In email marketing, it’s normal for some subscribers to lose interest over time. While it’s tempting to simply remove inactive contacts, retargeting unengaged subscribers through re-engagement campaigns can be a more effective strategy.

You can restore engagement, increase your open and click-through rates, and retain valuable subscribers by reigniting their interest. In this article, we’ll explore why retargeting unengaged subscribers is important, how to create effective re-engagement campaigns, and the steps you can take to improve overall email engagement.

Why Retargeting Unengaged Subscribers is Important

Every email list will have subscribers who become inactive over time. Whether due to changing preferences, email overload, or loss of interest, these unengaged contacts can drag down your email marketing metrics. Rather than removing them immediately, retargeting offers an opportunity to rekindle their interest and bring them back into the fold.

Key benefits of retargeting unengaged subscribers include:

• Restoring engagement: Re-engaging inactive subscribers helps restore open rates, click-through rates, and overall engagement metrics.
• Reducing churn: Instead of losing valuable contacts, re-engagement campaigns give subscribers a reason to stay and interact with your emails.
• Improving deliverability: Engaged subscribers improve your sender reputation, ensuring that your emails reach more inboxes and fewer spam folders.
• Increasing conversions: Once you regain the attention of previously unengaged subscribers, you increase your chances of converting them into customers or encouraging them to take action.

While some subscribers may never re-engage, targeting inactive users with a well-crafted strategy can significantly improve your email marketing results.

Identifying Unengaged Subscribers

Before you can retarget unengaged subscribers, you need to define what “unengaged” means for your list. In general, unengaged subscribers are those who haven’t opened or clicked on any emails within a specific timeframe. This period will vary based on your email frequency and business model, but a common benchmark is 3 to 6 months of inactivity.

Steps to identify unengaged subscribers:

• Set a time frame: Determine how long a subscriber can go without engaging before being considered inactive.
• Segment your list: Use your email platform to create a segment of subscribers who haven’t opened, clicked, or otherwise interacted with your emails within that time frame.
• Monitor engagement metrics: Look at key engagement metrics like open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates to assess the level of inactivity.

Once you’ve identified your unengaged subscribers, you can craft targeted re-engagement campaigns designed to bring them back.

Strategies to Retarget Unengaged Subscribers

Re-engagement campaigns are your chance to remind subscribers of your brand’s value and entice them to start interacting with your emails again. These campaigns should be personalized, direct, and offer something of value to reignite their interest.

Create Personalized Re-Engagement Campaigns

Personalization is key to making re-engagement campaigns feel relevant and valuable. By addressing subscribers by name and referring to past interactions (such as previous purchases or favorite products), you remind them why they signed up in the first place.

What to include:

• Personalized subject lines: Use the subscriber’s name or reference their past behavior to create a subject line that grabs attention.
• Acknowledgment of inactivity: Be upfront about the fact that they haven’t engaged recently. A simple message like, “We’ve missed you” or “It’s been a while” acknowledges their absence without being too intrusive.
• Special offers: Entice unengaged subscribers with a discount, freebie, or exclusive content to encourage them to re-engage.

Example re-engagement email:

• Subject: “We’ve Missed You! Here’s 20% Off to Welcome You Back”
• Body: “It’s been a while since we’ve seen you. As a thank you for being a part of our community, here’s an exclusive offer just for you. Use code WELCOME20 to get 20% off your next order.”

Offer Incentives to Encourage Engagement

Sometimes, unengaged subscribers just need a little extra motivation to re-engage. Offering an incentive, such as a discount or special promotion, can be an effective way to get them to open your email and click through to your website.

Types of incentives:

• Discounts or coupons: Offer a time-limited discount to encourage immediate action.
• Freebies or samples: Provide free product samples or downloadable resources (like an eBook or guide) to get them to re-engage.
• Exclusive access: Give unengaged subscribers first access to new products, upcoming sales, or members-only content.

Ask for Feedback

In some cases, unengaged subscribers may have lost interest because your emails no longer meet their needs or preferences. Asking for feedback is a great way to gain insights into why they disengaged and how you can improve your communication.

What to include:

• Survey or feedback form: Include a simple survey or feedback form asking what they would like to see more (or less) of in your emails.
• Preference center: Give subscribers the option to update their preferences, including how often they want to hear from you or what types of content they’re interested in.

Example feedback email:

• Subject: “Help Us Improve—We Value Your Opinion”
• Body: “We noticed you haven’t opened our emails in a while. Your feedback matters to us, and we’d love to hear what we can do to make our emails more valuable to you. Take this quick survey to share your thoughts.”

Send a Last-Chance Email

If your re-engagement campaigns don’t work, consider sending a final “last-chance” email before removing inactive subscribers from your list. This email should clearly communicate that this is their final opportunity to stay subscribed, encouraging them to take action if they still want to hear from you.

What to include:

• Clear subject line: Make it clear that this is their last chance to stay on your list (e.g., “Last Chance to Stay in Touch!”).
• Opt-in button: Include a prominent button or link for them to confirm that they still want to receive emails.
• Final offer: If possible, include one last offer or incentive to re-engage them.

Example last-chance email:

• Subject: “We Don’t Want to Say Goodbye—Here’s Your Last Chance to Stay with Us”
• Body: “It looks like you haven’t engaged with us in a while. If you’d like to continue receiving our emails, simply click the button below. If we don’t hear from you, we’ll go ahead and remove you from our list.”

Monitor and Analyze Re-Engagement Campaign Results

After running a re-engagement campaign, it’s important to track and analyze the results. Monitor metrics like open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates to see how effective your efforts were in bringing subscribers back. Based on the results, you can refine your strategy for future campaigns.

What to track:

• Re-engagement rate: Measure the percentage of previously unengaged subscribers who opened, clicked, or converted as a result of your re-engagement campaign.
• Unsubscribe rate: Track how many subscribers chose to unsubscribe after receiving your re-engagement emails.
• Conversion rate: Measure how many subscribers took the desired action (e.g., made a purchase or filled out a survey) after re-engaging.

Retarget Unengaged Subscribers: A Second Chance to Boost Engagement

Retargeting unengaged subscribers is a powerful strategy for improving email marketing performance and retaining valuable contacts. By creating personalized re-engagement campaigns, offering incentives, and sending last-chance emails, you can rekindle interest in your brand and keep your list healthy and active. While not all subscribers will re-engage, these efforts will ensure that your email list is filled with engaged, interested contacts who are more likely to open, click, and convert.

FAQs

Why should I retarget unengaged subscribers?
Retargeting unengaged subscribers gives you a chance to restore engagement, improve email metrics, and retain valuable contacts who may have lost interest temporarily.

What is a re-engagement email campaign?
A re-engagement email campaign targets subscribers who haven’t interacted with your emails in a while. These emails are designed to reignite interest and encourage subscribers to start engaging again.

How can I incentivize unengaged subscribers to re-engage?
Offer discounts, free resources, or exclusive access to new products or promotions to motivate unengaged subscribers to open your emails and take action.

When should I remove unengaged subscribers from my list?
If subscribers don’t engage after multiple re-engagement attempts, it’s best to remove them to maintain a healthy, active list and improve your deliverability.

What’s a good re-engagement email subject line?
Effective subject lines include phrases like “We Miss You,” “Is This Goodbye?,” or “Here’s a Special Offer to Welcome You Back,” which acknowledge inactivity and create curiosity.