You’ve already crafted the perfect cold email. The only thing left to do is hit "send." But wait. When should you actually send this email? Sure, it’s already a great email. But sending it at the right time could make cold email deliverability even better. What do I mean by that? Well, sending your cold email at the right time could increase the chances of this email getting opened and read, and that’s what you want, right? Just like there’s a best time to send a cold email, there’s also a best time to send a follow-up email.

Table of Contents

• Why Does Timing Matter for Cold Emails?

• When Is the Best Time To Send Cold Emails?

• 4 Additional and Powerful Tips To Increase Your Open Rate

• Start Buying Domains Now and Setup Your Email Infrastructure Today

Why Does Timing Matter for Cold Emails?

When you send a cold email significantly influences its open rate. You’ll generate more conversions when your emails are opened more frequently. You can only convert a cold prospect if they open your email. Even the best-written email is useless if it isn’t opened.   

What’s the Best Day of the Week to Send Cold Emails?

Several studies have shown that the open rate varies depending on the day of the week the email is sent. It’s also shown that the time of day also influences. Generally, emails sent during the working week are opened more frequently than those sent on weekends. Prospects live their personal lives on Saturday and Sunday and are more inclined to ignore work-related emails sent to them.  

What’s the Best Time of Day to Send Cold Emails?

Those same studies also conclude that emails sent during working hours are more likely to be opened. Sending an email early or late in the day isn’t ideal. Outside these hours, prospects sleep or focus on other matters.  

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When Is the Best Time To Send Cold Emails?

So, you've got your cold email all set to go, but now you're wondering, "When is the perfect time to hit that send button?" Well, truth be told, there is no perfect time. The timing depends on the recipient's: 

• Geographic location

• Industry

• Many other factors

Here are some general things about timing while sending a cold email that can affect your email open rate:

• It is crucial to consider your prospects’ time zone before sending a cold sales email. Mornings are generally good since people check their emails as they start their day, but you might want to avoid the early rush when their inbox is overflowing. So, aim for mid-morning or early afternoon when things have settled down. 

• When sending a cold email, you must ensure you reach your prospects when they are most likely to see them. The best time to send a cold email is either 9 A.M. to 11 A.M. or between 1 P.M. and 4 P.M., as suggested in the studies by CoSchedule. During these times, people are typically at work; they're more alert, and therefore, chances are high that they'll pay attention to an email that delivers value. Dropping emails post 5 P.M. may yield lower response rates as people are winding down for the day. 

Note: Take the above numbers as base timings for your email outreach. The best time to send cold emails could actually vary depending on: 

• Your products or services

• The time zone you prospect in

• The industry

• Your target audience

The Best Days of the Week To Send Cold Emails 

If your target audience is 9-5 workers, this report from Yesware suggests Tuesdays and Thursdays are the best days to send cold emails. These days are less hectic than Mondays or Fridays, so people may have more time to read and respond to emails. It’s highly dependent on who you’re reaching out to. For example, in B2B, workaholics, C-level executives, or founders would check their email more often over the weekend. But don’t expect millennials or Gen Z workers to check their emails during the week offs. Like the other studies, the open rate doesn’t vary much across the working week and drops off substantially on weekends. 

This research concludes that cold emailing should be avoided on Saturday and Sunday. As you can see, GetResponse’s results vary over the years. A three-year study from Omnisend concluded that Tuesdays are the best day to send an email. The data, which spans from 2019 to 2021, showed the following results: 

• Monday: 11.21% 

• Tuesday: 11.36% 

• Wednesday: 11.33% 

• Thursday: 11.29% 

• Friday: 11.07% 

• Saturday: 10.1% 

• Sunday: 10.27% 

Because the best timings change according to the audience and industry, we found which work best for different circumstances and scenarios. When summarizing the research data, it’s clear that the optimal day varies. The top-performing day is different across all four of the studies provided. 

• Cience: Wednesday 

• Moosend: Thursday 

• GetResponse (2020): Friday 

• Omnisend: Tuesday 

We advise sending cold emails any day during the working week. Avoid sending them on the weekend.

Best Times To Send Cold Emails Based on Industry and Audience

With a bit of digging into the depths of the internet, several in-house studies conducted by email software businesses, and some understanding of how different industries work, we came up with the best times to send cold emails depending on the industry you’re doing outreach in. 

1. Technology and Software Industry: The best time to send cold emails to professionals in the technology and software industry are weekdays, preferably Tuesdays, Wednesdays, or Thursdays between 10 A.M. and 11 A.M. or between 2 P.M. and 4 P.M. During these times, technology and software professionals are usually at their desks and more likely to check their emails. 

2. Finance Industry: The finance industry is typically busiest on Mondays and Fridays. Therefore, the best time to send cold emails to prospects in this industry is on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, or Thursdays between 10 A.M. and 11 A.M. or between 2 P.M. and 4 P.M. These times are typically less busy and may free up time for prospects to check emails. 

3. Healthcare Industry: Healthcare professionals are often busy during the day, making early mornings and evenings ideal for sending cold emails. Therefore, the best time to send cold emails to this industry is on weekdays between 6 A.M. and 7 A.M. or between 7 P.M. and 8 P.M. Our suggestion here is to test out a lot of different times to find out when’s the best time, considering medical professionals may have varying shifts throughout the 24 hours. 

4. Education Industry: For K-12 or higher education institutions, early mornings and evenings are the best time to send cold emails. Avoid sending cold emails during school hours when teachers, professors, and administrators are the busiest. 

5. Real Estate Industry: Professionals in the real estate industry have busy schedules that often include appointments and site visits during the day. Therefore, the best time to send cold emails to this industry is on weekdays between 8 AM and 9 AM or between 4 PM and 5 PM. 

When To Expect an Email Reply? 

Ah, the eternal question! Expecting an email reply can be like sitting on a ticking time bomb. There's no one-size-fits-all answer, and it largely depends on the context and the person you're communicating with. But in most cases, people generally reply within 48 hours, and beyond that the probability of reply falls drastically. 

So, while you can't precisely predict when to expect an email reply, consider your prospect’s time and have patience before sending a follow-up email if there is no response.

Tips To Remember When Choosing a Time To Send Your Cold Email 

Do Not Send Emails on Weekends Because of Lower Response Rates

9-5 workers are less likely to respond to emails on weekends, as they may be spending time with: 

• Family or friends

• Running errands

• Taking a break from work-related activities

Your email will likely be pushed down throughout the weekend until the prospect resumes working, thus lowering the open and response rate. By then, a sea of emails would have buried your email. Because it may show a lack of professionalism: Receiving a work-related email on the weekend can be perceived as unprofessional and intrusive, especially for prospects with a strict separation between work and personal time. 

Do Not Send the Emails Before 7 AM Lower Open Rates

Regardless of how well-written and relevant a cold email is, the prospect may never find it if it’s sent too early in the morning. Because there will be a barrage of business, cold, and marketing emails inundating your prospect’s inbox between 7 and 10 A.M, so chances are that your email will be buried. 

Avoid Sending Emails on Monday Because of the Sheer Volume of Emails

On Mondays, people receive many work-related emails, newsletters, and other emails. Plus, Mondays are reserved for catching up on leftover work or conversations, so little attention is paid to emails. 

Negative Associations

Mondays are often associated with the start of the work week, and some people may feel a sense of dread or negativity. Sending a cold email on a Monday may inadvertently contribute to these negative associations and make it more likely that your email is ignored or deleted.

Send Cold Emails During the Day Because Prospects are Winding Down for the Day

Cold emails at night can be ineffective because recipients aren’t actively checking their email or may be too tired to engage with the content. This could lead to your email being forgotten, never being read, or even being marked spam. So, keep all the points above to ace the timing of your email outreach.

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4 Additional and Powerful Tips To Increase Your Open Rate

1. Cleaning Your Email List: The Unsung Hero of Email Deliverability

To improve cold email open rates, start by cleaning your email list. You must ensure that you’re sending cold emails to verified email addresses. For your campaigns to be effective and your emails opened, you need to send them to actual people. Your prospect list should be validated, and several tools exist. You could use an email validation tool.

2. Crafting Catchy Subject Lines: Get Creative to Hook Your Prospects

When your prospects see your email, whether or not they open it largely depends on the subject line. It’s the email equivalent of an article headline and legitimately a make-or-break issue. The success of your cold email marketing campaigns depends on it. You’re also competing with many other people and companies in their inboxes. You need a bold subject line to stand out amongst the competition. It doesn’t matter how good your cold email is if it doesn’t catch their attention. 

Great email subject lines feature several key elements, which include the following:

• Shorter Length: You must ensure that your subject lines are short. They’ll be cut off in your prospects’ inboxes if they're too long. Keep your cold email subject lines below 60 characters, as most ESPs cut off a subject line after that point. 

• Personalization: One of the best ways to grab your prospect’s attention is to use their name. Personalization can improve the open rates of your cold emails. You can also include other details, such as the company they work for or a pain point. 

• Urgency: Adding a sense of urgency to your email subject lines can spur your prospects into action. By adding a time-sensitive component, you’re challenging them to decide here and now. A call to action, if you will. 

3. Dodge Spam Filters: Avoid the Spam Folder at All Costs

Over the past several years, spam filters have become increasingly more efficient. They’re not perfect—even the best ones still fail occasionally. Often, legitimate emails will be sent to the spam folder, and this is a concern for your cold email marketing efforts. If you didn’t know what spam filters are, they’re programs created by ESPs—email service providers. They detect certain types of: 

• Unwanted

• Unsolicited

• Potentially virus-infected emails

Spam filters catch a large majority of cold emails. Don’t think of spam filters as bad; your cold email marketing campaigns should acknowledge the existence of spam emails, and your goal is to separate your emails from spam. Your cold email marketing campaigns should recognize the existence of spam emails, and your goal is to separate your emails from spam. 

If you want to reach as many prospects as possible and avoid spam filters, consider doing the following: 

• Set up SPF and DKIM records 

• Keep sending volume low 

• Create targeted prospect lists 

• Make sure to verify all prospect email addresses 

• Keep all HTML code clean within your emails 

• Avoid using tracking links 

• No attachments 

• Personalize your emails by including your: 

1. Prospect’s name

2. Business

3. Relevant information 

• Keep an eye on your sender’s reputation 

Several words or phrases will attract the attention of spam filters. If you use these words, your cold email will most likely be in the spam folder. Avoid over-sensationalizing and over-promising.  Refrain from using strange fonts or formatting to stand out.  

Some examples of these words include the following: 

• Buy Free 

• Order Status 

• Near you

• Additional income

•  Be your own boss 

• Earn extra cash Income from home 

• While you sleep 

• Work from home 

• Affordable 

• Fast cash 

• Full refund 

• Cancel at any time 

Always Add Value: Put Yourself in Your Recipients’ Shoes 

What’s in it for me? When considering opening your cold email, this is the first thought that goes through your prospects’ minds. Your subject line and the content within your email need to communicate value to your prospects. If your cold email doesn’t immediately provide some form of value to the recipient, it’s unlikely to be opened. Ensure that your cold email offers valuable resources to help remedy their pain points and problems. 

Ensure that these resources are particular to the needs of your prospects. You still leave a good impression even if they don’t open your email. You’re showing them that you care about their concerns. This consumer-centric approach builds trust and confidence. 

Here are some examples of value-rich email subject lines: 

• 5 strategies to Improve Your Dentist Marketing Strategy 

• 7 vegan-inspired Christmas gifts 

• A better way to get stronger on pull-ups

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Start Buying Domains Now and Setup Your Email Infrastructure Today

If you want to send cold emails that land in the right inbox, invest in a solid cold email infrastructure. At Inframail, we are revolutionizing cold email infrastructure with unlimited inboxes at a flat rate. 

We provide: 

• Microsoft-backed deliverability

• Dedicated IP addresses

• Automated technical setup 

This helps customer outreach efforts efficiently like: 

• Agencies

• Recruiters

• SDRs

Benefits of Using Inframail for Cold Email Infrastructure

The main benefits of using our service: 

• Automated SPF, DKIM, and DMARC setup

• Dedicated email servers for each user

• 16-hour priority support daily

Unlike traditional providers that charge per inbox and leave you wrestling with technical configurations, Inframail streamlines the entire process. We handle the complex infrastructure setup while you focus on reaching more prospects. 

InfraMail provides the robust email infrastructure you need without the usual technical headaches and per-inbox costs, whether you're: 

• An agency looking to scale outreach

• A recruiter connecting with candidates

• An SDR driving sales

Start buying domains now and set up your email infrastructure today with our email infrastructure tool.