Definition
Email cadence refers to the schedule and frequency of email communications with your subscribers. A well-planned cadence maintains subscriber engagement without causing fatigue or increased unsubscribes. The right cadence varies by industry, audience, campaign type, and individual subscriber preferences.
Finding the optimal cadence requires balancing multiple factors: providing enough value that subscribers look forward to your emails, not sending so frequently that they tune out or unsubscribe, and maintaining consistent engagement to preserve sender reputation with mailbox providers.
Cadence Considerations
| Factor | Impact on Cadence |
|---|---|
| Industry norms | Newsletters may send daily; B2B may send weekly |
| Content quality | Higher quality content justifies higher frequency |
| Subscriber lifecycle | New subscribers tolerate more frequency |
| Subscriber preferences | Preference centres let users choose their cadence |
| Email programme goals | Revenue programmes may send more than brand programmes |
| Seasonality | Cadence may increase during peak seasons |
Best Practices
- Establish a predictable baseline cadence that subscribers can expect
- Offer frequency preferences in your preference centre to let subscribers choose
- Monitor unsubscribe rates and spam complaints as indicators of cadence issues
- Use engagement data to personalise cadence — active subscribers may want more, inactive less
- Communicate cadence expectations clearly in your welcome sequence
- A/B test different cadences to find the optimal balance for your audience
- Adjust cadence seasonally rather than keeping the same frequency year-round
Related Glossary Terms
Announcement Email
An announcement email is a dedicated campaign that communicates a specific update, milestone, or change to subscribers, from product launches and feature releases to company news and events.
B2B Email Marketing
B2B email marketing targets business professionals and organisations with longer sales cycles, educational content, and relationship-driven campaigns compared to B2C email.
B2C Email Marketing
B2C email marketing focuses on sending targeted promotional and transactional emails to individual consumers, emphasising personalisation, urgency, and direct response.
Buyer Persona for Email Marketing
A buyer persona is a semi-fictional representation of an ideal email subscriber based on data, research, and behavioural insights used to target and personalise campaigns.
Drip Campaign
A drip campaign is an automated sequence of pre-written emails sent on a schedule or triggered by specific subscriber actions. It nurtures leads, onboard new users, or re-engage dormant subscribers over time.
Ecommerce Email Marketing
Ecommerce email marketing uses targeted email campaigns to drive online sales, from abandoned cart recovery and product recommendations to post-purchase follow-ups and loyalty programmes.
Frequently Asked Questions
There is no universal best cadence — it depends on your audience, content, and industry. Weekly cadences perform well for most B2B programmes, while B2C and newsletter programmes may send 2–5 times per week. The key is consistency and listening to engagement signals to adjust frequency for each subscriber.
The most common newsletter frequency is weekly. Daily newsletters work for high-value, time-sensitive content but require exceptional quality to avoid fatigue. Monthly newsletters risk losing habit and engagement. Many successful newsletters start weekly and adjust based on engagement data and subscriber feedback.