Email marketing remains one of the most effective digital channels available to businesses. This is because it is direct, measurable, and owned. But one question comes up time and time again: how often should we actually be sending emails?
The honest answer is that there’s no universal rule. The right frequency depends on your audience, your objectives, and the value you’re providing. Send too few, and you’re forgotten. Send too many, and you risk unsubscribes, spam complaints, or simply being ignored.
Start with purpose, not volume
Before thinking about frequency, it’s worth stepping back and asking why you’re sending emails in the first place. Are you nurturing leads? Keeping existing customers informed? Driving repeat purchases? Supporting a longer sales cycle?
A B2B business with a considered sales process will naturally send fewer emails than an e-commerce brand running weekly promotions. Frequency should always follow strategy, not the other way around.
What works for most businesses?
For many organisations, one to two emails per month is a sensible starting point. This gives you enough visibility to stay top of mind without overwhelming inboxes.
These emails might include:
- Useful insights or advice
- Updates on services, products, or projects
- Case studies or recent work
- Industry news with added commentary
Consistency matters more than volume. A regular, predictable schedule builds familiarity and trust, while sporadic bursts followed by silence tend to perform poorly.
Quality beats frequency every time
The quickest way to lose engagement is to send emails that don’t offer genuine value. Modern audiences are selective, and inboxes are crowded. If your email doesn’t answer a question, solve a problem, or provide a clear benefit, it will be skipped.
This is why performance metrics matter. Open rates, click through rates, and unsubscribes will tell you far more than how many emails you’ve sent. If engagement drops as frequency increases, that’s a clear signal to reassess.
Segment before you send more
One of the most common mistakes we see is businesses increasing email frequency instead of improving relevance. Sending the same message to everyone rarely works.
Segmenting your audience allows you to send more relevant emails, not necessarily more emails. Existing customers might benefit from updates and added value, while prospects may need education and reassurance. Smaller, targeted sends often outperform large generic ones.
Timing and expectations matter
How and when people signed up also plays a role. Someone who downloads a guide or requests information may expect a short follow up sequence. Someone who ticks a newsletter box on your website likely expects occasional updates, not weekly sales messages.
Test, measure, refine
There is no substitute for testing. Try different frequencies with different segments, monitor results, and refine your approach. Email marketing works best when it’s treated as an ongoing programme, not a one off task.
Get email help today
If you’re unsure whether your email strategy is striking the right balance, BBI can help. We’ll review your current approach, audience behaviour, and objectives, then build a programme that delivers value without inbox fatigue. Get in touch to start the conversation about seeing results from your email marketing campaigns.