What is the origin of the best time to send emails and how does it affect recipients?

9 Marketer opinions 3 Expert opinions 5 Technical articles 3 Resources

Summary

The conventional wisdom of sending emails on Tuesday mornings originated from marketing newsletters in the 1990s, though some studies confirm continued engagement on Tuesdays. This widely held belief might skew data. Deliverability is strongly linked to recipient engagement, implying optimal sending times coincide with recipient activity. Marketers advise send time is audience and goal dependent; relevance outweighs timing. Data-driven send time optimization is key. Segmenting and personalizing content are effective tactics and time zone considerations are essential. Experts agree, monitor volume and frequency for email health.

Key findings

Historical Origin: Sending emails on Tuesday mornings is a practice rooted in 1990s marketing newsletters, with recent studies partly corroborating this.
Engagement Drives Deliverability: Email deliverability strongly correlates with recipient engagement, emphasizing sending emails when recipients are most active.
Audience-Centric Approach: Optimal sending times depend heavily on the target audience, their habits, and campaign goals; generalizing is ineffective.
Content Relevance: The relevance and quality of email content are often more critical for engagement than the precise timing of delivery.
Data-Driven Optimization: Data-driven send time optimization, segmented lists and A/B testing provide increased insight into the best sending times.
Sending Consistency: Consistent email sending volume and frequency contribute to email deliverability.

Key considerations

Audience Analysis: Rigorously analyze audience behaviors, preferences, and time zones to target emails effectively.
Content Quality: Prioritize compelling, relevant content as a driver for engagement.
Experimentation: Experiment with send times to better learn audience behaviours.
Segmentation Strategies: Focus on segmented lists to personalize messages and tailor send-times.
Monitoring Volume and Timing: Maintaining proper volume of sending and ensuring send times that are stable is critical.

What email marketers say
9Marketer opinions

The concept of a 'best time' to send emails originated from marketing newsletters in the 1990s, with Tuesday mornings often cited as optimal. Modern data, however, may be skewed due to this widely held belief. Experts recommend that optimal sending times are heavily dependent on audience, industry, and goals, and that the relevance and quality of email content are paramount to engagement and open rates. Timing improvements correlate to deliverability. A/B testing different send times provides audience insights. Segmentation and personalization have more effect than timing.

Key opinions

Historical Origin: The idea of a 'best time' to send emails stems from marketing newsletters in the 1990s, particularly emphasizing Tuesday mornings.
Skewed Data: Current data on optimal send times might be skewed because the widespread belief in Tuesday mornings influences sending behavior.
Audience Dependence: Optimal sending times are highly dependent on the target audience, industry, and specific goals.
Relevance over Timing: The relevance and quality of email content are often more critical for engagement than the exact sending time.
Sender Reputation Boost: Sending emails at optimal times can improve recipient engagement, which, in turn, positively impacts the sender's reputation and deliverability.
Testing for Insights: A/B testing different send times can provide valuable insights into when a specific audience is most receptive to emails.
Segmentation and Personalization: Segmentation of email lists and personalization of content are more effective strategies than solely focusing on send time.

Key considerations

Audience Analysis: Thoroughly analyze your target audience's habits, preferences, and time zones to determine when they are most likely to engage with emails.
Content Quality: Prioritize creating relevant, valuable, and engaging content that resonates with your audience, as this can outweigh the impact of timing.
Testing and Optimization: Continuously test different send times, subject lines, and content to optimize your email strategy based on real-world results.
Segmentation Strategies: Implement effective segmentation strategies to target the right content to the right people, maximizing engagement and minimizing unsubscribes.
Deliverability Monitoring: Monitor your sender reputation and deliverability metrics to ensure that your emails are reaching the intended recipients' inboxes.
Industry Benchmarks: Be mindful of industry benchmarks for send times, but always prioritize your own data and testing results over generic recommendations.

Marketer view

Email marketer from Quora User responds that sending emails when recipients are active can improve engagement. It also improves sender reputation, which positively impacts deliverability.

January 2024 - Quora

Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Geeks explains the conventional wisdom for sending emails on Tuesday mornings came from an email marketing newsletter in the 1990s and mentions more recent studies also "confirming" that emails get more engagement on Tuesday mornings than any other time.

December 2024 - Email Geeks

Marketer view

Email marketer from Campaign Monitor responds that that while timing can have an impact, segmenting lists and personalizing content are often more effective strategies. Sending relevant content to the right people is paramount.

December 2022 - Campaign Monitor

Marketer view

Email marketer from Neil Patel responds that the best time to send emails depends on the target audience's habits. He notes that B2B emails often perform well during work hours, while B2C emails may see better engagement in the evening or on weekends.

January 2024 - Neil Patel

Marketer view

Email marketer from SuperOffice shares that A/B testing different send times can provide valuable insights into when an audience is most receptive to email. This ensures that emails get to the recipient when they're most likely to read them.

October 2024 - SuperOffice

Marketer view

Email marketer from HubSpot shares that Tuesday is often cited as the best day to send emails, followed by Wednesday and Thursday. However, she recommends testing to find what works best for your specific audience.

April 2021 - HubSpot

Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Geeks shares that because more emails are being sent on Tuesday mornings due to the marketing meme, there is no way to have a more objective view because the existing belief that this is the "best time" skews the dataset.

April 2022 - Email Geeks

Marketer view

Email marketer from Reddit User states that while timing can influence open rates, the relevance and quality of the email content are more important. A highly relevant email is more likely to be opened regardless of when it is sent.

June 2021 - Reddit

Marketer view

Email marketer from ActiveCampaign responds that while studies suggest certain days and times are better, optimal sending time depends on the audience, industry, and goals. They advise considering when recipients are most likely to check their inboxes.

June 2024 - ActiveCampaign

What the experts say
3Expert opinions

Sending all email marketing on the same day disregards the recipient's capacity to engage with all of it. Deliverability is strongly linked to recipient engagement, meaning sending when recipients are likely to open and engage signals to mailbox providers that the emails are wanted. Maintaining consistent sending volume and appropriate timing is crucial for good delivery, avoiding excessive sending after service disruptions.

Key opinions

Recipient Capacity: Sending all email marketing on the same day overlooks the recipient's ability to process and engage with all of it.
Engagement and Deliverability: Recipient engagement directly impacts email deliverability, as mailbox providers interpret engagement as a sign of wanted emails.
Consistent Volume and Timing: Maintaining a consistent sending volume and appropriate timing is essential for optimal email delivery.

Key considerations

Recipient-Centric Approach: Consider the recipient's perspective and avoid overwhelming them with too many emails at once.
Engagement Optimization: Optimize sending times to coincide with when recipients are most likely to open and engage with emails.
Stable Sending Patterns: Establish stable sending patterns to avoid triggering spam filters or negatively impacting sender reputation, particularly after service interruptions.

Expert view

Expert from Spam Resource User, Barry, shares that volume and timing both contribute to good delivery. If you're having a temporary server problem (for example) and you're unable to send for a period of time, DON'T try to catch up by sending 10x as much mail as normal. Space it out.

November 2024 - Spam Resource

Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks explains that the advice of sending all email marketing on the same day completely erases the recipient. She questions what is the chance they’re going to read all of it that day?

June 2024 - Email Geeks

Expert view

Expert from Spam Resource, Laura Atkins, responds that deliverability is closely tied to recipient engagement. Sending at times when recipients are more likely to open and engage with emails can positively impact deliverability by signaling to mailbox providers that the sender's emails are wanted.

October 2024 - Spam Resource

What the documentation says
5Technical articles

Email engagement is affected by sender reputation, authentication, relevance, and timing. Send time optimization uses data to predict when subscribers are most likely to engage. Weekdays generally have higher open rates than weekends, with Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday often performing best. Time zone considerations are important, and metrics like open rates and click-through rates can help determine the best time to send emails.

Key findings

Engagement Factors: Sender reputation, authentication, relevance, and timing are critical factors influencing email engagement.
Send Time Optimization: Data-driven send time optimization can predict when subscribers are most likely to engage with emails.
Weekday Preference: Weekdays generally have higher email open rates than weekends, with Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday frequently being the best days.
Time Zone Importance: Time zone considerations are crucial for international audiences to ensure emails are received at convenient times.
Metric Analysis: Monitoring email marketing metrics like open rates, click-through rates, and conversions can help determine the optimal sending times.

Key considerations

Holistic Optimization: Focus on optimizing not only timing but also sender reputation, authentication, and the relevance of email content.
Data-Driven Decisions: Utilize data and analytics to make informed decisions about send times rather than relying solely on generalized recommendations.
Segmented Send Times: Consider segmenting your audience and tailoring send times to specific groups based on their behavior and time zones.
Continuous Monitoring: Continuously monitor and analyze email marketing metrics to refine your sending strategy and improve engagement over time.
Internationalization: For international audiences, always account for time zone differences to avoid sending emails at inappropriate times.

Technical article

Documentation from Constant Contact explains that monitoring email marketing metrics such as open rates, click-through rates, and conversions can help determine the best time to send emails. Analyzing this data provides insights into subscriber behavior.

December 2023 - Constant Contact

Technical article

Documentation from SendGrid explains that factors affecting engagement such as sender reputation, authentication, relevance, and timing are very important. They advise optimizing send times based on recipient behavior and time zone.

June 2021 - SendGrid

Technical article

Documentation from Litmus shares that time zone considerations are important for international audiences. Sending emails at a specific time without accounting for time zones can lead to emails being received at inconvenient times.

September 2024 - Litmus

Technical article

Documentation from EmailToolTester responds that weekdays generally have higher open rates than weekends, with Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday frequently performing best. Saturday and Sunday generally have lower open rates.

May 2024 - EmailToolTester

Technical article

Documentation from Mailchimp shares that send time optimization uses data to predict when subscribers are most likely to engage with emails. It is important to automatically deliver messages at the ideal time for each recipient.

June 2021 - Mailchimp

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