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e-Newsletters – It’s what you say and when you say it (or when they read it) that matters

How often have you heard, “it’s not what you say but how you say it”? When it comes to e-newsletters you can add in another variable: when you say it.

Getting your message and call-to-action across in an e-newsletter requires thought in the planning and skill in the execution. Yet if you send out your newsletter when a good number of your target audience isn’t likely to be checking e-mail, you’re lessening the effectiveness of your e-newsletter. Some of your list might not even see it at all.

You want to give your e-newsletter the best chance to be seen. That’s why selecting the right time of day and day of the week is critical. Constant Contact is one of many e-newsletter companies that’s studied best times to send out e-mail by industry. Here are some examples of best times to send by a few different categories:

• Health professionals (e.g. doctors, dentists, chiropractors) – Friday, 4pm
• Education – primary or secondary schools, Saturday 2 pm
• Professional services – Monday, 5 am
• Home and building services (e.g. construction, HVAC, landscaping, etc.) – Thursday, 8 am

If you really think about it, that does make some sense. Health professionals probably have patients’ personal e-mail addresses. Those are more likely to be checked when people are at home or in transit during their personal time. Sending at Friday at 4 pm heading into the weekend improves the likelihood of an open more than a Monday at 10 am issue. You could say the same about the education e-newsletter, too.

Professional services you can see as well. Your target audience is likely to be people at their place of business. So, the goal is to not only get them at the beginning of the week on a Monday but to be near the top of the Monday morning in-box when people get to the office (e.g. many people get to the office anywhere from 7:30 am to 9 am).

Selecting the right day and time definitely helps but your e-newsletter still needs a slick look, beneficial content and a definitive call-to-action. If you have an e-newsletter and are struggling to get opens-or merely struggling just to get some content and the design together, drop us a line or give us a call.