To help you determine the optimal time to send out your newsletter, we’ve gathered insights from 11 CEOs, founders, and marketing experts. From targeting audience habits in the evenings to focusing on specific days and times for success, these professionals share their best advice on when to hit “send” for maximum impact.
- Target Audience Habits: Consider Evenings
- Optimize Send Times With A/B Testing
- Send Newsletters at Unusual Times
- Align With Audience Daily Routines
- Leverage Social Media Engagement Tools
- Focus on High Open Rate Time Ranges
- Analyze Data for Optimal Newsletter Timing
- Early Morning Sends, Tuesday-Thursday
- Pre-Weekend Sends for Fun Industries
- Weekday Mornings: General Guidelines
- Specific Days and Times for Success
Target Audience Habits: Consider Evenings
It’s best to consider your target audience before you decide what the best time to send out your newsletter is. What time zone are they in? Are they usually more active on weekdays or weekends? Are they likely to check their email during the day or at night?
However, customers check their email every evening before they log out of work. This is a great time for them to come across your email because it’ll be on their mind as they head home and, as opposed to mornings, they’re not distracted by the tasks of the day. Experiment with sending out your emails in the evenings and make changes as required.
Adam Wright, CEO, Human Tonik
Optimize Send Times With A/B Testing
There is no one-size-fits-all answer to when is the best time to send out a newsletter. The ideal timing varies depending on factors such as the demographics of your audience, the nature of your content, and the aim of your email campaign.
The most effective way to determine the best time to send out a newsletter is through A/B testing. By sending out identical newsletters at different times and analyzing the metrics, you can identify the optimal send time for your specific audience. Monitor and adjust your send times continually as your audience and objectives develop.
Tarun Saha, Co-founder and CEO, StallionZo
Send Newsletters at Unusual Times
Send it at an off minute, such as 10:18. Many people schedule emails and newsletters to go out exactly in the hour or half-hour, which can cause yours to get buried in a busy inbox. The best way to get your newsletter noticed is to send it at an unusual time. If it’s the only message coming through at that moment, there’s a higher likelihood of the recipient seeing it and clicking through.
Kirkland Gee, Co-founder, Perfect Extraction
Align With Audience Daily Routines
Newsletters that target solopreneurs and people with “side hustles” send their newsletters out on weekends as that’s when their audience is in that headspace. Newsletters that target B2B professionals are sent at the time and day when their audience is at work.
It’s important to consider your audience’s daily routines and when they are most likely to check their emails. For example, if your newsletter is targeting stay-at-home parents, sending it during school drop-off or pickup times might be effective, as they may have some downtime during those moments. Similarly, if your newsletter is geared towards college students, sending it during the afternoon or early evening when they have finished classes and assignments could be effective.
Joe Kevens, Founder and Director of Demand Gen, B2B SaaS Reviews
Leverage Social Media Engagement Tools
The best time to send out a newsletter is typically when most of your subscribers are likely to be online and able to engage with your content. Depending on your audience demographics and the time zone they’re in, it could be any time of day. To find the best time, leverage social media marketing tools that measure audience engagement. These tools can provide insights into when your followers are most active and help you determine the best time to send out your newsletter.
Jeff Pollak, Partner, RadioActive Media Inc.
Focus On High Open Rate Time Ranges
While open rates are constant throughout the week, according to most research, Mondays and Thursdays are outperforming the rest. But regardless of the day you decide to send your newsletter, 11 AM to 12 PM seems to be a good time to send for the highest open rates.
After all, would you want to send your email at any other time and make it more competitive? That immediately reduces the possibility that your email will be read and soon, you’ll see a decline in email open rates. No emails were sent between the hours of 11 a.m. and 12 p.m., 1 to 2 p.m., and 2 to 3 p.m. These times apply to all time zones.
The worst time to email is between the hours of 9 PM and 7 AM, when your recipients are winding down for the night, sleeping, and then hurrying to get ready for the next day. What about those increases around 2 AM? Not the best time to send emails, is it? I would choose a time that is not busy if you’re seeking the ideal moment to email.
Joe Li, Managing Director, CheckYa
Analyze Data for Optimal Newsletter Timing
One key tip for determining the optimal time is to analyze your subscriber engagement data, such as open rates and click-through rates, to identify trends that reveal when your audience is most receptive to your content.
For example, if your newsletter targets working professionals, you may find that sending your newsletter on weekday mornings, such as between 8 am and 10 am, results in higher open rates. This is likely because professionals are more inclined to check their emails and read through new content during their morning routine or while commuting to work. By analyzing your subscriber engagement data and identifying patterns like this, you can optimize your newsletter’s aim to increase the likelihood of your content being read and acted upon.
Nick Cotter, Founder, newfoundr
Early Morning Sends, Tuesday-Thursday
I’ve always aimed to send out newsletters in the early morning hours of a weekday, preferably somewhere in the middle of the week (Tuesday to Thursday).
I think newsletters have the best chance of resonating as people first check their inboxes in the morning and as they sift through things with a clear mind. I picture my perfect client as just getting to their desk in a good mood with the day ahead of them, sipping a coffee as they scroll through my newsletter. With a clear, fresh mind, your newsletter stands the best chance of actually making an impression as well.
I think scheduling a newsletter to be sent out around 3 or 4 am in the middle of a workweek is the best approach to doing this!
Shaun Connell, Founder and CEO, Stoic Quotes
Pre-Weekend Sends for Fun Industries
If you’re sending out a newsletter for a brand with roots in the sports or entertainment industries or anything fun and exciting, it’s best to send out your newsletter right before the weekend. With the weekend coming up (I’m talking Thursday or Friday), people are already getting into the groove and making plans.
With your newsletter catching their attention at the right time, they could very well be making those weekend plans with you. If the event is huge, you can even use the entire workweek. But avoid the weekends. Chances are they’ll see your newsletter only on Monday and then forget all about it before the weekend is upon them again.
Tony Angeleri, Vice President, Lone Wolf Paintball
Weekday Mornings: General Guidelines
The best time to send out a newsletter to receive the most hits is on a weekday after 11 am. That being said, different audiences have different habits depending on their age, upbringing, and lifestyle, so brands must choose a time tailored to maximize their reach.
Although this can change in each industry, it’s also true that many people find free time to check their email before or after lunch across sectors. Zero in on your audiences’ habits before pinpointing the exact times to maximize the effectiveness of each touchpoint.
Last, the morning is better than the afternoon for sending out newsletters. Whether it’s to maximize reach or target audiences at the right time, mornings leave more robust impressions on customers before the end of their workdays. Experiment with your audience in mind to see how your email performance changes.
Michael Green, Co-founder, Winona
Specific Days and Times for Success
There are a lot of factors that play a crucial role when deciding on the best time to send out a newsletter. Most research found the best day to send email newsletters is Tuesday to Thursday and the best suitable time is 10 am and between 3 pm to 4 pm. If you are not sending emails at the right time, your emails have less chance of being opened and clicked through.
Emails at the top of the email box have a high chance to get opened, and this is possible when you email when the prospect opens the inbox. Your email newsletters can reach a higher open rate if you send them at the perfect time. It also boosts the click-through rate.
However, people don’t use their personal and professional email boxes the same way. You can achieve the highest open rate by sending the newsletters at the time I mentioned above. Determine the best time to send newsletters after considering all the factors because it will help you more than anything else.
Yogesh Kumar, Founder and CEO, SEO Dekho
