The Perfect Timing: When to Send Push Notifications for Maximum Impact
Hey there. This is Push.House!
Push notifications are a powerful way to engage users and drive conversions — but timing is everything. Even the most killer creative won’t work if it lands on someone’s screen at 3AM and gets swiped away half-asleep. Let’s break down how to schedule your push notifications just right — so they work for you, not against you.
Why does timing matter so much?
Nailing the timing of your push gives you several major benefits:
- More clicks — The message hits when the user is actually available and open to engaging.
- Less irritation — You’re not waking people up or interrupting their busy moments.
- Fewer unsubscribes — If your pushes feel helpful, not intrusive.
If you’re still blasting out push traffic at random hours, you’re basically wasting your budget. The good news? You can fix that.
Is there a “best” time to send push notifications?
There’s a myth that push has some kind of global “magic hour” — but in reality, it all depends on your GEO, vertical, and audience behavior.
The only way to truly find your sweet spot is to test. Ideally, run campaigns 24/7 at first and track performance around the clock — that’s how you’ll discover exactly when your audience is most active.
Not sure where to start? Here’s a rough guide:
- Morning (before 12 PM) – Great for news-style or informational content
- Afternoon (12–5 PM) – Entertainment offers, eComm products
- Evening (after 6 PM) – Dating, gambling, leisure, impulse buys
Still unsure? Try sending between 6:00 PM and 7:30 PM — that’s when engagement rates tend to spike.
GEO matters
Push notification showing up in the middle of meal or during siesta time – that’s a fast track to losing user goodwill.
Here’s what to consider:
- Study daily routines in each GEO
- Check the novelty factor — if you’re first to hit a region with a fresh creative, timing might be less important at first.
- Think about population and wealth — Smaller but wealthier countries might not bring volume, but ROI can still be strong.
How do I find the perfect timing?
Build a Customer Journey Map (CJM). Track when users naturally engage with your offer most of all. This will help you to align your push timing with those moments.
And don’t forget about frequency. Too many push notifications = burnout. If your CTR starts tanking or unsubscribes shoot up, it’s time to rethink your send schedule.
If you have an opportunity to test different timing — use it! Just a couple A/B tests a week can reveal the golden windows: when users actually read your pushes or ignore.
Conclusion
For push campaigns to actually work:
- Test everything — timing is never one-size-fits-all.
- Consider GEO-specific habits and behaviors.
- Segment smart: by device, carrier, time, and more.
And most importantly — don’t rely on guesswork. Timing should be driven by data, testing, and a bit of empathy. Once you start speaking to users in their context — that’s when push starts pushing results.
💡 Want full control over timing and segmentation? Push.House lets you schedule and customize your push traffic down to the hour.
Good luck!
