Timing the Posting of Blogs / Newsletters

I’ve noticed there is very little research out there discussing the appropriate time to post a blog entry or newsletter. I’ve noticed on several occasions that the timing of our blog entries and the timing of an email broadcast seem to have a huge effect on readership, open rates and overall impressions.

Given that most of our Imulus Newsletter readers are corporate marketing or IT related subscribers it makes sense that our highest return days are mid-week, as opposed to newsletters submitted on the weekend which have limited returns. Looking closer into the statistics I’ve found that our readers are more likely to open the email if we send it after 10am EST, as opposed to sending it at midnight. Emails sent at midnight tend to stack up in the user’s inbox, and what do most people do first thing in the morning, scan and purge their emails.

Now, how does this relate to blog entries? I believe, all blogs have a readership profile that has a strong timing characteristic. Blogs about home improvements should see a stronger readership as the week nears the end and the weekend comes along. Blogs centered around food and cooking should have peaks slightly before standard meal times.

Let’s face it, everyone wants people to read their blog and submit comments. People want to drive traffic, so why hasn’t anyone done a study on the best times to post entries based on marketing research?