Quick Guide To Timing Emails & Blog Posts
This is the second of two posts looking at research by Dan Zarella on timing social media posts. The first considered when to post on Twitter and Facebook. Here we take a look at what he's discovered about when it's best to send emails and when it's best to post on one's blog.
Though we periodically hear that email and blogging are dead or, in non-tech pundit speak, are not quite as dominant as they once were, both are clearly still alive and kicking. Here are Dan Zarella's top insights on timing email and blog posts from his free HubSpot webinar, The Science of Timing.
Sending emails to subscribers:
- Open rates are higher on weekends because that is when emails are getting the most attention.
- The most opens are happening between 5 and 7 am.
- Clickthrough rates are also highest on weekends.
- As folks on a list receive more emails, clickthrough rates remain constant.
- Unsubscribes tend to happen with the first few emails as folks decide whether or not to stay on your list.
Overall Zarella recommends sending multiple emails and offers soon after folks subscribe to your email list. This is when they're paying the most attention and will recognize your brand. This is also when they're most likely to unsubscribe so it quickly cleans your list of those who aren't interested. In addition, experiment with sending emails early in the day and weekends and don't hesitate to send lots of emails.
Posting on blogs:
- Most blog reading happens in the morning with declines in the afternoon though as many as 40% also read at night.
- Page views per blog post dip slightly over the weekend with the highest views on Mondays.
- Blog posts published around 10 or 11 am tend to get the most views.
- Blog comments tend to be higher earlier in the morning, around 7 or 8 am, and on weekends.
- Post on Mondays and Thursdays tend to get the most links with Friday through Sunday getting the least.
- Posts published early, around 6 or 7 am, also get the most links.
- Blogs that post more than once a day get more views and links.
In short, post early and post often with an awareness of your preferred results from comments to links to decide on timing.
As Zarella reminds us, results will differ for individual projects and audiences so experiment while keeping your stats in mind.
Hypebot contributor Clyde Smith is a freelance writer and blogger. Flux Research is his business writing hub and All World Dance: World Dance News is his primary web project.
Timing is applicable to all facets of life as we continue to make momentary decisions on personal and business affairs. In the food industry for example, though it takes hard work to produce fruits and vegetables, a wise farmer has the knowledge and understanding on the importance of timing relative to planting and harvesting seasons.
Similarly in the world of personal relationships, timing had been applied in the dating scene where many have tried the popular “3-second rule”, a success slogan that means: when you see a girl you like, you have 3 seconds to decide whether to approach her and say anything that comes in your mind. Simply put, both successful schemes are, in some ways applicable in a business environment.
Further applications in business describes time as a vital factor in negotiations and can dictate concession behavior because ‘when’ is just as important as ‘how’ to make the concession. But remember that there is a crucial moment when final decisions had to be made when all arguments have subsided in the final stages.
Great guide, sometimes success of email marketing and blogging is all about proper timing.