How do I target inactive email users without hurting my domain reputation?
Summary
What email marketers say10Marketer opinions
Email marketer from StackOverflow recommends a gradual ramp-up approach when emailing inactive users. Start by sending to a small, highly engaged segment and gradually increase the volume to inactive users, monitoring metrics like bounces and spam complaints.
Email marketer from Sendinblue shares the importance of creating re-engagement campaigns specifically designed for inactive users. These campaigns should offer incentives or highlight the value of staying subscribed, encouraging users to become active again.
Email marketer from Litmus recommends personalizing your re-engagement emails to resonate better with inactive users. Use their name, past purchase history, or other relevant data to make the email feel more targeted and relevant.
Email marketer from EmailOnAcid shares to A/B test your re-engagement campaigns to optimize messaging and subject lines for inactive users. Experiment with different approaches to see what resonates best and improves engagement rates.
Marketer from Email Geeks advises against mixing active and inactive users because inactives risk the deliverability of the actives. Suggests trying to re-activate inactives and if that doesn't work, cull them.
Email marketer from SuperOffice shares that making it easy for inactive users to unsubscribe is a good practice. A clear and visible unsubscribe link shows respect for their preferences and reduces the likelihood of them marking your emails as spam.
Email marketer from HubSpot explains that regular list cleaning is crucial. Removing inactive users who consistently don't engage helps maintain a healthy sender reputation and improves deliverability rates for active subscribers.
Email marketer from Quora recommends focusing on the value proposition in re-engagement emails. Remind inactive users of the benefits they receive from being subscribed, such as exclusive content, discounts, or updates they might be missing out on.
Email marketer from Mailjet explains that you should segment your email list to identify and isolate inactive users. This allows you to target them separately with re-engagement campaigns, preventing them from negatively impacting your overall sender reputation.
Email marketer from Reddit explains that implementing a sunset policy is a useful approach. This involves defining a period of inactivity (e.g., 6 months) after which users receive a final re-engagement attempt. If they remain inactive, they are automatically removed from the list.
What the experts say5Expert opinions
Expert from Spam Resource explains that permission is paramount and maintaining list quality by regularly removing unengaged subscribers is essential to protect domain reputation. They emphasize deliverability is earned, not a right.
Expert from Email Geeks explains that list validation tools will remove undeliverable addresses, but won’t do anything about the bigger problems of sending to inactive users.
Expert from Word to the Wise details that proper subscriber management, including sunsetting inactive users, is crucial for maintaining a positive sender reputation. Sending to disengaged users negatively impacts metrics and deliverability.
Expert from Email Geeks shares the risk that a recipient interacting with one brand doesn't guarantee they want mail from another, and may report it as spam.
Expert from Email Geeks suggests taking a perspective of risk minimization and figuring out what can be done to lower the chances that good mail is going to be hurt. Mentions a playbook of suggestions and the importance of understanding the client's perspective to ensure they understand the risks involved.
What the documentation says5Technical articles
Documentation from RFC explains the importance of setting up feedback loops (FBLs) with major email providers. FBLs provide information about spam complaints, allowing you to promptly remove users who mark your emails as spam, including potentially inactive ones.
Documentation from Microsoft shares that using Sender Network Data Services (SNDS) provides data about your IP address's reputation with Outlook.com users, enabling you to identify and address any negative impact from sending to inactive addresses.
Documentation from SparkPost explains that using suppression lists helps you to avoid sending to addresses that have previously unsubscribed, bounced, or marked your emails as spam. This protects your sender reputation by preventing you from emailing known problematic addresses.
Documentation from Google explains that using Google Postmaster Tools allows you to monitor your domain's reputation with Gmail users. This helps identify any deliverability issues and understand how inactive users might be affecting your sending reputation.
Documentation from IETF explains that following email authentication standards like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC is crucial for establishing trust with email providers. Properly authenticated emails are less likely to be filtered as spam, even when sending to inactive users.