Clients often ask, “When is the best time to send an email campaign?” In the past, my response was a bit slippery. “It really depends,” I would begin, then offer a few reasons why the perfect answer didn’t exist. “Every subscriber is unique… It depends on the email’s purpose… It helps to be different… It depends on the device…” While everything I said was true, it probably wasn’t very helpful.
So, I’ve inspected our own data and found valuable trends that offer insights into one of our most common questions. If you have ever asked yourself when is the best time to send your emails, keep reading. I bet the findings will shock you.
Using thousands of email campaigns with millions of recipients, we have identified the best days and times to send your newsletters. At last, a definitive response to a very common question.
Best Days for Open Rates – Monday & Tuesday
Mondays and Tuesdays dominate the open rate simply because they allow subscribers more days to view the content each week. The average open rate on Monday is 29.91%, and Tuesday is 28.20%, both of which are considerably higher than Sunday (23.8%), and higher than the weekly average of 25.07%. While Monday and Tuesday’s click rate is lower than Thursday or Fridays, their open rates make up the difference and are the most effective days for overall engagement.
Takeaway: If you are trying to maximise the views of your monthly newsletter and clicks on content, try sending it on a Monday or Tuesday.
Best Days for Click Rates – Thursday & Friday
Emails sent on Thursday or Friday consistently rank highest in terms of click rates. On average, 17.77% of subscribers that open emails on Friday click on content, followed closely by Thursday with 17.43%. Compare this to Saturday, with the lowest click rate of 14.49%, or the weekly average of 16.83%. Since weekends are the most common days for property inspections, Thursday and Friday are also effective days to send invitations to view listings. This will ensure the inspection day is fresh on your subscriber’s mind.
Takeaway: If your newsletter’s purpose is to generate clicks and identify leads, or invite subscribers to weekend inspections, try sending these emails on a Thursday or Friday.
Best Times – 10:00 AM, 2:00 PM, & 9:00 PM
Perhaps the greatest surprise from our research is the most effective times to send. Overall, afternoons are the most effective with an average open rate of 25.71%, and an average click rate of 17.96%. Evenings are slightly less effective, with an open rate of 23.75%, but a higher click rate of 18.18%. Mornings are the least effective times to send newsletters, and they receive an average open rate of 24.37% and a click rate of 16.05%. The best time to send in the morning is around 10:00 AM, while 2:00 PM is the most effective time during the afternoon hours. However, the most effective hour by far is around 8:00 PM, which gets an astounding 30.85% open rate and a 21.60% click rate.
Takeaway: For morning sends, try around 10:00 AM. If you’re sending in the afternoon, try 2:00 PM. Or, if you want to be different and follow the statistics, give the evening a try around 8:00 PM, and you just might see an impressive jump in subscriber engagement.
*Remember, statistics can be helpful when identifying overall trends, but they should not dictate your sending times and days. Your audience should. If you change your sending pattern but discover a drop in overall engagement, you should readjust the email send time and day to maximise your campaign’s effectiveness.