We’re often asked whether it’s important to have a mailing list as part of building your author platform. Yes, but you have to do it right. It’s not just about putting together a great newsletter with great content, having a good subject line, or just having subscribers. You want to make sure that when you do send your newsletter, your fans will read it. Here are the optimal times that you should or shouldn’t send out to your list.
Days not to send emails
- Mondays. Monday’s are considered the worst day to send mass emails. When people come into work they automatically start deleting emails that aren’t important in an effort to start the work week fresh.
- Fridays. By Friday most people are winding down and checked out and creating their to do lists for the following week. Don’t send an email on Friday, it will most likely be forgotten.
Best times to send emails
- Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday will get you the best open rates before the afternoon.
- Lunchtime. Best open rates (that’s when people actually open your email) are between 11:30 and 1pm EST (lunchtime). Email readers have gotten a chance to get the morning emails out of the way. They’re winding down and taking a break during lunchtime.
- Evening – don’t send emails in the evening. Most people have already checked out and gone home
Weekend rules
- Internet activity reduces on the weekends. We all disconnect during the weekend, so why would you waste your time and energy sending out a blast when people are least likely to read it?
Tools
- Tools like Mailchimp, Sendgrid, Constant Contact track open rates. So track and experiment with your mailing days and times to figure out when is the best time to send out to your audience.
Like this post? Check out our post by Lori Culwell on how to build your mailing list.
About Miral Sattar
Miral Sattar is the founder and CEO of BiblioCrunch.com, a marketplace for authors to connect with quality, vetted book publishing professionals. While she was at TIME she launched all the TIME.com newsletters.
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