Summary
Increasing email frequency for engaged subscribers is a viable strategy to boost website traffic without harming deliverability, provided it's executed thoughtfully and strategically. The consensus among email marketing experts and platform documentation emphasizes that success hinges on extreme segmentation, targeting only the most active and interested users. For these highly engaged segments, providing more frequent, yet consistently high-quality, relevant, and personalized content is crucial. Marketers must prioritize delivering unique value with each additional email, ensuring it aligns with subscriber interests rather than simply increasing volume. Crucially, continuous monitoring of engagement metrics, such as open rates, click-through rates, and especially negative feedback like unsubscribes and spam complaints, is non-negotiable. Implementing preference centers that allow subscribers to manage their own frequency further empowers them and helps maintain a positive sender reputation. By adhering to these principles- strategic segmentation, valuable content, vigilant monitoring, and subscriber control- increased frequency can effectively drive website traffic while reinforcing, rather than damaging, deliverability.
Key findings
- Hyper-Segmentation is Key: The most critical finding is the necessity of precise segmentation, targeting only genuinely engaged subscribers, those who consistently open and click, to ensure increased frequency is well-received.
- Content Relevance is Paramount: Every additional email must deliver unique, high-value, and highly relevant content that directly aligns with the segment's demonstrated interests, justifying the increased frequency and driving website traffic.
- Continuous Testing and Monitoring: A/B testing different frequencies within engaged segments and closely monitoring key metrics- opens, clicks, unsubscribes, and complaints- is essential to find the optimal 'sweet spot' and detect any signs of fatigue.
- Preference Centers Empower Subscribers: Offering a preference center that allows subscribers to control their own email frequency, or to 'opt-down' to less frequent emails or specific content types, is crucial for maintaining engagement and preventing opt-outs.
- Positive Engagement Protects Deliverability: Consistently high engagement rates and low spam reports from engaged segments act as strong positive signals to Internet Service Providers, safeguarding sender reputation and deliverability even with higher email volumes.
Key considerations
- Subscriber Expectations: Initial subscriber expectations play a significant role; content that is time-sensitive or essential for daily operations may justify higher frequency, whereas other content types may not.
- Risk of User Fatigue: There is a risk of 'burning' even engaged users with too much frequency, leading to content fatigue, increased unsubscribes, or spam complaints, which can harm sender reputation and cause financial setbacks.
- Addressing Performance Issues: Before increasing email volume, it is advisable to address any existing underlying performance issues, such as low engagement rates or high bounce rates, to ensure a solid foundation.
- Defining Test Metrics: When testing increased frequency, clearly define success and failure metrics to objectively evaluate the impact on engagement, deliverability, and website traffic.
- Gradual Increase: An abrupt increase in email volume, even for engaged segments, can negatively impact deliverability; a gradual increase is generally advised to allow both subscribers and mailbox providers to adapt.
What email marketers say
12 marketer opinions
To successfully increase email frequency for engaged subscribers and boost website traffic without harming deliverability, a nuanced approach is essential. This strategy builds on already strong engagement by leveraging advanced segmentation to identify truly active users. For these select groups, the focus shifts to delivering more frequent communications, ensuring each email provides unique, high-value, and deeply relevant content that justifies the increased volume. Automation tools can facilitate sending highly personalized messages based on specific user behaviors. Maintaining deliverability hinges on consistently positive engagement signals, necessitating continuous monitoring of open and click-through rates, and vigilance for any rise in unsubscribes or complaints. Crucially, offering subscribers an easy way to manage their frequency preferences through a preference center empowers them and reinforces sender reputation, proving that increased volume can be a welcomed, traffic-driving asset when executed with strategic care.
Key opinions
- Unique Value per Send: Every additional email must deliver fresh, unique, and high-value content directly aligned with the subscriber's demonstrated interests to justify the increased frequency.
- Behavioral Automation: Leveraging marketing automation based on granular user behavior and engagement levels allows for intelligent, personalized frequency increases.
- Website Traffic Catalyst: When executed correctly, with relevant content and precise targeting, increased email frequency for engaged users is a powerful driver of significant website traffic.
- Proactive Preference Management: Providing clear options for subscribers to manage their email frequency or 'opt-down' to less frequent sends is crucial for maintaining goodwill and deliverability.
Key considerations
- Content-Audience Alignment: The success of higher frequency is highly dependent on content being consistently aligned with specific subscriber interests or being time-sensitive and essential.
- Vigilant Engagement Monitoring: Beyond basic metrics, closely monitor for any dips in open rates, click-through rates, or upticks in unsubscribes and spam complaints, as these are early warning signs of frequency fatigue.
- Iterative Testing Approach: Implement A/B testing within segmented groups to systematically determine the optimal frequency that maximizes engagement and website traffic without negatively impacting deliverability.
- Focus on Deeper Engagement: The goal should be to deepen existing engagement through more value, not merely to increase email volume.
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks explains that increasing email frequency depends on initial subscriber expectations and suggests testing with a small cohort. He also advises on fixing underlying performance issues rather than just increasing volume.
23 Oct 2024 - Email Geeks
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks advises that a second email can be safe if relevant, but warns of the risk of burning engaged users. He shares experiences where increased frequency worked due to relevance, but also where it significantly damaged sender reputation and caused financial harm.
7 Jul 2023 - Email Geeks
What the experts say
3 expert opinions
Boosting website traffic by increasing email frequency for engaged subscribers is a strategy supported by experts, provided it's approached with precision and continuous observation. This involves finding an optimal 'just right' frequency that aligns with audience engagement. A crucial aspect is the continuous monitoring of key performance indicators, including open rates, click-through rates, unsubscribe rates, and complaint rates. When content remains valuable and relevant, highly engaged subscribers are more likely to tolerate increased frequency. Experts advise implementing a strategic testing framework, complete with clearly defined success and failure metrics, rather than simply increasing volume without oversight. Sustained positive engagement from these segments not only protects deliverability but can also enhance sender reputation, signaling to Internet Service Providers that the mail is desired and further supporting the goal of driving website traffic.
Key opinions
- Engaged Subscribers' Capacity: Highly engaged subscribers are more receptive to increased email frequency, especially when the content consistently offers value and relevance.
- Holistic Metric Monitoring: Successful frequency increases hinge on vigilant monitoring of both positive engagement metrics, such as opens and clicks, and negative feedback like unsubscribes and spam complaints to prevent deliverability issues.
- Reputation Enhancement Potential: Maintaining high engagement with increased frequency can positively reinforce sender reputation with Internet Service Providers, as it signals desired communication.
- Strategic Testing Imperative: Implementing well-defined tests with clear success and failure metrics is essential to identify the optimal frequency for specific engaged segments without risking deliverability.
Key considerations
- Defined Testing Parameters: When increasing frequency, establish precise success and failure metrics for your tests to objectively evaluate impact on engagement and deliverability.
- Vigilance Against Fatigue: Even for engaged segments, closely watch for any uptick in negative feedback, such as unsubscribes or spam complaints, as it's a critical indicator that the increased frequency might be leading to subscriber fatigue.
- Content Justification: The rationale for increasing frequency must always be the delivery of additional, valuable, and relevant content that genuinely interests the engaged audience.
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks agrees that testing is worthwhile and suggests a strategic approach to management by proposing a test with defined success and failure metrics, rather than outright rejection.
14 Oct 2022 - Email Geeks
Expert view
Expert from Spam Resource explains that increasing email frequency for engaged subscribers is possible by finding a 'just right' frequency based on audience engagement. The key is to monitor analytics like open rates, click-through rates, unsubscribe rates, and complaint rates. Engaged subscribers may tolerate higher frequency if content is valuable, and as long as negative feedback doesn't increase, deliverability will remain protected. The approach involves testing and segmenting subscribers based on their engagement levels, which supports driving website traffic through relevant content.
11 Mar 2023 - Spam Resource
What the documentation says
6 technical articles
To increase email frequency for engaged subscribers and boost website traffic without harming deliverability, the consensus among leading platforms emphasizes a careful, iterative strategy. It involves a commitment to a consistent sending schedule and a gradual increase in volume, always paired with highly relevant and personalized content. The success of this approach relies heavily on diligent monitoring of engagement signals, with particular attention to negative feedback such as unsubscribes and spam complaints. Experts advise using precise segmentation and even A/B testing various frequency tiers to identify the optimal balance. By prioritizing audience feedback and ensuring every message adds significant value, senders can maintain a robust sender reputation and achieve their traffic goals.
Key findings
- Content Justifies Frequency: High-value, relevant, and personalized content is the primary driver for successful frequency increases among engaged segments.
- Gradual Implementation: An incremental, rather than abrupt, increase in sending volume is crucial to avoid negative impacts on deliverability and subscriber reception.
- Negative Feedback is Key Indicator: Closely monitoring and acting on increases in unsubscribes, complaints, and bounces is paramount, even for engaged segments, as these signals directly affect sender reputation.
- Consistency in Scheduling: Maintaining a consistent email sending schedule, alongside increased frequency, helps build subscriber trust and predictability.
Key considerations
- Audience Feedback Integration: Actively listen to and incorporate audience feedback, both explicit and implied through engagement metrics, to adjust sending frequency.
- A/B Test Frequency Tiers: Systematically A/B test different frequency levels within segmented groups to discover the optimal sending cadence that maximizes engagement and website traffic.
- Early Fatigue Detection: Be highly vigilant for any initial signs of subscriber fatigue, such as subtle dips in engagement or minor increases in negative feedback.
- Dual Impact on Sender Reputation: Understand that increasing frequency for engaged users can either enhance sender reputation through positive engagement or damage it if content value declines or fatigue sets in.
Technical article
Documentation from Mailchimp Knowledge Base advises that increasing email frequency for engaged subscribers should be done carefully by maintaining a consistent sending schedule and listening to audience feedback. They recommend using segmentation to ensure the content is highly relevant to engaged subscribers, which helps maintain interest and deliverability, suggesting that consistency and relevance are key to avoiding deliverability issues even with increased volume.
20 Aug 2023 - Mailchimp Knowledge Base
Technical article
Documentation from SendGrid highlights that to increase email frequency for engaged subscribers without hurting deliverability, senders must prioritize highly relevant content and monitor engagement metrics closely. They recommend careful segmentation to target only truly engaged users and to gradually increase volume, stressing that consistent positive engagement signals are crucial for mailbox providers to recognize the sender as legitimate, even with higher frequency.
23 Aug 2021 - SendGrid Documentation
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