How Often Should we Send Newsletters to Our Readers?
When browsing online we will invariably get requests to sign up for newsletters, it comes with the territory we live in. It can be something that we are adverse to or something we see as bringing value and knowledge.
Two ends of the pole, one marketer that lands in my inbox will send an email newsletter about once a month maybe more if there is something of niche interest to share, on the other end of the scale is the marketer who sends three a week, repeat information and other unrelated topics, nothing of value.
One of the things that really amazes me is the number of folks who request signs up's and then never send that newsletter, or send one and then vanish into thin air.
I don't get my head around that one,
There must be that happy medium, where enough is the right amount for your readers to bear. I guess newsletters sent and opened would be the measure of that.
It appears that there are better times of the week to send those newsletters, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday. This is the time when folks are most engaged and full into work or business mode. Monday we are thinking back to the weekend and dreaming of the one to come and planning the week ahead, Friday and Saturday we are moving into the weekend flow so no time to be bothered.
One of the things that many folks are saying is that you need to be consistent and also you need to be punctual in that you send them on a certain day and time.
So back to the question what is the best frequency of sending newsletters?
A haunch of a guess is that start with what you are comfortable with say once a month and build from there if the engagement is there. Once again it seems to be something that requires thought and a strategy as to the purpose of sending the newsletter in the first place.
Once started consistency is the key to successful relationship building, as much of a case of on the job training.......... figuring it out as we go. Used in a way that provides some value to your audience, they can be a good way to increase engagement.
How do you see it, I would be really interested to know your feelings on this topic.
Thank you
Alex
Recent Comments
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Everybody you ask will almost invariably say they hate the constant newsletters. Most list building courses will tell you not to bombard your list with constant sales.
Over the years I have tested many types of list building and at the end of the day the most reliable and profitable way is to sell to my list constantly.
This does fly in the face of all wisdom and it flies in the face of everyone who says they hate being sold to. I don't know who's buying them but I do test this and it works across all Niches.
That doesn't mean I send out sales promotion every time I email my list I don't. I send out an average five emails a week one of them contains good quality free content. This does, however, lead onto a promotion I'm intending to do later in the week.
I also promote something three or four times a week. These are very often high-end products the minimum sale price is $500
Hi, Catherine thank you for sharing your thoughts and experience. finding that balance between giving value and promotion of offers seems to be that nice middle of the road approach. Weare all of us not dissimilar in our likes and dislikes when it comes to emails.
It is true what you say everyone has a differing opinion when it comes to frequency and purpose, finding what works for us and our audiences is that constant work in progress I guess.
I always kind of saw it this way - if it's a website-related newsletter, you send whenever you post a new article to let your readers know. Special offers and sales, etc. are maybe a couple of times a month. Every day mailers exhaust their lists and have to constantly add new people to make up for their high levels of unsubscribes (except for the very small percentage that seem to be able to engage all the time for years. That's super hard, though).
Well rounded response Steve, it's all about mixing and matching your articles to give the readers variety. I think we all tend to shy away from those super posting marketers. Finding that balance seems to be how most look at the frequency question. Thank you for stopping by.
Very touchy subjects. Two of the Internet experts I follow says we should send emails everyday. I never like emails. But there are people who I tend to open all the time. I guess according to the open rate as you rightfully said.
It can be the cause of debate and I too see emails on a daily basis some go unopened. but then some I tend to zero in on because of the value that they offer, finding what works for us and our audience seems to be the key.
It really depends on your audience and content. I think weekly is a happy middle-ground where you shouldn't annoy your audience if your content is valuable enough. I know some businesses and copywriters who send DAILY newsletters. Rarely can one person write enough content that is consistently this valuable.
For the average copywriter, weekly or twice a month. I think once a month means you're not adding much content. My thoughts...
Hi, Darren thank you for sharing your thoughts, agree 100% with you, one of the hardest things when thinking about it is coming up with relevant content that provides value to our readers. starting out slow and seeing how it goes could be the way to go.
Hi Alex,
To me even once a week is too much. Of course this is from reader's perspective and not as a marketer.
It might be a boring answer but it's more important that I enjoy the content. If I like the content, I will read it anyway even after a month or so.
Let's say there is a restaurant you frequent. No matter how good the food is, if you go there 3 times a week every week, over time it will not taste as good as it did before.
If you go once in a while, it tastes amazing every time. LOL
So, once in two weeks to a month is good but I really don't care. It doesn't even have to be the same day of the week.
Hi, Takatomo, thank you for sharing your insights, I really like the restaurant analogy, very much to the point. A visit once in a while keeps the experience fresh for sure. I guess it is about finding that balance where our readers are looking out for the next offering of content.
I have no answer what the best frequency of sending newsletters is, but I do not wish to annoy subscribers and I am sending monthly. Have seen some recommending sending every post and find this practice ridiculous. Who wants to receive so many emails?
That makes perfect sense to me Jovo, I guess it is about being in tune with the needs of the readers so we are providing information but not being a pest, the hardest thing is finding that balance. thank you for your response.
Great sharing and am just wondering how shall I send newsletter to my referrals in WA. Any idea?
Thanks Stefan. Very good tips but not answering my need. I want to know how can I contact my referrals in WA. I have 3 not even set up their account. Is there a way to contact them through email?
If you click on the airplane in the top menu bar of your WA homepage there is a drop down menu:
Go to " tasks " and you will see a menu bar that may help you to engage and interact with your referrals.
If you are looking for who they then click on " my referrals."
The system here at Wealthy Affiliate is quite robust hope that this helps SK.
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First, I'd like to thank you for this post.Just last night I was designing a sign-up form for my Newsletter. So, this post is right on time. It gives me a few things to think about.
Hi, Ahmad, that is one of the really good things about WA, we can be thinking about something and chances are so are other folks. glad that you have found some value in this thread there are a lot of similarities.