to guide decisions really pays off. It’s not about pushing more emails but understanding when and how to connect with your audience effectively.
Tracie Crites
Chief Marketing Officer, HEAVY Equipment Appraisal
Balance Information Density
Energy savings emails tend to perform well, but when we shifted from monthly to weekly emails, the click-through rate dropped from 12% to 7%. Customers who had previously engaged started ignoring messages, likely because they were seeing too many similar subject lines in their inbox. Saving money on electricity is important, but not urgent enough to warrant weekly updates for most people.
Reframing the email structure fixed the issue. Instead of sending full-length breakdowns every week, we switched to short, punchy “Did You Know?” emails with quick facts on savings opportunities. The longer, in-depth breakdowns returned to a monthly format. The mix of quick tips and detailed reports balanced out engagement, bringing click-through rates back up to 11% within two months. It turns out that sometimes, less information at a time is better when dealing with something as routine as electricity bills.
Benjamin Tom
Digital Marketing Expert and Utility Specialist, Electricity Monster
Let User Behavior Dictate Timing
We were sending a ton of emails, but engagement was dropping, and unsubscribes were creeping up. The usual fixes, like adjusting frequency, tweaking subject lines, didn’t make much of a difference. After looking into the data, I saw that the issue wasn’t just the volume or content but the timing. Our emails were landing in inboxes at the worst possible moments. Either buried under other promotions in the morning or arriving when people weren’t actively thinking about buying or selling horses and equipment.
We’ve solved this by running a test using behavioral data from our website. We analyzed when individual subscribers were most active, looking at their browsing habits, what time they engaged with listings, and when they clicked on past emails. Sending emails simultaneously to everyone was not working, so we segmented our audience based on activity patterns. Users who browsed in the early morning received emails before 8 AM, while those more active in the evening got theirs after 7 PM. We even set up a dynamic send feature where emails were triggered based on a user’s most recent activity on our site.
Because of that, our open rates increased by 27%, click-through rates went up by 35%, and unsubscribes dropped by nearly 20%. Relying on standard email scheduling best practices did not work, so we let user behavior dictate when we reached out, and it made all the difference.
Linzi Oliver
Commercial Marketing Manager, HorseClicks
Adopt a Behavior-Based Cadence
One challenge we encountered when adjusting our email marketing cadence was a dip in engagement when we increased email frequency. We assumed more emails meant better results, but instead, open rates dropped, and unsubscribes started creeping up.
To fix this, we shifted to a behavior-based cadence rather than a fixed schedule. Subscribers who actively engaged got more frequent updates, while those who showed less interest received fewer but more personalized emails. We also gave subscribers control over how often they wanted to hear from us, which helped reduce unsubscribes and improve retention.
This small shift made a big difference—engagement rebounded, and we found a rhythm that felt natural for our audience instead of overwhelming them.
Vikrant Bhalodia
Head of Marketing & People Ops, WeblineIndia
Tailor the Email Experience
Last year, I had some difficulty convincing internal stakeholders that when it comes to email – less is more.
Within our trial nurture sequence, we used to send at least 15 emails across a 14 day free trial, from three different email systems. Our product team often asked during go-to-market if we could add “just one more email” to our trial nurture about a new feature, in hopes their adoption metrics would improve.
Instead, I push for a “choose your own adventure” approach with email marketing. If a trial user shows they’re adopting quickly, and have some prior knowledge of how a CRM works, we start sending advanced content. But if they’re struggling to perform the basics, we send more detailed emails to help them along. We’ve since seen better adoption and conversion rates after tailoring the experience.
Jessica Andrews
VP Marketing, Copper
Prioritize Content and Testing
When I changed the email marketing cadence for one of our campaigns, the challenge was a sudden drop in engagement. We had been sending emails twice a week, and after increasing it to four times, open rates started falling. Unsubscribes spiked as well, which was an obvious sign that subscribers were overwhelmed. The goal was to keep the audience engaged, but instead, they were tuning out.
I analyzed the data and found that the first email still performed well, but the third and fourth were being ignored. Scaling back immediately was not the best approach, so I tested different adjustments. Emails were shortened, made more visually engaging, and given subject lines that created urgency or curiosity. On top of that, I segmented the list, sending all four emails only to the most engaged subscribers while keeping others on a lighter schedule.
A/B testing determined that curiosity-driven subject lines like “You’re Missing Out on This” performed 12% better than direct ones like “Your Exclusive Offer Ends Soon.” Shorter emails increased click-through rates by 9%. Using this data, I refined the campaign, leading to an 18% boost in open rates and a drop in unsubscribes. Frequency alone does not drive engagement. Audience behavior and content matter just as much, and testing helped find the right balance.
Sean Clancy
Managing Director, SEO Gold Coast
