How often should I email my list is one of those frequently asked marketing questions to which the correct answer is… How long is a piece of string? It all depends on you and what you want to create.
Yes, you've guessed it there is no right or wrong answer to this question, It is up to you though, and what you send your reader should be valuable and actionable.
I'm on two email lists where they email every single day of the week. Each email is topical and personal, and one of them is highly entertaining!
We send out our main email weekly
Personally, I prefer weekly for my main newsletter, which is where the majority of our subscribers end up. I've let my subscribers know what to expect and when. I use Active Campaign to deliver my emails so they're all delivered at the same time, local time. My email doesn't land in your inbox at 5 am! (Unless of course you're part of our blogging challenge and then it's 6 am for you. Sleep is for the slackers!)
In terms of broadcast emails (when you simply send out a one-time message to all your subscribers) perhaps a better question is ‘WHEN should I email my list?’
The answer is quite simple – only when you have something of value to offer them!
We have all been on the email list where marketers push out promo after promo without giving any real value, each week is the latest, must have product, and not a lot else. How does that make you feel? Do you feel valued, and that the person is genuinely interested in helping you grow your business, or do you feel something else?
Some people mail twice every day. Whilst that may be profitable initially, you’re probably going to end up with a list that becomes really unresponsive unless you genuinely are sending valuable, usable content on every single occasion. Think about that for the moment – can your business sustain sending emails twice a day that are not valuable to your readers?
The best way to create a responsive email list and build a strong relationship with your subscribers is to always put their interests before those of your own. Forget about how much money you think you will make by sending out a particular promo – ask yourself if the people on your list will actually WANT to receive this email? Yeah, I know for you it's all about the money, but what about your reader?
Talking of promos… The ratio of promo emails to content emails needs to be monitored carefully. With some skillful writing, you can actually make your content emails double up as promo emails. Give some valuable information and then include a subtle promotional link somewhere within the text that points to an offer that is related to the subject of the message. Mix these in with purely promotional emails and try to create a balance between the two.
If you have regular autoresponder emails which are sent out to your subscribers then this may too have a bearing on when you choose to send out broadcast emails. I'm still trying to get to grips with this one, on Birds on the Blog I have the auto-broadcast feature set up so that our readers are emailed every 12 posts. I also try to send a free business report on a monthly basis that's exclusive to our subscribers – it's tough getting the timings right.
Your subscribers generally won’t mind how often you email them as long as you are making it worth their while. If someone emailed you twice a day, but each time you actually enjoyed the email and got value from it then I don’t think you would be too bothered. If someone was emailing you twice a day with a junk promo however then obviously your opinion would be somewhat different, and you'd rapidly unsubscribe.
So in answer to the question how often should I email my subscribers – send your emails every time you have amazing value to add to your readers' lives, every time you can help them, every time you can make a difference, and no more frequently than that.
What are your tips on the frequency to email your subscribers?
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