E-mail Marketing Secrets
If you’re wondering how often you should e-mail your list, my answer may surprise you, because I believe you should e-mail your list…
As Many Times A Day As You Can Get Away With!
You see, everybody who subscribes to this blog knows that I send out an e-mail every day except on weekends.
Now, when I have something “earth shattering” to announce. I will send two.
But, that doesn’t mean you can’t send two, three, or even four e-mails to your list every day. Because when it all boils down, it’s about your subscribers, not you.
So What Is Your List Used To?
If your subscribers hear from you once a week then you will probably lose a few if you start sending e-mails every day.
But it may be a necessary evil if you want to grow your business.
On the other hand, you have leaders who barely e-mail their lists at all. They only hit the send button if they have something profound to say. And that works too.
But here’s my way of thinking:
I hope it will help you decide for yourself…
If you have something helpful to say then why wouldn’t you say it?
If you know that somebody out there, somewhere, is suffering from a problem you have the cure for, wouldn’t it be rude for you to keep it to yourself?
Like yesterday, you probably got an e-mail (sent out to Better Networkers) about a free training call with Robert Kiyosaki – the guy behind the “Rich Dad Poor Dad” books and empire – and you probably were not annoyed.
I mean, why would you be?
I told you how to get on the phone with a multi-millionaire without spending a nickel or dime.
Imagine what the world would be like today if it was this easy to get free advice from multi-millionaires 20 or even 10 years ago? it boggles the mind.
Now, imagine what the world will be like tomorrow when millions of people who miss out on this call tonight at 5pm PST are still working at jobs they hate.
By the way, if you missed the e-mail here’s the link to your free call. You really need to get over there and register right now, if you don’t want to miss out, because I’m not sure when he’s doing another one of these. He calls it “Gold vs The U.S. Dollar” and I’ll probably be on there too…
Anyhow, you get the point, right?
When all is said and done, it’s not “how many” e-mails you send, but how much value you bring to the table that counts.
To your success,
-Jason The “Better Networker”
-The Jason Better Blog
Credit: “How Often Do YOU Mail Your E-mail List?” This post was inspired by a question Dwayne Huggins asked in the Better Networker forums about a week ago. But I’m curious, “How Often Do YOU Mail Your E-mail List?”
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49 Comments
Rebecca Geiger on March 16th, 2010
Hi Jason.
I think for those of us that need the courage to open our text editor and write something profound.. waiting for that little blinker to give us persmission to copay, paste and send… ain’t gonna happen.
The funny thing about this post is people are always waiting to have someone to GIVE them permission to do something that they want.. cause otherwise they don’t want to appear rude.
I heard a great quote…”do first and ask for forgiveness later”
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March 16th, 2010 at 10:57 am
Gosh,
If I waited for something profound to say I would never get anything written down. But occasionally, like that quote about monkeys and typewriters – I do surprise myself.
Action is key.
I’m good at making mistakes, so I love that quote.
”do first and ask for forgiveness later” 
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Dwayne Huggins on March 16th, 2010
Hey J
I asked this question in the BetterNetworker forum and got a very varied response.
I like you email my list daily when my new blog post goes up and also when I have something of value to say or pass on. So far I have had a grand total of 10 people unsubscribe. Which I think is really cool.
It was interesting on the BN forum to see the different responses and their reasons behind it.
Like you say, if you have something to say, SAY IT! – Simple
Dwayne
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March 16th, 2010 at 10:47 am
BTW, thanks for the BN forum mention and link.
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March 16th, 2010 at 10:50 am
It’s one of those things that everybody wonders at some point in time.
I tend to lean on Drayton Byrd’s advice.
Almost nobody is contacting their leads, customers, or even friends enough.
Mind you, some people should NEVER send an e-mail to anybody at all. I think we’ve all encountered a few of those. 
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Wayne Vassell on March 16th, 2010
Hey J,
Good point here, I must admit at first I was hesitant to email my list everyday cause I figured I would be harassing them!
Then another top blogger (like yourself) said he done the same thing, so I have been doing it for about a month or so now, I wouldn’t change if for the world now.
Yes, you do get some unsubscribers, but who cares! If they are not feeling the value then.. NEXT! (ha)
On a positive note I get a lot of good feedback from those that stay on the list.
Great post my friend.
Wayne Vassell, signing out…
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March 16th, 2010 at 10:59 am
You’re also weeding out the people you wouldn’t want as friends or business partners anyway. So it’s a win win situation either way.
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Twila Jacobs on March 16th, 2010
Good morning Jason!
Heck I don’t mind getting an extra e-mail as long as it provides value and is not spammy!
Since mine is a training course I have it set for every 4 days. That way, if they have a full time job, it gives them time to implement the steps. However, if I run across some good info they can use, I’ll send it out as an e-mail blast.
I just think it depends on how you are utilizing your list and evaluate it from there. You and Josh use yours to e-mail your blog post daily, so that makes sense too.
It will be interesting to see what others are doing…very thought provoking for me.
Have a great day!
Twila
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March 16th, 2010 at 10:53 am
I have nothing against the whole one a week thing… or every four days… myself.
But I’m really surprised by how fast everything grows when you send one every day. It’s hard to do, I won’t deny that, but surprisingly powerful.
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Eric McMillan on March 16th, 2010
Curses, Foiled Again By The Comment Ninja,
Jason, love the post and am anxious to see some responses. The frequency of follow ups is something that I am a little unsure of. The first list I ever generated, I tried sending emails everyday and my opt out was unreal. I dropped it back to once a week and then once a month they will get two in a week with updated blog posts. I haven’t lost anymore since and the ones that I have added seem to stay.
I really think it depends on the sense of urgency that your target market has. If you are marketing to people who wanted info yesterday, then you can probably get away with a lot more frequent emails.
However, if you are relationship building and slowly backing in to your opportunity, then a slower approach is probably better.
Looking forward to some responses,
Eric McMillan: Code Name HI-YA
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March 16th, 2010 at 11:06 am
It’s something worth thinking about.
A large part of this is how the list was built in the first place.
You’ll have some blogger who barely give anything away. They get opt-ins because people actually want to hear from them… but then on the other side of the fence… there’s lists built off of “free gift” offers that attract people who want a free ride… and get annoyed when anything is offered for sale… or even when they’re e-mailed.
It’s a very serious problem in Internet Marketing because there’s a lot of people out there building massive lists that will never amount to anything. All leads are not created equal for sure.
There’s a lot to be said for the slow approach too.
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Al Caccarile on March 16th, 2010
I always look forward to getting your emails, so I see your point. provide value and people don’t mind getting your emails.
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Kurt Henninger on March 16th, 2010
Yes, the more often you email people, the more of a bond you form with them…..and the more in-tune they are with your marketing message.
Your unsubscribe rate WILL go up, but you’ve weeded out the losers and connected with those who connect with you and are more likely to buy from you.
Matt Furey is one of the best email marketers out there on the internet. Mr Zen master (who i recommend getting on his list just to read his emails and how he “does it”) emails his list twice a day I believe, as do several prominent internet network marketers.
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Richard Walsh on March 16th, 2010
I need more then auto responders to spice things up, I have to start getting more creative!
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March 16th, 2010 at 2:57 pm
I usually broadcast directly… although at times I will schedule e-mails… I don’t mind an autoresponder sequence if it’s exceptionally well done, but those are hard to come by.
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Mike Paul on March 16th, 2010
“Out of sight, out of mind…”
At least I’m pretty sure that’s how that old saying goes. If you’re not in contact with your list on a regular basis, they’ll just forget about you.
Then, when you finally do talk to them again, they’ll be much more likely to mark you as “spam” and keep on going their merry way.
Good tips and advice as always, Jason!
From Secret HQ,
Mike Paul
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Jeff Faldalen on March 16th, 2010
Hi Jason,
Thank you for the great advice.
I tell everyone it is their responsibility
not to deny anyone the opportunity of seeing
their business opportunity
But I never related that concept to emails
I have been on a few lists where I would get
2-5 emails a day. And I was annoyed. But
now looking back, it just kept reminding me
I need to get busy and send out an email
This is an area I am working on.
Thank you for your wisdom
Best wishes, Jeff Faldalen
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March 16th, 2010 at 2:58 pm
I like how you worded that Jeff: “it is their responsibility
not to deny anyone the opportunity of seeing
their business opportunity”
If only it was that easy for some people starting up. They’re held back by a chronic case of low self esteem – or something – not sure what.
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Jerome Ratliff on March 16th, 2010
Afternoon J,
I think it’s important to stay in constant contact with your subscribers if you intend to keep your subscribers and obtain new ones.
I remember when I didn’t think this way until I put myself into their shoes and I asked, “How often would I like to hear from the list?”
Since then, I changed it from barely to being in constant contact with my list multiple times a week.
Really good topic.
Jerome Ratliff
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March 16th, 2010 at 3:00 pm
You know, that might be old advice but it’s some of the best.
There isn’t a single one of us that spends too much time seeing things from both “sides of the counter” so to speak.
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Gayle Buchanan on March 16th, 2010
Morning Jason
Thank you for posting this question and I’m learning a great deal from the discussion. Agree with the ‘how the list’ was built to determine the email contact, for a newbie, just getting opt-ins is a huge achievement, once the numbers are up and feeling more confident, then testing the list is easier. unsubscribes don’t hurt so much and yes – add value add value add value.
Again, thank you wise one, especially for this forum.
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March 16th, 2010 at 3:01 pm
Sometimes I think we worry too much about unsubscribes. Who’s to say they won’t come back later? I know I’ve subscribed and unsubscribed to several blogs… I started to miss them when I left.
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Derek Alvarez on March 16th, 2010
Hi Jason,
This is a good topic and I think everyone has their own valid reasons for their different email sending frequency.
For me, I send about one a week — I’ll pick 1-3 of my best blog posts.
Why?
A lot of people subscribe to my RSS Feed.
Now, when I have some sort of promotion, I’ll send one or two a day for a few days.
It all depends…
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March 16th, 2010 at 3:03 pm
Copyblogger used to be big on his RSS.
I like how he uses both.
I think the trick is to have a sense of when too much, is too much. You don’t want to be an annoying pest – like Dan Kennedy would say.
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Pablo Gonzalez on March 16th, 2010
Great topic Jason. I’ve battled with this myself for quite some time. After making the decision to consistently updating my list, I had the same result you mentioned above. Several unsubscribed. But this is were you get to know who actually, in your autoresponder, considers your content valuable and is actually reading your e-mails.
Me personally, I’ve made it a habit of updating my list with either a recent blog post or a video, using an actual screen shot from the video at least 3-4 times a week besides the autoresponder’s e-mail updates themselves.
Thanks for sharing this topic Jason. Always a pleasure reading your posts.
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March 16th, 2010 at 3:04 pm
Hey Pablo,
Probably a sensitive topic too because there’s few things more valuable than a list of people who actually want to hear from you.
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Tommy DiPietro on March 16th, 2010
Hey J
When I first started working my business 2.5 yrs ago, I had a generic website & free autoresponder and my prospect would get a daily email sent to them.
The daily email to my prospect explained why they should join my business, why my business is great, a testimony on how much money can be made and “bugging” them to buy an Information Package. Yada, yada, yada.
I do not agree with sending this type of email especially if you are sending it out daily. The autoresponded message had no value at all. The only response I would receive from my prospect was to take them off the list.
On the other hand, fast forward to today,my personal system will send out a daily message for the first 21 days that does have value, a free training webinar, advice, a quote. These messages explain exactly what I am offering, a link to Mike Dillard’s boot camp or information about a training webinar on article writing. I will also broadcast a message when I send out a new article/blog or our next training webinar.
The difference between the two types of daily messages is the value one holds over the other. I believe (personal point of view) if you are offering value than you can send me 10 emails a day.
The last person that talked about this was Katie Freiling, she spoke about the 80/20 rule, 80% give, 10-20% take.
So Jason…if your article serves us right, if it’s all about our subscribers and if you are offering value at least 80% of the time than if your prospect unsubscribes, it’s not a big deal
I can honestly say I have been on many blogs especially the frequent visitors of this blog and every single one offers value.
Just today I was on Chris Owen’s, he blew me away with value. Ilka Flood is 100% genuine straight from the heart with value. To be able to read the material that we offer everyday is a privilege and I always look forward to the next one.
Jason, great way to follow up yesterday’s performance. Thanks Dwayne for the great idea, always a pleasure to read your material!
Have a great day everyone!
Tommy D.
“The Prospecting Hero”
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March 16th, 2010 at 3:09 pm
Hey Tommy,
I even hear some people say that 80% value isn’t enough.
I’m with you on the 10 e-mails a day thing though. When I want to learn something, I want to get a pile of e-mails, as long as they help me out.
When a good one comes my way I actually print it out and put it aside to read again.
But I understand when people say they’re overwhelmed. It’s hard to stay on top of things.
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Marcus Baker on March 16th, 2010
Hi Jason,
Thanks for the FB Alphas Tribe mention yesterday in your comments. Really appreciate it!
I have been a three times a week e-mailer plus broadcasts but after reading your post am going to step up to everyday.
Providing value is the key like you say and I think if you can do this as succinctly as possible it has to be a winner!
Thanks
Marcus
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March 17th, 2010 at 7:14 am
No prob,
Let me know how that works out for you. I have a sneaky suspicion it will ramp up your results faster than ever before.
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Susanna on March 17th, 2010
Oh man have I went back and forth on this topic! I’ve settled on 2-3 times a week for now.
Thanks for writing on this topic.
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March 17th, 2010 at 7:18 am
It’s tough with the everyday route.
You’ll notice that I send one out every day here, but two-three a week over at Better Networker. Sometimes a lot more if there’s something valuable to share.
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Chris Owen on March 17th, 2010
Hey Jason,
I have different lists for different reasons. Depending on which business, I have one newsletter that comes out once a month, some once a week, and a couple everyday. Sometimes I send a broadcast to all or at least more than one and that puts me to two a day on some.
Unless it was to correct a time or something I haven’t sent more than 3 in one day. I think you have to feel out your list to decide what will be best. If you always give out quality and have a very high open rate your subscribers won’t be annoyed.
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March 17th, 2010 at 7:20 am
The only catch to that is when everybody is promoting the same valuable product. Gosh, last week I was getting these e-mails from six different marketers about the same launch. It gets a little nuts sometimes.
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March 17th, 2010 at 7:42 pm
I think I know the launch. Quality still sucks if people beat you with it.
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March 18th, 2010 at 7:58 am
It happens a lot these days… you’ll see one launch… and ten different people will be promoting it in your inbox. Absolutely insane.
Devendra Patel on March 17th, 2010
It’s really the point, for preparing some thins special it’s better to share what we know the valued info & to share with others, best practice to start ..
Thanks
- Devendra
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Kellie on March 19th, 2010
Hi Jason, Your info on the amount of times to send to your email list is interesting because as a newbie, I’ve been grappling with this one. I’d settled on once a week but now I’m unsure after reading this post. I went through the list of comments and visited everyones blog and noticed that the vast majority of the people offer information. They teach/share networking of some sort. My blog and newsletter are about fashion. My newsletter tells my readers where designer things are on sale and offer them the opportunity to buy at a discount. I feel more like I’m selling. My subscribers signed up knowing that I offer them the opportunity to get designer items at a discount. Would once a day be overkill? While I give little tidbits of info on the various designers, it’s not information that is vital. Do you still recommend that I email once a day (I do have some designers that only have a 1 day sale but I post those to my blog in my Daily Deals). Again, being a newbie, I’m learning as I go. :-/
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March 19th, 2010 at 4:37 pm
Hey Kellie,
As long as you have something valuable to say people will love hearing from you.
But if you’re going to sell, sell, sell, everyday… you’re in for a very hard life online.
A good rule of thumb is the 80/20 rule. 80 percent pure valuable content… like design or fashion advice… and at the very most 20% selling. And that’s being generous.
Now, if your list isn’t used to getting e-mails every day, you will lose subscribers when you send more e-mails out.
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Matt Cassity on March 31st, 2010
Hi Jason,
So basically we send an email whenever we have a solution to a problem.
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Tommy DiPietro on April 1st, 2010
J-
I have some value to add to this post. Last night, Deagan Smith did a powerful webinar for us last night.
He basically gave us his step-by-step blueprint on creating Solo ads and I was blown away with content. Someone had a question on autoresponders and sending emails.
Deagan’s answer, you have strangers who you really do not know and your friends and family, people you talk to on a regular basis, right? He sends an email 2x a day, in the AM & PM. Your friends and family know you, they enjoying hearing from you, right? Those are the people who want to work with you are the people who get to know you and are comfortable with you. For the peeps that unsubscribe, they didn’t want to know and were not going to work with you anyway.
Thought this was a great point and had to share.
Tommy
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April 1st, 2010 at 3:06 pm
Daegan is really rocking it with e-mail.
Makes perfect sense.
I think the important thing is to make sure your list gets used to your communication. And give them lots of value too. Otherwise, why would anybody open even one e-mail?
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Hey Jason,
This is a topic that most individuals ask themselves. I know I did at the beginning. So I started watching what you were doing. I send one out everyday. People love it! I’m only sharing good quality information to help them move their biz forward.
As always thanks for sharing and being a great example…
Chat with you later.
Josh
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March 16th, 2010 at 10:48 am
The one e-mail a day formula works like magic.
If I had to give one nugget of e-mail marketing advice that would be it.
Build a list, bring value to that list, and stay in touch. Everybody benefits.
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