People frequently ask, “How often should I email my subscribers.” The simple answer would be somewhere between weekly and monthly. That depends on your audience and goals. The more involved answer would be to create an email marketing editorial calendar and then stick to it.

What is an Editorial Calendar?

An editorial calendar is a plan months in advance of when certain emails will go out and what topics they will cover. Instead of trying to come up with new topics on a monthly basis, the next 6-12 months should always be prepared and scheduled.

For any particular event, use the date as a base. Then count backwards and mark special milestones. You can send:

• a first event notice 3 months prior
• a reminder 3 weeks before
• a follow up 3 days prior
• and a follow up 3 days after.

Without planning ahead you might find yourself struggling to send out emails with enough advanced notice. Plan additional marketing, like a Facebook campaign, with enough lead time. It takes time for optimization to reach your audience.

It’s definitely an investment of time up front, but it will pay off dividends over the course of the year, and with recurring annual events, for years to come!