Here’s a question that surprises a lot of business owners: When are people most likely to open what are essentially personal emails, like a clinic newsletter or promotional message?
The answer isn’t late at night. It isn’t weekends either. The best open rates consistently happen in the middle of the workday, mid-week.
Why Midday Works
It seems counterintuitive at first. After all, your patients are working, commuting, or handling daily responsibilities. Why would they pause to read an email from you? The explanation lies in how people manage their inboxes and attention spans:
- Clearing the clutter: Early mornings bring a flood of automated emails and overnight messages. By late morning, people have cleared those out and are more open to fresh, non-urgent emails.
- Breaktime habits: Many people check their personal inboxes mid-morning or over lunch as a mental break from work.
- Retirees and older adults: For healthcare providers, this audience segment often checks email steadily throughout the day.
What to Avoid
- Early morning: Your message risks being buried under the morning inbox rush.
- Late evening: Open rates drop, and the email is more likely to be deleted the next morning.
- Weekends: Unless your topic is time-sensitive, engagement tends to fall off.
- Mondays and Fridays: Mondays are cluttered, and Fridays find people mentally checked out.
The Sweet Spot
For most businesses, especially in healthcare and personal services, the best engagement comes on Tuesdays and Wednesdays around 10:30 AM or early afternoon. Thursday can also perform well.
Consistency matters just as much as timing. When your readers come to expect your newsletter on a certain day and time, open rates can improve even more.