We’ve all been there: You come into the office, you open your inbox, and all you see are pages of new emails. Ugh. How are you going to get through it all?
Obviously, if your inbox is packed, you can only imagine how jammed everyone else’s are, too. So, how do you make sure your emails to people (especially important people) get noticed, get read, and don’t get stuck in inbox limbo?
Hint: You strategize. Mailchimp, an email newsletter startup that allows people to build, design, and send email newsletters, actually put all of its data together from millions of emails to find patterns in how people interact with their inboxes. And it’s data you can use to your advantage to decide exactly when to send your emails to give them the best shot of getting noticed.
For example, are you just hoping to have your email opened? It’s better to send it during the day than at night (around 1 PM, to be exact), as Mailchimp’s data shows that most people are checking their emails throughout the afternoon hours.
Additionally, are you hoping to catch your boss or someone important on a less busy day but don’t know his or her schedule? Avoid emailing on Tuesday and Thursday; those are the highest volume days for people’s inboxes, and you don’t want your important message to get lost in a sea of newsletters, offers, and other correspondence. Obviously, the least email traffic occurs on Saturday and Sunday (but will your boss really be checking his or her email then?). Try Wednesday, since Monday can be stressful, and people tend to check out mentally on Fridays.
Armed with these stealthy secrets of emailing at precisely the right time, you’ll make sure your messages always get noticed. And hey, that’s half the battle.