How often should I send an EDM or newsletter?
Finding the sweet spot between staying top of mind and staying out of the spam folder.
One of the most common questions small business owners ask me is:
“How often should I send a newsletter? I don’t want to annoy people.”
Fair concern. No one wants to be that business clogging up inboxes. But you also don’t want to be forgotten — or only pop up when you’re running a sale and need something from your customers.
So how do you find the right balance?
The Goldilocks Frequency
You want your email marketing to be just right — not too often, not too rare.
Here’s a general rule of thumb:
Monthly = A great place to start.
Fortnightly = Works if you have new content, events, or offers regularly.
Weekly = Only if you’re in eCommerce, content publishing, or have genuinely valuable updates.
For most regional businesses in places like Wagga, a monthly or fortnightly rhythm is ideal. It gives you enough touchpoints throughout the year to stay relevant without triggering the dreaded unsubscribe.
It’s about value, not volume
Frequency becomes less of a problem when your content is actually good. People won’t mind hearing from you if your emails:
Entertain
Educate
Offer real value
Feel personal
A local café might share recipe tips, behind-the-scenes stories, or upcoming events. A plumber could send seasonal tips on preventing pipe damage. A boutique could offer early access to new arrivals or style tips.
If you’re delivering useful, relevant content, you earn your place in someone’s inbox.
Let your audience decide
Not sure what your customers want? Ask them.
Include a preferences link where people can choose:
How often they want to hear from you
What kind of updates they’re interested in (sales, news, education, etc.)
Segmenting your list and tailoring your frequency gives your subscribers more control — and you less risk of being ignored or deleted.
Don’t ghost your list
A big mistake many business owners make is only emailing when they need to promote something.
If you go quiet for six months and then suddenly show up with “Buy now!”… don’t be surprised if you get crickets (or unsubscribes).
Consistency builds trust. If you can only manage a quarterly update, that’s fine — but commit to it. Your list is an asset, not an afterthought.
Test, track, tweak
Like anything in marketing, there’s no perfect answer for everyone.
Use your email platform’s analytics to monitor:
Open rates
Click rates
Unsubscribes
If you start sending more frequently and unsubscribes spike, pull back.
If you’re getting strong engagement and conversions — lean in.
Final Thoughts:
Instead of asking “Will this annoy them?” ask:
“Am I offering something useful or delightful?”
If the answer is yes, hit send.
