Who obsesses about having their emails opened even more than networkers and job seekers do? Email marketers, of course. After all, they’re a big reason that more than 100 billion emails are sent each day.
After recently chatting with a reader about the challenges of getting busy people to respond to email, I thought marketers—who are so meticulous about performance—might have some wisdom to offer. As it turns out, their advice is super practical for individuals who are pitching themselves rather than a product.
Below, I’ve adapted some great tips from the company Customer.io to help make sending that reachout email a little easier.
What Day of the Week Should I Send My Emails?
Marketers Say
“Tuesday’s emails have an overall open rate of about 18%, the highest open rate compared to the other weekdays. Interestingly, Saturday has the highest open rate overall, at 18.3%...This makes Tuesday the winner for most emails opened, compared to any other day of the week.”
You Should Try
Send your messages on Tuesdays and Saturdays. The rationale for Tuesdays is based on the notion that Mondays carry some of the weekend’s haze and, on Tuesday “the reality [of work] sets in.” So maybe by Tuesday, we’re all looking for ways to avoid what’s on our desks! And if Saturday has the highest open rate, take advantage of the lower volume of email and send your “great meeting you” email that day instead.
What is the Best Time of Day to Send?
Marketers Say
“While most people check their emails in the morning, they’re usually trying to start their day on a productive note. This means anything unnecessary will likely be trashed or archived without being read.”
You Should Try
The data Customer.io uses shows marketing emails have their highest rates of opens and engagement (clicks and transactions) between 8:00 PM and 12:00 AM. If you’re not currently in your recipient’s professional network, your email is just as nonessential as an e-newsletter. Try sending at the beginning of that time frame (or just before) to increase your message’s chances of getting addressed. If you don’t want to be on your screen that late, use tools like Boomerang to schedule your message in advance.
Now that you have some guidance on when to send the email, make sure that what you write gets you the results you want. Good luck! Send your burning questions on productivity or communication challenges to me at yo.adrian@themuse.com.