Reading Time for Emails and Newsletters
Estimate reading time for email newsletters and business emails to optimise length and improve open-to-click rates.
Average speeds: Adults read at 200–250 wpm silently. Audiobooks are narrated at 120–150 wpm. Speed readers can reach 500–700 wpm with comprehension drop-off.
Medium articles: ~1,200 words (~5 min). Long-form: ~2,500 words (~10 min). Books average 70,000–90,000 words (~5–6 hours at 250 wpm).
Email tips
The average email is read in under 11 seconds. Marketing emails perform best at 200–300 words (under 2 minutes) with a single clear CTA.
For newsletters, 500–700 words (2–3 min) works well. Longer newsletters benefit from a table of contents or "estimated read: X min" subheading.
Business emails above 200 words see a significant drop-off in full-read rates. Use bullets and white space to aid scanning.
Sales outreach emails should be under 150 words (under 1 min). Brevity signals respect for the reader's time and improves reply rates.
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