How frequently should I write/send emails?

By
Kyler Nixon
March 28, 2022
5 min read

Email generates $42 for every $1 spent.

Read that again.

Email marketing generates a 4,200% return on investment.

I had a whole list of additional statistics I was going to share here. I was going to talk about how email builds brand awareness and how it helps you stay connected to your audience... but I think I've proved my point: email marketing is one of the best ways to grow a digital brand.

Now it's time to figure out how the heck email marketing works.

We've got several blogs all about email marketing, so we're just going to focus on this question: How frequently should I send marketing emails?

Send out too few emails and people will start to forget about your company.

Send out too many and they might get annoyed.

You get the idea.

One-Off Campaigns vs. Nurture Campaigns

For the purposes of this post, we're going to make a few assumptions:

  1. You already have an email marketing software
  2. You have a lead generator setup and running
  3. Your list has already received a series of automated emails and has not purchased your course or product.

Now, when we think about ongoing email marketing, it's a bit like tending to a garden. You need to nurture and cultivate your list over time. When you nurture your list, there are two primary ways to do it.

1. One-Off Campaigns

One-off campaigns are manually sent or scheduled by you. They're typically timely or seasonal and can reference other things that are happening the day they're sent.

You might think about this like a newsletter. It contains relevant links or passing notes about your day or week.

2. Nurture Series

Unlike a one-off campaign, a nurture series is automated and evergreen (ie, it can be read at any time and still make sense).

When you create a nurture series, you're adding emails to the end of the series and different audience members will recieve the emails based on when they entered your list.

A nurture series is great for helping you develop a relationship with your list over time and will allow you to create a lot of content and schedule it out.

Content Ideas

Whether you're sending a one-off campaign or you're setting up a nurture series, the goal is simple: build a long-term relationship with your customer.

To do this, we need to email them content that's valuable and helpful.

Here are some email content ideas:

  1. Helpful tips or blog posts
  2. Resources, books, or external articles they might find helpful
  3. Behind the scenes looks at your brand
  4. Special offers or sales
  5. Product or course announcements
  6. Upcoming events or webinars
  7. Case studies or stories of how you've helped others
  8. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

You get the idea.

The Frequency of Emailing Your List

The answer to this question is going to be different for every business. I wish I could give you a solid number, but the truth is that it depends on your business, your product, and your audience.

That said, there are some general guidelines we can follow:

  1. Choose a cadence you can maintain. Don't start emailing your list every day if you know you can't keep it up. It's better to email your list once a week and be consistent than email them sporadically.
  2. Start slow and increase frequency over time. If you're not sure how often to email your list, start with once a month. You can always increase frequency later.
  3. Ask your list how often they want to hear from you. This is a great way to get some feedback from your audience. You can send out a survey or simply ask them in your next email.
  4. Don't be afraid to experiment. If you're not sure how often to email your list, try out a few different frequency levels and see how they respond. If you start getting lots of unsubscribes, it might be time to slow it down a bit.
  5. Keep your content incredibly helpful and valuable. Daily emails with practical tips and guidance are going to be better received than weekly email blasts about your latest sale.

Nurturing Your Email List

Lastly, I want to share a few mindset shifts for you as you nurture your list. Nurture emails sent over time need to be approached differently than a sales series.

Try to Get Replies

When you're writing your emails, try to write in such a way your customer actually replies to you. Ask them questions, start a conversation, and encourage engagement.

The goal is to get to know your customer and build a relationship with them. You can't do that if you're emailing them one-way messages all the time.

It's Not About the Sale

When you're emailing your list, it's not always about making the sale. In fact, most of the time, it shouldn't be about making the sale.

Your goal with email should be to build a relationship and create rapport with your list. If you focus on providing value and helping them, the sales will come eventually.

Think Long-Term

When it comes to email marketing, you need to think long-term. It's not a sprint, it's a marathon.

You're not going to see results overnight and you're not going to make a sale with every email you send. But if you keep at it and focus on building a relationship, you will see results. Promise.

Digital marketing is all about relationships. You need to build trust with your customers in order to convert them into buyers. And the best way to do that is by sending them helpful, valuable content on a consistent basis. How frequently you email your list will depend on a variety of factors, but remember that it's more important to be consistent and helpful than worry about the frequency you send your emails.

Bonus: 100 Email Subscribers in 7 Days

When you're ready to take action and start your list, be sure to get access to our workshop "100 Email Subscribers in 7 Days." It's super practical, easy to follow, and has everything you need to build your email list–even without social media or a website.

Kyler Nixon
Founder