Optimize your email frequency – greater impact, fewer unsubscribes
How often you contact your recipients has a direct impact on open rates, click rates, and unsubscribes.
If you send too rarely, you'll be forgotten. If you send too often, you'll annoy people – and unsubscribes or spam reports will follow.
In this article, you'll find recommendations and best practices for finding the optimal sending frequency for your audience.
1. Why sending frequency matters
The frequency with which you send emails directly influences your recipients' behavior and the deliverability of your campaigns. Sending too many emails in a short period increases the likelihood that:
- recipients unsubscribe or mark you as spam,
- your open rates decline,
- your sender reputation with mailbox providers suffers.
On the other hand, sending too few emails can cause recipients to forget about you or perceive your next mailing as unwanted.
2. Benchmark values by campaign type
There is no universally "correct" frequency – it depends on your industry, your offering, and your target audience. The following benchmarks give you a good starting point:
| Campaign type | Recommended frequency |
|---|---|
| Newsletter (editorial) | 1–2× per month |
| Promotional and offer mailings | 1–4× per month |
| Transactional emails (e.g. order confirmations) | Event-triggered – as often as needed |
| Onboarding sequences | Daily to weekly, depending on the length of the series |
| Re-engagement campaigns | 1–3× within a defined time period |
These values are guidelines. Test different frequencies with a portion of your list before committing to a strategy.3. Finding the optimal frequency for your list
Here's how to approach this systematically:
- Start conservatively. Begin with a lower frequency (e.g. 1× per month) and increase it gradually.
- Monitor your metrics. With every change, keep an eye on open rate, click rate, and unsubscribe rate. A significant rise in unsubscribes is a clear warning sign.
- Segment your list. Active recipients (those who regularly open and click) can handle more emails than inactive ones. Use the segmentation feature in MAILINGWORK to target these groups differently.
- Ask your recipients. A short preference center where subscribers can choose how often they'd like to hear from you can noticeably reduce unsubscribes.
4. Frequency and deliverability
Your sending frequency directly affects your sender reputation – meaning whether your emails land in the inbox or the spam folder. Keep the following in mind:
- Send consistently: Spread your mailings evenly throughout the month rather than sending everything at once.
- Remove inactive contacts: Recipients who haven't opened your emails for an extended period increase your bounce and spam rates. Schedule regular list cleanups.
- Avoid sudden frequency spikes: If you suddenly send a large volume of emails after a long pause, spam filters may be triggered. Increase your frequency gradually instead.
In MAILINGWORK, you can track your open and click rates over time under the Statistics tab. A noticeable drop after increasing your frequency is a clear warning sign.5. Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
How often per week can I send emails?
That depends on your industry and your content. In B2C (e.g. e-commerce), 2–3 emails per week can work well if the content is relevant. In B2B, a lower frequency of 1–2× per month is usually recommended.
My unsubscribe rate has gone up – what's causing that?
Common causes are too high a frequency, too little relevant content, or both. Try reducing your sending frequency and at the same time check whether your content is tailored to your recipients' interests.
Should I email all recipients at the same frequency?
No. Segment your list by activity. You can email active recipients more often; inactive contacts should be addressed with a re-engagement campaign before removing them from your list.
What is a preference center?
A preference center is a page where your subscribers can choose for themselves how often and on which topics they want to receive emails from you. This increases satisfaction and reduces unsubscribes.
How do I know if I'm sending too often?
Watch out for the following signals: a rising unsubscribe rate, declining open rates over time, more spam complaints, or a higher inactivity rate in your list.