My LinkedIn community is in the midst of a great conversation about when is the best time to email to get your message opened.
If you’re sending an e-newsletter, conventional wisdom says that Tuesday is the best date. And guess what? If everyone is sending it Tuesday, that’s absolutley when you do not want to send your stuff.
And if you just want your sales message to stand a better chance of being opened? Avoid the two most common email purge times – 8a – 9:30a and after lunch, 1p – 2p. Of course the time zone issue comes in to play when you’re sending messages around the world. If you can control the timing of your mailings, considering these common purge times, you give yourself better odds. If you can’t, you’ll really need to work on your subject line to make it highly compelling for the reader.
Finally, avoid sending stuff late at night. We’ve talked about not sipping and sending before. We’ve also talked about the message it gives your reader when you send emails at all hours… that you’re schedule is out of control of maybe they just aren’t that important to you so you work on their stuff during low priority time. Or maybe that you need to sip a few before responding to them! Whatever… here is another reason: Mail sent in the night falls into the purge time the next morning.
Last point… Because I travel so frequently and send emails at unusual times, I add where I am, in my sign off. So, I write – Wishing you all the best – from Bejing (or wherever I am). It increases intrigue, makes it easy for the reader to write back because they can start with a reference to my trip, and it absolves me of breaking my own rules.
Update: Here is how to link to me on Linked In.
Power Sales Writing