When is the best time to send an email? [2020]

Are you wondering how to improve your email marketing strategies? Have you thought about when the best time to send an email is so that as many people as possible engage with it?

Let me tell you right now – there isn’t one single answer that will work like magic. However, there have been numerous studies, which can give you a basis to start from.

So let’s see what the statistics say.

What is the best day of the week to send an email?

Several reliable studies, including that of Omnisend, have found that the best day to send promotional emails like weekly newsletters is Thursday, followed closely by Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the worst days to send promotional emails are Monday and Saturday. Seems logical – most people are busy having fun on weekends or running errands, while Mondays are chaotic and everyone is moody, more likely to delete all emails from their overflowing inbox rather than read them.

Similarly, GetResponse’s study showed that Tuesday is the best day for newsletters if your goal is a high open rate. On the other hand, Saturdays and Sundays are the worst days for email opens.

Campaign Monitor’s research agrees that Tuesdays and Thursdays are the best days. However, there are some differences in terms of conversion goals:

• Thursday is the best day for high open rates;
• Tuesday wins in high click-through rates.

It’s clear that the day that performs well for one metric isn’t necessarily good for another. That’s why the decision when to send your email campaigns relies heavily on your goals and email marketing metrics.

Now you know that Tuesdays and Thursdays do well when it comes to opens and clicks. Why not send email blasts twice a week – one on Tuesday and one on Thursday – and see if that’s the right strategy for you?

Otherwise, the middle of the week (Wednesday) is also a good time to send out some emails and see how they do.

But wait.

We’re not finished yet. You should know the best time of the day to send emails too.

When is the best time to send an email?

We’ve already discussed when the best time to post on social media is in our blog post. However, it’s not the same when it comes to sending emails.

Many email marketers are banging their heads to figure out exactly when to send their emails to reach maximum engagement like opens, clicks, conversions and, ultimately, sales.

The best time of the day to send an email might differ depending on your industry, type of business and prospects.

Moreover, it’s crucial to have a deep understanding of your customers (or so-called buying personas). How does a typical day of their life go? If you manage to put yourself in their shoes, you’re more likely to figure out when they have the time and are in the mood to check their emails and click through.

Still, there is some data that can help you as a starting point.

Studies show that emails sent at 8 am, 1 pm and 5 pm perform the best.

In general, it’s a good idea to send emails a little before the time the recipients are expected to open their inboxes.

Most people check their emails in the morning, some even before getting out of bed, while commuting to and from work and, of course, during lunch break and other shorter breaks. Moreover, some like to open their emails in the afternoon after lunch, while others get back to work without losing focus. Many people check their emails in the late evening too or just before bed.

You can also try sending emails at 12 am so that prospects see them first thing in the morning. According to Klaviyo’s data, emails sent at midnight had a 7% higher open rate and a 66% higher revenue per recipient, compared to the average.

However, nothing is certain here. You might simply annoy subscribers and achieve the opposite. Experimenting is key for finding when the best time to send an email is for YOU.

Besides, don’t forget about the time zones. Make sure you schedule your emails right depending on where your recipient is from. There are many digital marketing tools that can help you with that.

Last but not least, make sure that your emails are optimized for mobile. More than 62% of email campaigns are being opened on a mobile device, according to the latest email marketing statistics. It’ll be an enormous mistake to omit this step – poor performance on mobile devices will quickly lose you subscribers.

To sum up

If your open rates are lower than expected, it’s possible that there are other problems than the time you send your email campaigns. See whether your subject line is short and catchy enough, whether the number of emails you send isn’t too daunting, and if your messages are mobile-friendly. Add some visuals too – visual emails usually fare better than the rest. Keep it simple though – some studies show that people still prefer old-fashioned emails.

So now you know when the best time to send an email is in general. Sending emails in the middle of the week and in the middle of the day is a pretty safe approach overall.

Don’t stop there though – experiment with different days and times until you find what works best for you. Stand out from competitors and find the best time to shine.

When is the best time to send an email? Only you can say for sure!

But first you have to build a good list of email addresses so that you have someone to send your marketing emails to. Check out our top tips on how to grow your email list.

One of the most successful ideas is to use eye-catching popups and page banners on your website to easily turn visitors into email subscribers.

Catchfull can help you with that.

Our brand new digital marketing tool is almost here. If you subscribe now, you’ll be the first to use it AND get a 3-month free unlimited access. Beat the competition to it!