The document discusses strategies for re-engaging email subscribers who have become disengaged. It recommends segmenting the subscriber list to identify disengaged users, communicating with them to understand why they disengaged, and then re-engaging them through targeted messages offering incentives. If subscribers do not reengage after these efforts, it suggests removing them from the list to keep engagement metrics high for the active subscribers.

1. Approach
Disengaged Users
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2. Overview
• It is evident as an email marketer that you will have recipients on your
email list that have never engaged with your emails, or those that have
stopped doing so.
• However, not many email marketers are doing anything about their lists
disengaged population.
• But there is a reason they have become disengaged, and implementing a
re-engagement strategy will only boost your engagement metrics by
removing those no longer interested in what you are sending.
PAGEDISENGAGED USERS: OVERVIEW 2
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3. Executing Effective Re-engagement
Strategy:
Segment-->Communicate-->Remove
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4. Segment
Determine who your target audience will be for re-engagement strategy.
• Define who your disengaged users are--> ex: subscribers who have not
engaged in your emails in the past 6 months.
• This will be your target group for re-engagement.
• Epsilon notes that the average email list has 43.6% 12+ month non-
engagers.
PAGEDISENGAGED USERS: SEGMENT 4
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5. Communicate
Examine your past communications with subscribers to gather intel, and
make sure no best practices were skipped over.
• Look back --> How did they opt-in? Why did they opt-in? What had they
clicked on?
• Make sure you are not SPAM
• Maybe you didn’t introduce yourself properly...
PAGEDISENGAGED USERS: COMMUNICATE 5
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6. Re-engage
Re-ignite interest in your inactive list by sending them a special
message.
• Let them know they’re missed and you want them back with a subject
line that says just that.
• Include a special offer, invitation or incentive, such as discounts, access
to free information, samples or free shipping.
• Be sure to provide a prominent unsubscribe link for the people who
really are no longer interested in receiving your communications.
PAGEDISENGAGED USERS: RE-ENGAGE 6
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7. Strategy for Re-engagement
Choose a re-engagement strategy to implement:
• Incentivized win-back strategy --> coupon, discount, special offer
-Ex: remind subscribers of their last open/click and provide a special
offer
• Survey/preference control --> let subscribers know you care and that
they control their subscription
-Ex: provide opportunity to update email preferences such as frequency
of emails, offer alternative ways to connect
• Emotional --> “We’ve missed you!” “Where have you been?” “Let’s catch
up!”
• Always test subject lines
PAGEDISENGAGED USERS: STRATEGY 7
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8. Remove
At the end of a reengagement program, there should be two distinct
groups--those that reengaged and those that did not.
• Send final newsletter to those who did not re-engage --> “By not
performing an action, you will be removed from the list.”
• Eliminate disengaged contacts from your list.
• Practice regular subscriber list maintenance through re-engagement
emails and eliminating disengaged.
PAGEDISENGAGED USERS: REMOVE 8
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9. Some Stats...
• Win-back email: Subject: "We miss you - please come back!"
◦Re-engaged 8.33% of CNET’s user base (Inactives were identified as anyone who had not
opened or clicked on an email in the last 120 days)
• First list-cleansing email: Subject: "Want to keep getting emails from CNET?"
◦9.24% open rate
◦3.67% click through
◦Re-engaged 6.35% of the inactive user base
• Second list-cleansing email: Subject: "Want to keep getting emails from CNET?"
◦5.36% open rate
◦2.37% click through
◦Re-engaged an additional 2.22% of the inactive user base
PAGEDISENGAGED USERS: STATS 9
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10. Keep List Engaged
To keep engagement metrics up, a healthy engaged subscriber list is
necessary, so regularly cleanse your list with a re-engagement process.
• Always follow best practices
• Don’t overwhelm with too many emails
• Send special offers regularly
• Use a survey in a newsletter and promise results in the next email
• Ask why people are unsubscribing to gather feedback
• Provide a convenient change of address link
• Have an annual subscription renewal process
PAGEDISENGAGED USERS: KEEP LIST ENGAGED 10
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