Best Time to Send Marketing Emails

Introduction

Imagine transforming your email marketing results simply by mastering the art of timing. In the digital marketing sphere of 2025, email remains a powerhouse for reaching audiences, nurturing relationships, and driving conversions. Yet, the best time to send marketing emails is not a matter of guesswork - it's a data-driven science. By understanding the best timing for email marketing, you can dramatically increase your open rates, click-throughs, and ROI. If you’re ready to command attention in crowded inboxes and outpace your competition, this ultimate guide reveals the proven strategies for scheduling your campaigns at the perfect moment for maximum engagement.

Why Timing Matters in Email Marketing

Timing is not just a detail; it’s a decisive factor that separates successful campaigns from wasted effort. The best days and times to send marketing emails determine whether your message lands at the top of your recipient’s inbox or gets buried beneath a flood of unread messages. When you know when is the best time to send a marketing email, you’re not just reaching your audience - you’re reaching them when they’re most receptive and ready to act.

Today’s professionals receive dozens, sometimes hundreds, of emails each week. Sending your message at the right time means you’re more likely to stand out, be read, and inspire action. Miss the window, and your carefully crafted email might go unseen. The best time for email marketing is about aligning your message with your audience’s habits, routines, and preferences for maximum impact (Time4Servers, 2025).

Best Days to Send Marketing Emails

Midweek Dominance: Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday

If you want to maximize your results, focus your campaigns on the middle of the week. Research consistently identifies Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday as the best days to send marketing emails - and for good reason.

Tuesday: This day repeatedly emerges as the top performer for engagement. By Tuesday, recipients have settled into their workweek, cleared out Monday’s backlog, and are more open to new information. Campaigns sent on Tuesday regularly see the highest open and click rates (Time4Servers, 2025).
Wednesday: As the week progresses, Wednesday maintains strong engagement metrics. Recipients are still in “work mode,” but the stress of the week’s start has eased, making them more likely to interact with well-timed emails (Time4Servers, 2025).
Thursday: Thursday is another strategic day, positioned before the weekend’s distractions set in. Recipients often use Thursdays to wrap up tasks and plan purchases or activities, making it a prime opportunity for action-oriented campaigns (Time4Servers, 2025).

Why do midweek days win? They strike a balance between the overwhelmed feeling of Mondays and the checked-out mindset of Fridays. Recipients are attentive, focused, and more likely to respond positively - making midweek the best timing for email marketing.

Days to Avoid: Mondays and Weekends

Knowing when not to send your emails is just as important as knowing the right days.

Monday: Inboxes are typically overflowing from the weekend, and recipients are focused on catching up with urgent work. Marketing emails sent on Mondays often get lost in the shuffle or are quickly deleted as recipients prioritize more pressing messages (Time4Servers, 2025).
Saturday and Sunday: While weekends may seem like an opportunity to reach people at leisure, the data tells a different story. Unless your audience specifically demonstrates weekend engagement, Saturdays and Sundays generally yield the lowest open and click rates. Recipients are less likely to check work-related emails, and personal correspondence often takes precedence (Time4Servers, 2025).

If you want to stand out and drive action, avoid launching campaigns at the very start of the week or during the weekend lull. Focus on the proven best days and times to send marketing emails for optimal results.

Best Times of Day to Send Marketing Emails

Mastering the best time to send marketing emails requires more than choosing the right day - it’s also about pinpointing the ideal hour. Let’s break down the top-performing time windows, backed by industry research and behavioral trends.

Morning Hours: 8 AM – 10 AM

Mornings are prime real estate in the world of email marketing. Between 8 AM and 10 AM, most professionals are starting their workday, reviewing their inboxes, and setting their priorities.

8 AM – 10 AM: This window consistently delivers high open rates, especially for business-to-business (B2B) audiences. Recipients are fresh, focused, and likely to check emails as part of their morning routine. Sending your campaign during this slot ensures your message is among the first they see - giving you a competitive edge (Time4Servers, 2025).

Why does this work? Morning emails catch recipients before meetings, tasks, and distractions escalate. It’s the sweet spot for making an impression and prompting action.

Early Afternoon: 1 PM – 3 PM

The post-lunch period is another strategic window for email engagement. After lunch, many people return to their desks, review their messages, and prepare for the afternoon’s work.

1 PM – 3 PM: This time frame is particularly effective for both B2B and business-to-consumer (B2C) audiences. Recipients are re-energized and often use this time to catch up on emails before diving back into deeper work (Time4Servers, 2025).

Timing your emails for early afternoon can help you capture attention when recipients are ready for a brief digital break, making it a powerful opportunity for engagement.

Evening Hours: 6 PM – 8 PM

While less conventional, evening sends can be highly effective for certain audiences. As recipients wind down from the day’s work, they often check personal and professional emails one last time.

6 PM – 8 PM: Evening campaigns can stand out, especially if your audience includes professionals who catch up on correspondence after hours or consumers who check emails while relaxing at home (Time4Servers, 2025).

The key is to know your audience. If your data shows evening engagement, don’t hesitate to schedule campaigns for this window - just ensure your messaging is relevant to the time of day.

The Role of Audience Segmentation and Personalization

While industry data provides a powerful starting point, the true secret to best timing for email marketing lies in knowing your specific audience. Demographics, industry, and geography all play pivotal roles in determining the optimal send time.

Demographics

Different age groups and lifestyles influence when recipients check and engage with their emails.

Younger Audiences: Millennials and Gen Z may check emails on their commute, during lunch breaks, or late in the evening. They’re often mobile-first and responsive to short, actionable messages (Time4Servers, 2025).
Older Audiences: Baby boomers and Gen X may prefer mid-morning or afternoon, when routines are more predictable and they’re settled into their day (Time4Servers, 2025).

By segmenting your list by age or generation, you can tailor your send times to match the habits of each group - making your campaigns more relevant and effective.

Industry

The nature of your business dramatically impacts the best days and times to send marketing emails.

B2B Campaigns: Business audiences are most active during the workweek, particularly mid-morning and early afternoon. Avoid weekends and late nights unless your data suggests otherwise (Time4Servers, 2025).
Retail and B2C Campaigns: Consumer audiences may respond better to evening or weekend emails, especially if you’re promoting sales, events, or time-sensitive offers (Time4Servers, 2025).

Analyze your industry benchmarks and test different send times to discover what works best for your unique audience.

Geography

A global audience introduces the challenge of multiple time zones. Sending your campaign at 10 AM in one city could mean 2 AM elsewhere.

Segment by Location: Use geographic data to segment your list and schedule emails to arrive at optimal times in each recipient’s time zone (Time4Servers, 2025).
Localized Content: Consider tailoring your messaging to reflect regional preferences, holidays, or events for even greater resonance.

By respecting time zone differences, you ensure your emails always arrive when recipients are most likely to engage.

Implementing A/B Testing to Determine Optimal Timing

No two audiences are identical, and even the most robust industry research can’t replace firsthand data. That’s where A/B testing becomes indispensable.

How It Works: Divide your audience into segments and send identical emails at different days and times. Track open rates, click-throughs, conversions, and other engagement metrics to identify which combinations deliver the best results (Growalrus, 2025).
Iterate and Refine: Use your findings to adjust your schedule, then repeat the process regularly. Audience behaviors can shift over time, so ongoing testing is essential for staying ahead of the curve.

A/B testing empowers you to confidently answer the question, when is the best time to send a marketing email - for your unique list, not just the industry at large. It’s the most reliable path to maximizing the best time for email marketing.

Conclusion

Timing is not merely a tactical consideration in email marketing - it’s a strategic advantage. By leveraging the latest research on the best time to send marketing emails, aligning your campaigns with the proven best days and times to send marketing emails, and continuously testing for what works with your audience, you can unlock higher engagement, improved conversions, and a stronger ROI.

Remember: the best timing for email marketing is not static. As audience behaviors evolve, so should your approach. Combine data-driven insights with ongoing experimentation, and you’ll always be one step ahead - ensuring your messages land when your audience is most attentive and ready to act.

Explore AI Email Marketing Tool

Ready to take your email marketing to the next level? Discover how artificial intelligence can help you pinpoint the best timing for email marketing, automate segmentation, and deliver personalized campaigns that convert. Explore the AI Email Marketing Tool now.

References

Growalrus. (2025). Best time to send emails: 10 expert insights to maximize engagement 2025. https://growalrus.com/the-best-time-to-send-emails-insights-from-expert/

Time4Servers. (2025). Best time to send marketing emails in 2025 according to expert. https://www.time4servers.com/blog/the-best-time-to-send-marketing-emails-in-2025-according-to-experts/

The Ultimate Guide to Timing Your Marketing Emails for Maximum Engagement in 2025