"How often should we send?" is one of the most common questions in email marketing, and it usually comes with the hope of a single number. Weekly. Twice a month. Every Tuesday at ten.

The honest answer is that the right frequency depends on what you have to say and who you're saying it to. A store with new stock every day and a consultancy with one big insight a month shouldn't send at the same pace.

How often should you send marketing emails?

Send as often as you have something genuinely useful to say to that audience, and no more. For many teams that means somewhere between weekly and monthly for newsletters, with automated emails triggered by subscriber actions in between. The best way to find your frequency is to test it against your own engagement data, not an industry average.

Frequency follows relevance, not the other way round

The teams that worry most about sending too often are usually sending emails that aren't relevant enough. When every email is useful, subscribers tolerate, and often welcome, a higher frequency. When emails feel generic, even a monthly send can feel like too much.

So before you change how often you send, check what you're sending. Our article on what makes an email relevant has five questions to run through.

How to find the right frequency for your list

Start from what you can sustain

A frequency you can't keep up with is worse than a slower one you can. Pick a rhythm your team can fill with good content every time, then build from there.

Test one change at a time

If you want to send more often, increase frequency for one segment first and compare results with the rest of your list over several weeks. Look at clicks, unsubscribes and complaints per send, not just total revenue or total clicks.

In Mail Blaze, comparative filters in your campaign reports let you compare the test segment against the rest of your list, so the decision rests on your own numbers rather than a hunch.

Watch engagement per send

More sends will almost always mean more total clicks. The question is whether each send still performs. If engagement per send falls steadily as frequency rises, you've passed the point where extra emails help.

Set expectations at sign-up

Tell people how often you'll email them when they subscribe. "One email a week" is a promise subscribers can hold you to, and it makes your sends feel expected rather than intrusive.

One list, different rhythms

The biggest frequency mistake is treating your whole list the same. Different subscribers can handle different paces:

• Highly engaged subscribers and customers often welcome more frequent emails.
• New subscribers need time to get to know you, so a steady welcome sequence works better than a flood of promotions.
• Fading subscribers usually do better with fewer, more carefully chosen emails.
• Subscribers who've told you their preferences should get exactly what they asked for.

If you're on Mail Blaze, the Subscriber Score is a quick way to see which group each subscriber falls into. Our guide to email segmentation strategy shows how to build those groups.

Signs your frequency is wrong

• Too often: unsubscribes and complaints rise after frequency increases, and clicks per send fall. Our article on email fatigue covers the signs in detail.
• Not often enough: subscribers forget who you are, so each send gets a weaker response and occasional spam complaints from people who don't remember signing up.

A frequency checklist

1. Can you fill every send at your current frequency with something genuinely useful?
2. Did you tell subscribers how often to expect you?
3. Are you measuring engagement per send, not just totals?
4. Do your most and least engaged subscribers get different rhythms?
5. Are you testing frequency changes on one segment first?

Pick one segment and test a frequency change over the next four weeks.

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P.S. Not sure what rhythm suits your list? Our team will look at your results with you, seven days a week on call, chat and email.

Frequently asked questions

How often should I send a newsletter?

Weekly to monthly suits most newsletters, but the right answer is how often you can send something useful. Test against your own engagement data.

Is sending emails every day too much?

It can be for some audiences and fine for others. Daily works when every email is relevant and subscribers expect it; it fails when it isn't and they don't.

Does sending more emails increase unsubscribes?

Often, if the extra emails are less relevant. Measure unsubscribes and complaints per send when you change frequency.

Should all subscribers get the same number of emails?

No. Engaged subscribers and customers can usually receive more; new and fading subscribers often do better with fewer.