constant contact | TourFactory

Automated Emails: When to Send Emails for Maximum Agent Engagement (2025)

Real Estate Marketing

Timing is Everything — Send Emails for Maximum Engagement

Sending your email when recipients are most likely to open it drives higher deliverability, engagement, and marketing ROI. Even the best email can fail if it lands in an inbox at the wrong time. To get your message read, not buried, understanding email timing strategy is essential.

What the Data Says (2025 Email Benchmarks)

Tuesday–Thursday mornings (8–10 AM) have the highest open rates across industries. (Source: Litmus, 2025).

Emails sent between 10–11 AM generate 36% more clicks than those sent later in the day. (Source: Constant Contact Internal Data, 2025).

Avoid Mondays and Fridays—Mondays are crowded, and Fridays are often mentally “checked out” days.

Media by TourFactory Authorized Media Providers

Best Times to Reach Real Estate Agents

Weekdays, not weekends. Agents are most responsive on Tuesday-Thursday. Mondays are often busy, and Fridays are more about showings and weekend prep.

Typically mornings win, most agents check email early, so schedule your send between 8-10 AM, local to their time zone. Try to avoid late afternoons after 3 PM, your email risks getting ignored or saved “for later” (which often means never).

Time of Day: Morning hours, specifically between 8 AM and 11 AM, often see higher engagement, especially for B2B professionals, as they tend to check emails at the start of their workday. Lunchtime (around 12-1 PM) and early afternoon (1-3 PM) are also effective.

Media by TourFactory Authorized Media Providers

Pro Tip: Use Automation to Nail Timing. With TourFactory’s Constant Contact integration, you can:

> Schedule campaigns based on your audience’s local time zone

> Send automatically when users are most likely to open

> Trigger follow-ups for unopened emails (great for sending photo delivery reminders!)

@TourFactory

Bonus Tip: Combine Timing + Personalization here is an example:

> Send “Happy Listing Day!” messages on the day an agent’s property goes live.

> Schedule reminders mid-week when agents are planning next week’s shoots.

Agent-Specific Timing Considerations

Morning for B2B: Agents, as professionals, are likely to be responsive to emails sent during business hours. Consider sending emails in the morning (e.g., 9-11 AM) when they are likely to be reviewing their inbox.

Mid-Week Momentum: Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday can be ideal for emails regarding open houses or market updates, aligning with agent routines as the week progresses.

Tailored for the Audience: If your audience has specific preferences, such as checking emails on mobile devices outside of work hours, late afternoon or early evening may be more effective.

Media by TourFactory Authorized Media Providers

Strategies for Success:

A/B Testing: The most reliable method for determining the best time to send emails to your specific audience is to conduct A/B tests. This involves sending emails at different times and analyzing performance metrics such as open rates, click-through rates, and conversions. Consider sending a survey: it directly asks the audience for preferences.

Email Marketing Tools: Platforms like Constant Contact offer features like audience segmentation, analytics, and automated scheduling to help optimize email timing and personalize messages based on subscriber behavior.

Personalization: Personalizing emails, beyond just using the recipient’s name, can significantly boost engagement and conversions.

Focus on Quality: Regardless of timing, engaging subject lines, concise content, and a strong call-to-action are vital for success.

Consider Time Zones: If your audience spans multiple time zones, adjust sending times accordingly. Some tools offer automated time zone adjustments.

Media by TourFactory Authorized Media Providers

Final Takeaways

Mastering the art of email timing can dramatically improve your email performance.  When your message lands at just the right moment, it feels less like marketing— and more like help.  General best practices and industry trends offer guidance, testing and analyzing your audience’s behavior remain the most effective approach to optimizing email sending times for maximum agent engagement.

TourFactory’s email marketing tools give you the precision you need to hit send with confidence. With features like time zone-based scheduling and automated follow-ups, you can send smarter and stand out in the inbox.

Related Content

Real Estate Email Marketing: How to Write Subject Lines That Boost Open Rates

Real Estate Marketing

TourFactory Email Marketing
@TourFactory

Let’s talk about the most powerful sentence in your email—the subject line. In the fast-moving world of real estate media, your next booking could come from the click of a single email. But before that happens, you face one crucial hurdle: getting the email opened.

For photographers, videographers, and media teams serving real estate professionals, your email subject line is your first impression. It’s your digital handshake, the line that determines whether your message gets opened, ignored, or worse—marked as spam.

So, how do you make sure your emails are opened, not overlooked? It all starts with mastering the subject line.

Why Subject Lines Matter More Than Ever

You may spend hours perfecting a property video, virtual tour, or stunning set of HDR images—but if your email promoting that content goes unopened, all your hard work could go unnoticed.

Consider these stats:

  • 47% of email recipients open emails based on the subject line alone. (HubSpot, 2025)
  • 69% of recipients report emails as spam based solely on the subject line. (Constant Contact, 2025)

Those numbers should make it clear: your subject line can make or break your email marketing success.

Media by TourFactory Authorized Media Providers

Real Estate Media Is a Relationship Business—Subject Lines Start the Conversation

As a media provider, your relationship with agents hinges on trust, timing, and visibility. The subject line is your tool for communicating all three. In just a few words, you must:

  • Show relevance
  • Build curiosity
  • Highlight your value
  • Earn the agent’s attention

Let’s explore how to write subject lines that do exactly that.

Improve Your Email Open Rates
Media by TourFactory Authorized Media Providers

1. Use Emotional Triggers and Actionable Prompts

The best subject lines evoke a reaction. They tap into curiosity, urgency, or exclusivity to make the recipient want to open your message. For real estate professionals juggling listings, deadlines, and demanding clients, you need to speak their language.

Try These Emotional Triggers:
  • Urgency:
    “Final Days to Schedule Twilight Photos for Spring Listings”
    “Only 3 Drone Slots Left for This Week!”

  • Curiosity:
    “Why Top Agents Choose This Photo Style Every Time”
    “This One Media Upgrade Sells Homes Faster”

  • Trust and Authority:
    “#1 Marketing Tip from Real Estate’s Top Producers”
    “Our Most-Requested Service—Now Available to You”

  • Exclusivity:
    “For VIP Clients Only: Early Access to Virtual Timelapse”
    “Private Booking Window for Premium Shoots Now Open”

Using emotional cues creates a compelling reason to click—especially when paired with clear benefits to the reader.

2. Keep It Short and Smart

Agents are constantly on the go. 80% of email opens now happen on mobile, which means long subject lines often get cut off.

Best Practice:
  • Aim for 6–9 words or under 60 characters.
  • Front-load your message—put the key value or action first.
Examples:

“New Virtual Tour Add-On Just Dropped”

“Book Your Spring Listing Shoot Now”

“Book Your Listing Photos by Thursday”

“Check Out This New Media Offering from Our Real Estate Photography Team That Just Dropped Today!”


Shorter, clearer subject lines not only increase open rates—they also signal professionalism and respect for the reader’s time.


3. A/B Test Your Subject Lines


You’re already editing for the perfect shot—why not do the same with your subject lines?

A/B testing allows you to send two versions of an email with different subject lines to a sample of your list. The version with the higher open rate is then sent to the rest of your audience.

Tips for Testing:
  • Test tone: formal vs. casual
  • Test personalization: “Hey Sarah, Need Listing Photos?” vs. “Listing Photo Specials This Week”
  • Test format: use of emojis, numbers, or questions

TourFactory + Constant Contact makes A/B testing easy. With built-in analytics, you can track:

  • Open rates
  • Click-throughs
  • Time of day performance
  • Subject line success over time
Pro Tip:

Test one variable at a time to know what really moves the needle.

4. Build Consistency and Familiarity

If your audience recognizes your tone, brand, or offer type, they’re more likely to engage.

Use a Subject Line Framework:
  • “[New Service] is Now Available: [Quick Benefit]”
  • “[Time-Sensitive Offer] Ending Soon!”
  • “Your Weekly [Media Tip/Product Update] is Here”

Consistency builds trust—and trust builds bookings.

5. Pair Your Subject Lines with a Strong Sender Name


Subject lines don’t work alone. The sender name plays a huge role in email opens. Use a consistent and recognizable name—ideally your business name or your first name + business.

– “Mike from TourFactory Riverside”
– “TourFactory Media Team”

Make it personal. Make it trustworthy.

Quick Takeaways

  • Keep subject lines short, direct, and emotionally engaging.
  • Use urgency, curiosity, and authority to motivate clicks.
  • A/B test regularly to find what works for your audience.
  • Use familiar formats and consistent branding.
  • Make sure your sender name builds trust.
Media by TourFactory Authorized Media Providers

Ready to Create Better Emails?

Email marketing doesn’t have to be complicated. With TourFactory’s Online Marketing Services powered by Constant Contact, you get:

  • Professionally designed email templates
  • List segmentation and management tools
  • A/B testing and performance tracking
  • Personalized support from a marketing expert

TourFactory’s Email Marketing Services powered by Constant Contact are built to help you stand out and stay top of mind with agents. We provide the platform, tools, and strategy—so you can focus on what you do best: creating stunning media.

You focus on capturing stunning media—we’ll help you make sure the right people see it.

Let’s make your next email your most powerful one yet.

Related Content