Best Time to Send Cold Emails That Increase Reply Rates – [Deep-dive for 2024]

Crafting the perfect outreach email goes beyond just doing your prospecting research and writing pitch-perfect cold emails. While we talk about the importance of doing the basics well, there’s a crucial element that often gets overlooked, i.e., the timing of your emails. 

Imagine spending hours crafting an impeccable email, only for it to get lost in the deluge of other messages flooding your prospect’s inbox. 

This predicament highlights a common query in the world of email marketing: “What’s the best time to send cold emails?” 

Understanding the timing is as critical as the email’s content, subject line, or the sender’s credibility.

We get it, which is why over the course of this article, we’ll dive deeper into the best time and day to send cold emails alongside the basics you need to keep in mind when it comes to timing your cold email campaigns to perfection. 

Best time to send cold emails: Why timing is key to successful outreach?

As stated above, the success of any cold outreach campaign depends on more than just the email content & the outreach strategy used. If you want to make the right noise with your cold outreach, the emails must be delivered at the right time and on the right day. 

Given below is a quick analysis as to why you need to consider the best time to send cold emails: 

• People are more likely to check their email during certain times in the day: By identifying the best time to send cold emails, you’ll be able to increase the chances of them noticing and replying to your message. 

• People are likely to check their email during certain times of the day: Timing also affects the way recipients interact with your emails. Once you’ve figured the best time to send cold emails in your industry, you’ll be able to predict if the prospect are interested in your emails or not.
  
  This is crucial because people aren’t always receptive to business emails throughout the day. When you time it right, you also increase the chances of a positive response.
  
• Your emails might get lost in the sea of other emails if sent at the wrong time: If you send your cold email at the wrong time, there’s a chance it might be lost in the sea of thousands of other emails, thereby decreasing the chances of converting them into customers. 

By identifying the best times to send cold emails, you can avoid the risk of getting overlooked and stand out with a finely-crafted, well-timed email. 

Now that we’ve understood the importance of timing your cold emails, it’s important to consider the factors which affect your choice of the best times to send cold emails. 

As a B2B marketer, you need to keep them in mind so as to positively influence how prospects respond to your message. 

Let’s figure out what they are. 

Factors Influencing the Best Time to Send Cold Emails

Determining the best time of the day to send cold emails isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. Various factors influence this decision, each contributing to the likelihood of your email’s success.

Here’s what they are: 

Factors Influencing the Best Time to Send Cold Emails

Determining the best time of the day to send cold emails isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. Various factors influence this decision, each contributing to the likelihood of your email’s success.

Here’s what they are: 

1. The recipient’s time zone

The time zone of your recipient plays a critical role in determining the best time to send cold emails. Sending an email without considering the recipient’s local time can lead to your email being overlooked or buried under new emails by the time they check their inbox. 

For instance, an email sent at 9 AM EST will reach someone at 6 AM in PST, which might not be an ideal time for the recipient to engage with new correspondence.  

If you’re a business operating globally, adapting your email campaigns to match the recipient’s time zone is crucial. 

You can then start segmenting your lists based on geographical location & time-zones to witness an exponential increase in both revenue & reply rates. 

2. The recipient’s industry 

Different industries have unique operational rhythms that can influence the best time to send cold emails. A professional in the finance industry might start their day earlier and check emails first thing in the morning, while creative industry professionals might have different email checking patterns. 

Understanding these industry-specific patterns helps you optimize the campaigns, and tailoring your email schedule to increase engagement. 

3. The recipient’s job role 

The job role of your recipient can greatly affect the best time to send cold emails. High-level executives, for example, might check their emails early in the morning, late in the evening, or outside of standard working hours, as their days are often filled with meetings. 

Conversely, mid-level managers or other staff might have more regular email-checking patterns. Understanding these differences in job roles is essential for personalizing your outreach strategy. 

Thus, personalizing your emails not just in content but also in timing, as per the recipient’s job role, can lead to better engagement rates. 

What are the best days to send cold emails? 

Identifying the best days to send cold emails is not an exact science, but certain patterns emerge over time, given that there are certain time slots & days which work better than others. Generally speaking; Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday witness better engagement 

Generally, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday see better engagement. A recent research by CIENCE underscores this, with the following statistics being the highlight: 

• Monday: 15.98%
• Tuesday: 20.84%
• Wednesday: 23.07%
• Thursday: 21.32%
• Friday: 18.52%
• Saturday: 0.03%
• Sunday: 0.24%
  

Although Wednesday was the best day to send cold emails through the week, the performance was quite satisfactory even on Tuesday and Thursday; even though the weekend saw numbers drop massively.  

Mondays, being the start of the week, are often busy, making them less ideal for initial outreach but suitable for follow-ups. Conversely, Fridays see people winding down for the weekend, potentially affecting engagement. 

That being said, the numbers vary from one research to another, with a 2021 GetResponse analysis of 7 billion emails stating that there wasn’t much difference in engagement between emails sent on different days, even though the open rates were still higher than usual on Monday and Friday. 

Best days to send cold emails: How to choose the correct day? 

Choosing the best day to send cold emails is not a very simple process, since it depends on a variety of factors. 

Before figuring out the best time to send cold emails, if you’re looking for an answer to the best day for the same, here’s what you need to consider: 

1. Understand your target audience

The foundation of any successful email marketing strategy is a deep understanding of your target audience. Different demographics have varying email checking habits. For instance, a B2B audience might be more likely to check emails during traditional working hours, while a B2C audience could have different patterns. 

It’s essential to align your email send days with the times your audience is most active and engaged. 

2. Know industry benchmarks 

When it comes to the best days to send cold emails, each industry has different norms. For example, the tech & IT industry might see more active email engagement, while the healthcare sector might have different peak times. 

So, how do you figure if your open rates are at par with the industry average? Simple, check your data against the industry benchmarks. 

Start off with a small goal (such as having higher or similar open rates as the industry standard) and then run multiple A/B tests to find the best time for sending cold emails that get opened. 

Once you have those insights, you’ll be able to choose the best time and day to send cold emails that generate impact. 

3. Analyzing Historical Data

Reviewing the performance of your past email campaigns can provide valuable insights on the variations in open rates, CTR, responses and the timing. 

It’s important to look for patterns across the open and response rates on different days of the week, since this historical data can be a goldmine for understanding when your emails have historically performed best, guiding future campaign scheduling. 

4. Consider work-week dynamics 

Understanding the typical workweek flow of your target audience is crucial. For many B2B sectors, the workweek dynamics mean that Tuesdays and Wednesdays might be the best days to send cold emails, as Mondays are often for planning and Fridays are winding down days. 

However, this can vary based on the specific work culture and dynamics of the industry you are targeting.

5. Avoid holidays and special events

Sending emails during holidays or significant events can significantly decrease their effectiveness.

People are less likely to check their emails during these periods, and even if they do, they might not be in the right frame of mind to engage with a cold email. 

It’s important to be aware of major holidays and events, both globally and specific to your target audience’s region or industry.

In addition to the above, the level of personalization desired and understanding the recipient’s needs becomes crucial. You also need to time your follow-ups well enough so as to land more replies to your outreach. 

When used effectively, they play a crucial role in optimizing your cold email campaigns for higher engagement and response rates.

What is the best time to send cold emails?- A Closer Look 

Now that we’ve got an understanding of the best days to send cold emails, it’s important to identify what is the best time to send cold emails for your product or service. 

Honestly, there’s no single answer, since the best time to send cold emails can vary, with the above discussed factors having a key role to play. 

That being said, reports suggest that the best time to send cold emails is typically between 9 to 11 am when professionals and decision-makers usually start their day by checking their emails. 

Alternately, a SuperOffice research has shown that the best time to send cold emails is 3 PM, which also has the highest open rates. 

During our research, we also found Omnisend’s analysis of email data between 2019 and 2021, with the 4 PM slot performing the best (with 22.7% open rates). 

Truth be told, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer to “What is the best time to send a cold email?” 

It’s about how you can test different time slots and find what works for your target audience. 

Once you test the hypothesis enough times, you’ll be able to find the best time to send cold emails without being confused with the different figures floating around. 

But how do you find it? Let’s discuss it in the next section. 

How to Find the Best Time to Send Cold Emails? – A Few Tips

Figuring out the best time to send cold emails requires you to keep in mind the following things: 

1. Start by sending emails at different times in the day: Conducting enough experiments is crucial to determine the best time to send cold emails. You need to send emails at different time-slots throughout the day, gaining enough insights into when your audience engages the most with your emails. 
   
   You may find that some prospects are more active in the morning, while others might reply more during the afternoon. This data-driven approach ensures that you’re making well-informed decisions about the ideal time for sending your emails. 
   
2. Segment audience by timezone: Segmenting audiences by the time zone helps you take into account the vast difference in geography and working styles when selecting the best time to send cold emails. 
   
   Once you know the time zone in which a prospect resides, you can easily schedule your emails to match their local working hours and activity. This approach increases the likelihood of your emails being read and replied to. 
   
3. A/B test different sending times: Experimenting with different sending times is one of the most effective ways to determine the best times to send cold emails. Send the same email at different times or days and analyze which gets the highest open and click-through rates. 

A/B testing also helps you identify patterns and preferences specific to your audience. Once you’ve got enough data, it becomes easier to determine the optimal time for sending out your emails. 

4. Keep track of the results: Continuously monitoring and analyzing the performance of your email campaigns is key to refining your strategy. Use analytics tools to track open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates. 

This data will further guide you in fine-tuning the approach to timing your cold emails. 

In conclusion, finding the best time to send cold emails involves a combination of the above factors, while also focusing on optimizing key components like the email content and subject lines. 

Make sure that you’re using each of them optimally to derive the right results. 

Skyrocket Your Outreach By Optimizing the Best Time to Send Cold Emails

With a comprehensive analysis of the best time to send cold emails, you’re now equipped with everything you need to optimize your email outreach strategy. At the end of the day you need to remember that timing is as crucial as creating personalized, high-quality content focused on building relationships and addressing the recipient’s needs. 

At Cleverviral, we constantly run such experiments, helping us fine-tune not just the sending volume & message, but also the timing of your email. 

If you’re a B2B business that needs assistance with timing their cold emails (using sales triggers & intent signals among others) and scaling their outbound systems for better results, feel free to reach out to us on [email protected]  with your requirements. 

Until then happy prospecting! 

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