Subject
A/B test to discover if sending our email newsletter earlier in the morning will increase open and click-through rates, our main goal being the increase of click-through rates.
Result
On average, newsletters sent at 9:00 AM or 9:30 AM perform better than those sent at 10:00 AM.
Summary
In this experiment, we tested whether newsletters sent earlier in the morning would outperform those sent at 10:00 AM. Performance criteria included open and click-through rates. Typically, Mockingbird newsletters are sent at 10:00 AM. We tested this against two earlier send times – 9:00 AM and 9:30 AM. Seven of our weekly newsletters A/B tested 9:00 AM vs. 10:00 AM, five tested 9:30 AM vs. 10:00.
Results
In both cases (9:00 AM and 9:30 AM) the earlier send time resulted in a higher average open and click-through rate. The newsletter sent at 9:00 AM resulted in ten more site visitors than the newsletter sent at 10:00 AM over the course of seven weeks. The newsletter sent at 9:30 AM resulted in ten more visitors than the newsletter sent at 10:00 AM over the course of five weeks. The average results are as follows:
| Time | Open Rate | Click Rate |
| Average – 9:00 AM | 17.36% | 2.67% |
| Average – 10:00 AM | 16.49% | 2.41% |
| Average – 9:30 AM | 15.46% | 1.58% |
| Average – 10:00 AM | 14.80% | 1.20% |
It appears that earlier send times are preferable for our newsletter campaigns, but this experiment requires further testing before we are able to conclude that one particular time is optimal. However, these results show that seemingly small factors can have an affect on campaign performance.
Breakdown
9:00 AM vs. 10:00 AM
| Time | Open Rate | Click Rate |
| 9:00 AM | 19.50% | 1.10% |
| 10:00 AM | 14.70% | 1.50% |
| 9:00 AM | 17.70% | 2.70% |
| 10:00 AM | 18.20% | 2.30% |
| 9:00 AM | 17.60% | 4.20% |
| 10:00 AM | 15.40% | 3.20% |
| 9:00 AM | 16.40% | 4.30% |
| 10:00 AM | 15.90% | 3.10% |
| 9:00 AM | 13.20% | 1.20% |
| 10:00 AM | 15.50% | 1.80% |
| 9:00 AM | 21.50% | 1.80% |
| 10:00 AM | 19.70% | 2.60% |
| 9:00 AM | 15.60% | 3.40% |
| 10:00 AM | 16.00% | 2.40% |
| Average – 9:00 AM | 17.36% | 2.67% |
| Average – 10:00 AM | 16.49% | 2.41% |
9:30 AM vs. 10:00 AM
| Time | Open Rate | Click Rate |
| 9:30 AM | 16.20% | 2.10% |
| 10:00 AM | 15.70% | 0.60% |
| 9:30 AM | 15.90% | 1.60% |
| 10:00 AM | 13.90% | 1.00% |
| 9:30 AM | 12.90% | 1.00% |
| 10:00 AM | 14.50% | 2.00% |
| 9:30 AM | 17.50% | 2.20% |
| 10:00 AM | 17.10% | 1.80% |
| 9:30 AM | 14.80% | 1.00% |
| 10:00 AM | 12.80% | 0.60% |
| Average – 9:30 AM | 15.46% | 1.58% |
| Average – 10:00 AM | 14.80% | 1.20% |