028: How Often Should You Email Your List?

No matter what approach you take to emailing your list, one thing is clear ⏤ you must start writing to your list, regardless of the size of your list.

But how often shall I send an email to my audience?

This is a question that stumps a lot of people.

There are some online sources that say you must email your list at least once a week while others suggest emailing twice a week. Still others recommend emailing your list every other day, especially during the launch of a product.

Personally, I do not subscribe to any of the above suggestions. 

The Zen Approach
My approach is different ⏤ it’s what I call the Zen approach to email marketing. In fact, I am building my entire business on the values of simplicity, compassion and inspiration from nature. So when it comes to making key decisions, I use these questions to guide me:

+ What is the simplest way of accomplishing this _________ (goal/task/solution) that makes all other ways meaningless?

+ Will taking this path be a compassionate way to serve my audience while also being compassionate to me and my team?

+ What inspiration can I draw from nature’s wisdom in solving this situation or serving my client/reader?

In other words, what is the Zen way of doing things?

Clarify Your Approach
It is time to figure out what’s the best frequency for emailing your audience in your business. If you already have a set schedule, reassess your current schedule with the following guidelines. I recommend that you take these two steps:

First:

+ figure out the three values that are core to your business. Then, based on those values, craft questions that you can use to decide on this and other such questions in your business.

Or ask yourself: what will be the simplest way for me to communicate with my audience that makes all other ways meaningless?

Second:

+ choose a frequency you can commit to

The answer you come up with may not fit the mainstream advice you get on the popular email marketing blogs. And that is exactly how it should be. The answer you come up with should match you, and be in alignment with your values. That’s the most important thing. 

Because if you are doing things in alignment with your business and personal values, then you will attract an audience that is also in alignment with your business. Isn’t that what you want?

So you may come with any one of these frequencies:

• weekly

• twice a month

• monthly

• every two months

• quarterly (four times a year)

Whichever you come up with, will be the right frequency for you.

Commit To This Frequency
Once you come up with the answer, make sure that you can commit to it for at least three months. If you miss during this time, just recalibrate and come back to your committed frequency. After three months, if you realize your are not making it happen, reassess what needs to change.

In Alignment With Your Values
So this approach helps you take a path that is a bit more in alignment with who you are and where you are in your journey. This is a more compassionate way to go about it. It’s more compassionate to yourself rather than just taking a cookie-cutter approach and saying to yourself, "If I am to succeed, I have to do this ⏤ even if it doesn’t resonate with me”.

The bottom line is: 
If the frequency of your emails doesn’t align with who you are right now then it’s going to be a path laid out with extra obstacles. You can give it a try and see it for yourself.

Whatever you do, it must feel natural and make sense to you, your instinct and your sense of integrity. If the emailing frequency doesn’t work for you, it is not going to work for your audience because you are attracting a certain kind of audience. If anything you do feels forced, unnatural or inauthentic, the results are not going to be sustainable.

The next step is to have that frequency clearly expressed to your audience. Let them know when they sign up, in the welcome email, even at the bottom of the emails (see the bottom of my emails for one example). Again, it is essential that your audience knows what to expect.

My Zen Approach
For many months, I sporadically created blog posts and video tutorials about how to use ConvertKit and email marketing strategies ⏤ 27 posts by now (I love to count). But a few weeks ago, I asked myself some questions. I realized that to serve and attract the right audience for my business, I needed to create more useful content on my site. As a result, I committed to following a weekly schedule for publishing content on my site as well as emailing my audience. 

A week seems long enough for my reader to digest and implement new content that can truly help them. This way each week my audience (that’s you!) can implement one more piece in their business with my help. 

On top of that, I have also come to realize that the old adage “practice makes perfect” is really powerful. I know that the more content I put out, the better I get. So, for me ⏤ choosing a weekly schedule of emailing my list makes complete sense. Not because the gurus of email marketing say so. But because if fits my business goals and business values and something I felt I can commit to.

Different Approaches
Different approaches work for different people because it works for the content creator and their audience knows clearly what to expect.

Blogging and your online business should not become another thing that causes stress and upset in your life. It should be a source of joy and peace and contentment and a way to create value in the life and business of others. Not the other way around.

So tell me:
What are you business values and how frequently will you email your list?

Share with me in the comments!

Warmly,
Sophia