What Are the Best Days of the Week to Send Email Campaigns?

Last week, we asked our loyal readers to tell us which day they’d like our eNewsletter delivered. So far, 67% have said Friday works best for them.

That survey (which is still live on our home page, by the way), prompted us to revisit an article on the 60 Second Marketer entitled What Are the Best Days of the Week to Send Email Campaigns?

In case you haven’t had a chance to read the article, here it is posted on our blog in its entirety:

One of the most commonly asked questions about email marketing is, “What are the best days to send out emails?” But studies designed to answer this question have proven inconclusive. No two email campaigns are the same. As such, what might work for one test audience will not necessarily apply equally for another, due to different campaign objectives or target audiences.
With that in mind, we took a look at each day of the week and analyzed the positives and negatives that might help you determine which days will work best for your needs.
Monday
Positive: Office work has not filled inboxes yet

Negative: Consumers are in “work mode” and won’t be focused on non-work tasks

Best Practice: Send emails late Monday morning, after consumers have cleaned the weekend spam from their inboxes
Tuesday
Positive: People have organized their week, and can find personal time for emails

Negative: Emails poised for a weekend response may be too early

Best Practice: Use Tuesday for emails that request action during the workweek
Wednesday/Thursday
Positive: Consumers are planning their weekends and gearing up for personal time

Negative: Time during the workweek is running short, and requested action may be pushed     back to the following week, or even forgotten about

Best Practice: Focus leisure and weekend notifications during these key weekend planning days

Friday
Positive: Studies indicate fewer total emails sent compared to the rest of the week, increasing visibility among the myriad of other messages

Negative: Consumers hurry to leave the office early, and may not take time to view non-work related emails

Best Practice: Send emails early in the day to give consumers more time to take action.  An unopened email from Friday will sort to the bottom of an inbox on Monday, and is often discarded

Weekends
Positive: People check emails on weekends, too, so weekends may have untapped potential

Negative: A weekend email may seem overly-intrusive to some people

Best Practice: If possible, try to avoid Sundays and focus on Saturdays, which may have a better response rate

The most important point to keep in mind for an email campaign is a proper and thorough evaluation of a test group. By making a practice of consistently testing your email campaigns, you’ll be sure to get the most bang for your marketing buck.

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18 Responses to “What Are the Best Days of the Week to Send Email Campaigns?”

  1. [...] The 60 Second Marketer Blog. Read the full post [...]

  2. [...] 60 Second Marketer Blog » What Are the Best Days of the Week to … [...]

  3. John Taylor says:

    Could you recommend any specific resources, books, or other blogs on this specific marketing topic?

  4. JamieTurner says:

    Hi, John. Lyris has an absolutely fabulous white paper on this topic. Visit their website (or the EmailLabs website) and do a search for “Guru’s Guide to Email Marketing Success.”

    Good luck!

  5. Great informaiton! 67% of the people who responded stated Friday was the best day to receive an e-mail newsletter… How many people responded?

  6. JamieTurner says:

    Hi, Web Design Chicago —

    Re: 67% said Friday was the best day for the eNewsletter

    Our poll was answered by fewer than 100 respondents, so the information was directional, not definitive.

    To clarify, the respondents to our survey were answering a question about receiving the 60 Second Marketer eNewsletter, not eNewsletters in general. So, the 67% figure is for 60 Second Marketer eNewsletter readers, not eNewsletter readers in general.

    Speaking of which, you can sign up for our eNewsletter on any page of our website. Just look for the “Sign up for the eNewsletter” link on virtually every page of the site. (It’s at the very top of the home page, too. http://www.60SecondMarketer.com)

    Thanks!

  7. Kayla Smith says:

    Tuesday
    Wednesday
    Thursday
    And then these time frames…
    0900/1100
    1400/1500

    Monday’s are “blah” days for most people and a time when email spam is clogging their inboxes. Send on a Monday and you are apt to get deleted with the junk.

    Friday’s are questionable. If you do send on Friday, do it before 1100. Once lunchtime hits, you’ve lost a good portion of your audience. Your email will most likely sit in their inbox until Monday morning and get deleted with the junk.

  8. Jamie Turner says:

    Great feedback, Kayla. Thanks for sharing!

  9. It is always refreshing to read your posts – thanks again and best regards

  10. Jamie Turner says:

    Thanks for your kind comments! Keep ‘em coming, folks!

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  14. Sean says:

    I find sending on a late night Sunday will usually give me a lot more traffic on Monday, more than if I send it any other time during the week.

  15. Jamie Turner says:

    Great advice, Sean. We’ll give that a try for our eNewsletter. Thanks for the thoughts. Best, Jamie

  16. [...] Jamie Turner och Darren Rowse för stoff till detta [...]

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