How can I safely message inactive email addresses without damaging my sender reputation?

Summary

Safely messaging inactive email addresses requires a multi-faceted approach to protect sender reputation. Recognize that pandemic-related changes might skew inactivity metrics. Implement re-engagement campaigns with targeted, segmented messaging and incentives. Gradually warm up inactive emails in small batches, blended with regular sends. Use sunset policies to define when and how to remove inactive subscribers. Ensure explicit permission and consent. Monitor spam rates, handle bounces, and practice rigorous list hygiene. Segment lists and suppress inactive addresses from standard campaigns. Implement email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC).

Key findings

  • Reputation at Risk: Sending to inactive email addresses presents a significant risk to sender reputation.
  • Re-engagement Campaigns: Re-engagement campaigns are crucial, using targeted messaging and incentives.
  • Gradual Warm-up: Inactive emails should be warmed up gradually in small batches.
  • Sunset Policies are Key: Sunset policies, defining inactivity and removal procedures, are essential.
  • Segmentation Matters: Segmentation of inactive users allows for tailored re-engagement strategies.
  • List Hygiene Critical: Regular list cleaning, removing bounces, and suppressing inactive addresses is a must.
  • Authentication Imperative: Email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) improves deliverability.
  • The Pandemic Effect: Recent global events may alter typical inactivity signals.

Key considerations

  • Define Inactivity: Establish a clear definition of inactivity appropriate for your audience.
  • Monitor Metrics: Continuously monitor email metrics (open rates, spam complaints) and adjust strategies.
  • Ensure Compliance: Comply with email marketing regulations (e.g., GDPR, CAN-SPAM).
  • Segment Carefully: Carefully segment inactive subscribers for targeted messaging.
  • Warm-Up Gradually: Avoid sending mass emails to all inactive subscribers at once.
  • Implement a Sunset Policy: Create and implement a clear sunset policy for inactive subscribers.
  • Consent Management: Obtain and maintain clear consent for sending emails.

What email marketers say
10Marketer opinions

To safely message inactive email addresses without damaging sender reputation, marketers recommend a multi-faceted approach. This includes recognizing that recent global events might impact traditional inactivity metrics, implementing re-engagement campaigns with segmented messaging and incentives, and gradually warming up inactive emails in small batches. Experts also emphasize the importance of sunset policies to remove unengaged subscribers and ensuring explicit consent. Regular list cleaning, monitoring spam rates, and proper email authentication practices are vital for protecting deliverability.

Key opinions

  • Pandemic Impact: Recent global events may alter typical inactivity signals, requiring a more nuanced approach to identifying truly disengaged subscribers.
  • Re-Engagement is Key: Re-engagement campaigns with targeted messaging and incentives are crucial before sending to inactive subscribers.
  • Segmentation Strategy: Segmenting inactive subscribers into smaller groups allows for testing different re-engagement strategies and tailoring the approach.
  • Gradual Warm-Up: Warming up inactive emails in small batches integrated with active sends can help assess deliverability and engagement risks.
  • Sunset Policies: Implementing a sunset policy, which defines when and how to stop emailing inactive subscribers, is vital for maintaining list quality.
  • Permission & Consent: Explicit permission and consent are paramount, ensuring subscribers have actively opted-in to receive emails.
  • Regular List Cleaning: Regularly cleaning your email list, removing inactive or unengaged subscribers, improving deliverability and reducing the risk of being marked as spam.

Key considerations

  • Segmentation and Targeting: Carefully segment your inactive subscribers and tailor your messaging to increase the likelihood of re-engagement.
  • Gradual Approach: Avoid sending mass emails to all inactive subscribers at once. Instead, gradually re-engage them in small batches.
  • Monitoring and Analysis: Continuously monitor your email metrics (open rates, click-through rates, spam complaints) and adjust your strategy accordingly.
  • Legal Compliance: Ensure you comply with all applicable email marketing regulations (e.g., GDPR, CAN-SPAM) regarding consent and data privacy.
  • Authentication and Deliverability: Implement email authentication protocols and regularly clean your list, monitoring and improving your spam rate.
Marketer view

Email marketer from Reddit shares a practical strategy. The redditor suggests to begin warming up the inactive emails. Segment them into smaller groups and send them emails with high open rates in your regular campaigns. If a few convert you can target more.

August 2024 - Reddit
Marketer view

Email marketer from Mailjet explains that a re-engagement campaign is crucial before sending to inactive subscribers. The marketer suggests segmenting inactive users and crafting targeted messaging to entice them to re-engage, offering incentives or highlighting what they've missed.

August 2024 - Mailjet
Marketer view

Email marketer from Sendinblue advises gradually re-engaging inactive contacts by sending targeted re-engagement emails in small batches. Monitor the response rates and adjust the approach based on performance to avoid harming your sender reputation.

August 2022 - Sendinblue
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Geeks adds that 180 days of inactivity in the current year may not indicate traditional disengagement due to the pandemic affecting email access habits.

July 2024 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from Warrior Forum recommends using win-back campaigns. Target inactive subscribers with a series of emails designed to incentivize them to re-engage with your brand. If they don't respond after a few attempts, remove them from your list.

April 2021 - Warrior Forum
Marketer view

Email marketer from Litmus advocates for having a sunset policy. Litmus says a sunset policy defines when and how you'll stop emailing inactive subscribers. They suggest sending a final re-engagement attempt before removing them to maintain list quality and protect deliverability.

March 2024 - Litmus
Marketer view

Email marketer from HubSpot explains the need to regularly clean your email list, removing inactive or unengaged subscribers, improving deliverability and reducing the risk of being marked as spam.

March 2024 - HubSpot
Marketer view

Email marketer from Neil Patel advises segmenting your email list based on activity. Target inactive users with specific campaigns aimed at re-engagement or removal from the list to protect sender reputation.

March 2022 - Neil Patel
Marketer view

Email marketer from ActiveCampaign explains that list segmentation is key. Divide inactive subscribers into smaller segments to test different re-engagement strategies, tailoring your approach for better response rates.

March 2024 - ActiveCampaign
Marketer view

Email marketer from EmailOnAcid emphasizes obtaining explicit permission and consent. Ensure subscribers have actively opted-in to receive emails from you. Sending to inactive users without recent consent can harm your reputation and lead to deliverability problems.

September 2023 - EmailOnAcid

What the experts say
5Expert opinions

Experts emphasize the risk of damaging sender reputation when emailing inactive addresses. A recommended strategy involves implementing sunset policies to remove inactive users after a defined period and using targeted re-engagement campaigns. Gradual re-introduction of inactive users in small segments, blended with regular sends, minimizes risk. It's crucial to segment lists by activity and suppress inactive addresses from standard campaigns to avoid spam reports.

Key opinions

  • Reputation Risk: Sending to inactive email addresses poses a significant risk to sender reputation.
  • Sunset Policies: Sunset policies are crucial for defining inactivity periods and implementing removal processes.
  • Targeted Re-engagement: Re-engagement campaigns should be carefully designed and targeted to win back inactive users.
  • Gradual Re-introduction: Reintroducing inactive addresses should be done gradually and strategically to minimize impact.
  • Segmentation and Suppression: Segmenting lists and suppressing inactive addresses is key to preventing spam reports.

Key considerations

  • Defining Inactivity: Establish a clear definition of inactivity based on your audience and industry benchmarks.
  • Re-engagement Strategy: Develop a well-defined re-engagement strategy with compelling content and clear calls to action.
  • Segmenting Strategy: Segment inactive users by time of inactivity, and warm them up in stages.
  • Deliverability Monitoring: Continuously monitor deliverability metrics to identify and address potential issues.
  • List Hygiene: Maintain a clean and up-to-date email list by removing invalid or unengaged subscribers.
Expert view

Expert from Spam Resource advises email marketers segment their email lists based on subscriber activity and actively suppress inactive email addresses from regular campaigns. Inactive addresses may report your email as spam and negatively impact sender reputation.

July 2024 - Spam Resource
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks shares advice on sending in waves, suggesting adding no more than 10% volume to any given day and sending around the same time as usual campaigns. Matt advises segmenting by inactivity duration (e.g., 181-220 days, 221-250 days, etc.) or alternatively, adding no more than 10% of the active list to the win-back/sunset campaign.

January 2024 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Word to the Wise, Laura Atkins, explains the importance of having a sunset policy for inactive subscribers. She suggests defining a period of inactivity (e.g., 6-12 months) and sending a final re-engagement campaign before removing them from your list to protect your sender reputation.

September 2023 - Word to the Wise
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks shares that he damaged his company's reputation on two platforms by sending the same message to inactive addresses, even after revalidating them, and it took months to recover.

November 2021 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks explains that a single email send *can* harm sender reputation. Matt suggests a "We miss you" or sunset email campaign and suggests sending to small segments blended in with regular sends, limiting sends to addresses inactive for less than 365 days, and using a sunset drip campaign to win back users before cutting them loose.

September 2022 - Email Geeks

What the documentation says
5Technical articles

Technical documentation consistently emphasizes maintaining a good sender reputation when emailing inactive addresses. Key strategies include diligently monitoring spam rates and reducing sending frequency if rates are high, regularly cleaning email lists to remove unengaged subscribers and hard bounces, implementing confirmed opt-in processes to ensure valid consent, applying proper email authentication methods (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), and effectively handling bounces to prevent deliverability issues.

Key findings

  • Reputation Impact: Sending to inactive addresses negatively impacts sender reputation.
  • Spam Rate Monitoring: Monitoring spam rates is critical; high rates necessitate reducing sending frequency and improving list hygiene.
  • List Cleaning: Regularly cleaning email lists is essential for removing unengaged subscribers and hard bounces.
  • Confirmed Opt-In: Implementing a confirmed opt-in process helps ensure valid consent and improves list quality.
  • Email Authentication: Proper email authentication methods (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) are crucial for improving deliverability.
  • Bounce Handling: Effectively handling bounces prevents deliverability issues and protects sender reputation.

Key considerations

  • Proactive Monitoring: Actively monitor spam rates and bounce rates to identify and address potential issues promptly.
  • Strict List Hygiene: Implement a rigorous list cleaning process to remove inactive subscribers and invalid email addresses.
  • Authentication Implementation: Ensure proper implementation and configuration of SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records.
  • Consent Management: Maintain a clear and documented consent process to ensure subscribers have actively opted-in.
  • Feedback Loop Analysis: Analyze feedback loops from ISPs to identify and address deliverability problems.
Technical article

Documentation from SparkPost explains the importance of list hygiene. Sending to a large number of inactive addresses can lead to deliverability issues. They recommend regularly cleaning your list by removing unengaged subscribers and those who hard bounce or unsubscribe.

January 2024 - SparkPost
Technical article

Documentation from Microsoft emphasizes the importance of maintaining a good sender reputation. Sending emails to inactive addresses can negatively impact your reputation. Microsoft recommends regularly cleaning your email lists and implementing a confirmed opt-in process.

September 2023 - Microsoft
Technical article

Documentation from RFC Editor explains to make sure you implement proper email authentication methods such as SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. This will help improve your sender reputation and ensure your emails are delivered to the inbox rather than the spam folder. This will benefit emails to active and inactive emails.

July 2021 - RFC Editor
Technical article

Documentation from Amazon Web Services explains that AWS highlights the importance of handling bounces effectively. Regularly monitor and remove hard bounces from your email list to prevent deliverability issues. Sending to invalid email addresses harms sender reputation. This is important with inactive emails that may no longer exist.

October 2023 - Amazon Web Services
Technical article

Documentation from Google Postmaster Tools explains monitoring your spam rate is critical. Sending to inactive users increases the risk of spam complaints. If spam rates are high, it recommends reducing sending frequency or improving list hygiene.

September 2023 - Google Postmaster Tools