The short version
- For most small businesses, somewhere between twice a month and once a week is a sensible starting point.
- Send as often as you have something worth saying, and no more.
- Consistency beats volume: a predictable rhythm earns recognition and opens.
- Rising unsubscribes and complaints are the clearest sign you're sending too often.
- Change frequency gradually, and never jump from silence to daily mail.
It's one of the most common questions we hear: how often should we be emailing our customers?
The honest answer is that it depends. But "it depends" isn't very useful, so here's what it depends on, and a sensible way to find your own number.
The short answer
For most small businesses, a good starting point is somewhere between twice a month and once a week.
That's often enough that people remember who you are and expect to hear from you, and rare enough that each email still feels worth opening. From there, you adjust based on how your list responds.
Some businesses do well sending more often, like online shops with frequent new stock. Others, like a B2B consultancy or a local service, do better with a thoughtful monthly email. What matters is that the frequency fits the value you can offer.
Send when you have something worth saying
The best frequency rule is simple: send as often as you have something genuinely useful to say, and no more.
Useful can mean a lot of things:
- A new product, service or seasonal offer
- A practical tip your customers can use
- News that actually affects them: new opening hours, a new location, a change in how you work
- A story that shows what you do and why you do it well
If you're struggling to fill an email, that's a sign you're sending too often, not a reason to send filler. A weak email trains people to ignore the next one.
Consistency beats volume
People open emails from senders they recognise and expect. A predictable rhythm, like every other Tuesday or the first Thursday of the month, builds that recognition over time.
Irregular bursts do the opposite. Three emails in one week and then nothing for two months confuses people, and mailbox providers don't like sudden spikes in sending either. As we covered in why emails end up in spam, sudden jumps in volume are one of the patterns that raise flags.
A steady, welcome rhythm beats a flurry of emails every time.
Signs you're sending too often
Your list will tell you if you've got it wrong. Watch for:
- Unsubscribes rising after you increase frequency. A few unsubscribes per campaign is normal. A clear jump isn't.
- Spam complaints. Even a small increase matters, because complaints do the most damage to your reputation.
- Opens falling across the board. If people who used to open have stopped, they may have started skimming past you.
- Replies like "too many emails." Take these seriously. For every person who says it, many more quietly feel it.
Signs you're not sending enough
It's less obvious, but sending too rarely has costs too:
- People forget they signed up. When your email finally arrives, it looks like it came from a stranger, and some will report it as spam.
- Missed revenue. If customers would happily buy more often, a quiet inbox leaves money on the table.
- Reputation fades. Mailbox providers learn to trust senders through regular, well-received sending. Long silences mean starting over.
Not everyone needs the same frequency
Your list isn't one group. Some people open everything you send. Others open once a quarter.
A practical approach is to send your regular emails to people who engage, and to be more careful with those who've gone quiet: fewer emails, and eventually a friendly attempt to re-engage them before you stop mailing them at all. This is part of keeping a healthy list, and it protects your results for everyone else.
The same thinking applies to timing. Sending each person around the time they usually open makes a given frequency feel less intrusive.
Changing your frequency safely
If you want to send more often, increase gradually. Going from one email a month to one a week is a big change for your subscribers and for the mailbox providers judging your mail. Step it up over a few weeks and watch how people respond.
If you've been silent for months, don't restart with a big send to your whole list. Clean it first, begin with your most engaged contacts, and build back up.
Where to start
If you're not sure, start with twice a month. Keep it consistent for two or three months, then look at the numbers: opens, clicks, unsubscribes, complaints, and above all, sales. Adjust from there.
Finding the right rhythm is part of what we do for clients: we plan a sending calendar around what your business actually has to say, and adjust it based on how your list responds. You approve each campaign; the planning is on us.
Frequently asked questions
How many marketing emails per week is too many?
There's no fixed limit, but for most small businesses more than one or two a week starts to feel like too much unless every email is genuinely useful. Watch your unsubscribes and complaints: if they climb after you increase frequency, you've gone too far.
Is it bad to send only one email a month?
Not at all, if that's how often you have something worth saying. Just keep it regular. The main risk of sending rarely is that people forget who you are, which makes them more likely to ignore or report your email.
Should I email my whole list every time?
Not necessarily. Your most engaged customers can often hear from you more often than people who rarely open. Sending the right emails to the right people is usually better than sending everything to everyone.
What should I do if I haven't emailed my list in a long time?
Don't restart with a big blast. Clean the list first, start with the people most likely to remember you, and build back up gradually. A sudden burst to an old list is one of the quickest ways to land in spam.