How many pushes a day is safe to send one user?

During an active period, usually one to two; in a quieter stretch, two to three a week. Tune the exact cap to how a specific segment responds rather than applying one number to the whole base.

How do I know it's time to cut back on frequency?

If CTR drops across several sends in a row while opt-outs and spam complaints climb at the same time, that's a far more reliable signal than one push underperforming.

Should pushes go out on weekends at all?

For betting and gambling, weekends often pull a warmer response than weekdays, but confirm it on your own base with a split test rather than copying someone else's pattern blind.

Does every geo need the same schedule?

No — timing should follow each geo's local hours and habits separately. A single schedule built around server time almost always undersells part of the base.

How does APEX help automate schedule and frequency?

APEX's push engine keeps segmentation, triggers, and scheduled sends in one place, so a frequency cap can be applied at the segment level instead of manually cross-checking who already got something and when.

Push Notification Schedule and Frequency

Push schedule and frequency matter as much as the copy itself: send too often and the base unsubscribes and reports spam, send too rarely and engagement — and money — just sits on the table. Here's how to set a frequency cap per segment, time sends to the geo's local hours, and build a schedule for a fresh base versus a warmed-up one without burning it out early.

Why the schedule matters as much as the copy

The same push with the same copy can perform completely differently depending only on when and how often it lands. Sending too frequently drives unsubscribes and spam complaints up faster than CTR drops — and a burned-out base costs more to fix than a fresh one costs to build. Watch the trend in opt-outs and complaints over a week, not just one push's open rate — that trend is the earlier warning sign that the schedule is off.

Setting a frequency cap: pushes per day and per week

There's no universal number, but a reasonable baseline is one to two pushes a day per user during an active promo period, and two to three a week in a quieter stretch. Gambling and betting offers usually tolerate a denser schedule around specific events — a tournament, a bonus week — but need a cooldown afterward, or complaints climb faster than conversions. Set the cap at the segment level, not across the whole base at once, so triggered and scheduled sends don't stack up on the same user.

Timing: local hours and day of week

The baseline rule is to send on the user's local time, not the server's or the buyer's — otherwise part of the base gets the push at 3 a.m. and just turns notifications off. On top of the time zone, day of week matters: in betting and gambling, Friday through Sunday and paydays typically pull a warmer response than early-week weekdays. Avoid sending right after the previous big send to the same segment — accumulated fatigue drags down response even for strong copy.

Scheduling a fresh base versus a warmed-up one

A freshly collected base should start with a single welcome push and a low frequency for the first week — watch the opt-out rate right after opt-in during that window, since it's the clearest signal the permission flow is set up correctly. A warmed-up base that consistently opens sends can handle a denser schedule and responds better to triggered events. Jumping frequency for the whole base at once is a common mistake — ramp it up gradually, and only for segments with a solid open-rate history.

Combining triggered and scheduled sends

A triggered push — an abandoned deposit, say — and a scheduled broadcast need to respect the same per-user frequency cap, or a user can end up with two or three touches in one day with no real plan behind it. A sensible approach is to prioritize triggered events over scheduled ones: if a user already landed in a triggered segment, skip that day's scheduled send for them. APEX keeps segmentation and scheduling in one push engine, which makes that kind of prioritization automatic instead of a manual list to cross-check.

Signs the base is burning out, and what to do about it

The early signals are a rising opt-out share, spam complaints, and falling CTR across several sends in a row for a segment that used to respond reliably. The right move isn't pushing harder to force the numbers back up — it's cutting frequency for the tired segment or pausing it for a few days. Before changing the schedule for the whole base, test the hypothesis on part of a segment first — APEX's sticky split tests work just as well for testing frequency and timing as they do for testing copy.

FAQ

How many pushes a day is safe to send one user?: During an active period, usually one to two; in a quieter stretch, two to three a week. Tune the exact cap to how a specific segment responds rather than applying one number to the whole base.
How do I know it's time to cut back on frequency?: If CTR drops across several sends in a row while opt-outs and spam complaints climb at the same time, that's a far more reliable signal than one push underperforming.
Should pushes go out on weekends at all?: For betting and gambling, weekends often pull a warmer response than weekdays, but confirm it on your own base with a split test rather than copying someone else's pattern blind.
Does every geo need the same schedule?: No — timing should follow each geo's local hours and habits separately. A single schedule built around server time almost always undersells part of the base.
How does APEX help automate schedule and frequency?: APEX's push engine keeps segmentation, triggers, and scheduled sends in one place, so a frequency cap can be applied at the segment level instead of manually cross-checking who already got something and when.

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