By Amit, Digital Marketing Strategist (15+ Years, 500K+ Emails Sent)
I have a confession to make: I used to be terrified of my email list.
Early in my career, I’d lie awake wondering, “If I send too many, they’ll unsubscribe. If I send too few, they’ll forget me.” This fear led to sporadic, inconsistent sending that generated zero results.
It wasn’t until I started treating my email list not as a fragile audience, but as a segmentable, testable asset that I cracked the code. After managing a focused $18K ad budget that fed my lists, I stopped guessing and started testing.
The answer to “how often should you email?” isn’t a magic number. It’s a strategic framework. Here’s how to find your perfect frequency.
❌ The Two Deadly Extremes (And Why They Both Fail)
Most businesses fail by falling into one of two camps:
- The Ghost: They email once a month with a generic newsletter. Result: Subscribers forget who they are, engagement dies, and any sales message feels jarring and out of place.
- The Spammer: They email daily with aggressive, promotional blasts. Result:
- Subscriber fatigue
- Sky-high unsubscribe rates
- Plummeting sender reputation (hello, spam folder)
The goal is to find the Goldilocks Zone—the frequency that feels valuable, not vacant or voracious.
🧪 The Data-Backed Starting Point
Industry averages are a decent compass, but never the map. My aggregated data across B2B and B2C shows:
- B2B (IT Consulting, SaaS): 2-3 times per week. Their audience seeks education and insights, not daily deals.
- B2C (E-commerce): 3-5 times per week. Their audience is more promotion-tolerant and responsive to flash sales and new products.
- Newsletters/Authors: 1-2 times per week. Their value is deep content, not high frequency.
But this is just the starting line. Your true optimal frequency lies in your own data.
🔥 The Only Right Answer: “It Depends.”
The true answer is a function of three variables:
1. Your Audience’s Expectations
How did they sign up? A discount code subscriber expects promotions. A webinar attendee expects education. Your job is to fulfill the promise you made when they opted in.
2. Your Content’s Value & Variety
You cannot email 5 times a week if you only have promotional offers. Your content mix must justify the frequency.
- Promotional: Sales, discounts, new product launches.
- Relational: Educational content, tips, industry news, behind-the-scenes.
- Transactional: Order confirmations, shipping updates, receipts.
A healthy mix is crucial. A good rule of thumb is the 80/20 Rule: 80% relational/educational content, 20% promotional.
3. Your Capacity for Consistency
It is infinitely better to email once a week, every Tuesday at 10 AM, like clockwork, than to send three emails one week and none for the next two. Consistency builds trust and expectation.
📊 How to Find Your Magic Number: A 4-Step Framework
Here is the exact process I use with my clients to move from fear to data.
Step 1: Establish a Baseline
Start with industry averages (see above). Send at this frequency for 30 days. Track everything:
- Open Rate (OR)
- Click-Through Rate (CTR)
- Unsubscribe Rate
- Conversion Rate (if applicable)
Step 2: Run a Frequency A/B Test
This is the most powerful test you can run. Most email platforms (Klaviyo, Mailchimp) have this feature built-in.
- Segment A: Receive 2 emails per week.
- Segment B: Receive 4 emails per week.
- Run this test for 4-6 weeks. Do not check the results weekly; wait for statistical significance.
Step 3: Analyze the RIGHT Metrics
Don’t just look at unsubscribes. A slight rise in unsubscribes is acceptable if your key metrics skyrocket.
- Winning Segment: The one with the highest Engagement-Over-Unsubscribe Ratio. If Segment B (4x/week) has 2x the revenue but only a 0.5% higher unsubscribe rate, you’ve found your winner.
Step 4: Segment and Adjust
Your entire list doesn’t have to be on the same schedule. This is the ultimate secret.
- Engaged Segment (Opens/Clicks regularly): Increase frequency for this group. They want more from you!
- Dormant Segment (No opens in 60+ days): Reduce frequency to a trickle. Send a re-engagement campaign. If they don’t respond, stop emailing them. They are hurting your sender reputation.
🚨 The Red Flags: How to Know You’re Wrong
- Unsubscribe Rate Spikes: A sudden, sustained increase is a clear sign to pull back.
- Open Rates Plummet: This means your audience is getting fatigued and ignoring you.
- Spam Complaints Rise: Even a few “Mark as Spam” clicks are a five-alarm fire. Reduce frequency and revisit your content value immediately.
✅ The Green Lights: How to Know You’re Right
- Steady Engagement: Open and click rates hold steady or grow as you increase sends.
- Revenue Per Email Increases: You’re making more money without a list growth.
- Low Unsubscribe Rate: It remains stable (< 0.2% per send) even as you send more.
“Frequency isn’t a number you set. It’s a rhythm you co-create with your audience through consistent value and careful listening.”
– Amit
Stop guessing and start testing. Your perfect email frequency is waiting to be discovered in your analytics.
About Amit: With over 15 years of experience and a focus on maximizing a $18K ad spend, Amit builds email marketing systems that prioritize relevance and value over vanity metrics. His strategies turn tentative email lists into predictable revenue engines for IT consultancies and e-commerce brands.