Re-engagement email series for subscribers who stopped opening
A big part of your newsletter list has not opened anything in months. Keeping them hurts your deliverability, so emails land in spam for everyone. This prompt has your todo.is agent write a short re-engagement series: a "still want these?" email, a best-of reminder, and a final sunset email that removes people who do not respond, so your list ends up smaller but healthier.
The prompt
- Write a 3-email re-engagement series for the inactive subscribers of [NEWSLETTER OR BRAND NAME], meaning people who have not opened in [INACTIVE PERIOD]. They originally signed up for [WHAT THEY SIGNED UP FOR]. Email 1: ask if they still want to hear from us, with a one-click "yes, keep me" button and an option to get fewer emails ([LESS FREQUENT OPTION]). Email 2 (4 days later): our 3 most useful pieces: [BEST CONTENT OR LINKS]. Email 3 (10 days later): a clear goodbye saying we will unsubscribe them unless they click. Each under 90 words, 2 subject lines each, plain and honest, no guilt-tripping. Add a short note on how to set up the sunset rule in a typical email platform. Deliver as a Word document.
What to change
- [NEWSLETTER OR BRAND NAME]: E.g. "The Green Thumb Weekly".
- [INACTIVE PERIOD]: E.g. "90 days" or "6 months". Shorter for daily lists, longer for monthly ones.
- [WHAT THEY SIGNED UP FOR]: E.g. "weekly gardening tips and seasonal planting guides".
- [LESS FREQUENT OPTION]: E.g. "one monthly digest". Write "none" if you only have one list.
- [BEST CONTENT OR LINKS]: Paste 3 links or titles, or write "pick from my site" with your website.
Example result
- Email 1 (day 0): still want these?
- Subject: Still want gardening tips? / Should we keep writing to you?
- Hi there,
- We noticed you have not opened The Green Thumb Weekly in a while. That is fine, inboxes get busy.
- If you still want weekly tips and seasonal planting guides, click below and nothing changes.
- [Yes, keep me on the list]
- Prefer less? [Switch me to one monthly digest]
- Nina
- Email 2 (day 4): the best of what you missed
- Subject: 3 guides readers save the most / Our most useful pages
- • How to plan a no-dig vegetable bed
- • The 10 shade plants that survive almost anything
- • Your autumn bulb planting calendar
- Like these? [Keep me subscribed]
- Email 3 (day 10): goodbye
- Subject: We will stop emailing you / Last email unless you click
- Hi there, this is our last email unless you tell us otherwise. We will remove you from the list in 3 days, so you stop getting emails you do not read. Want to stay? [Keep me on the list] No hard feelings either way, and you can always sign up again.
- The sunset rule (set it up in your email tool)
- • Create a segment: no opens or clicks in 90 days, and subscribed more than 90 days ago
- • Send the 3 emails as an automation to that segment
- • After email 3, anyone who did not click "keep me" is unsubscribed or suppressed
- • Run it every month so the list stays clean
- Note on open rates
- Privacy features in some mail apps can show opens that did not really happen, so clicks are a more reliable sign of interest.
How to do it with todo.is
- Copy the prompt and add your newsletter name, the inactive period and your best content.
- Paste it into todo.is, or send it to your agent on Slack.
- You get a Word file with three emails, subject lines and the sunset steps.
- Build the automation in your email platform. Ask your agent to rewrite email 1 in a funnier tone if it suits your brand.
Tips for a better result
- Use clicks, not only opens, to decide who is really inactive.
- Do not offer a discount to newsletter readers who never bought. Give them a reason to read again.
- Removing inactive subscribers can feel painful, but a smaller engaged list usually gets better inbox placement.
- Make "fewer emails" an option. Many people leave because of frequency, not content.
re-engagement email: FAQ
- What is a re-engagement email? An email sent to subscribers who stopped opening or clicking, asking if they still want your emails and reminding them of your best content.
- When should I remove inactive subscribers? After a re-engagement series gets no clicks, commonly after 90 days to 6 months of inactivity, depending on how often you send.
- Does removing subscribers help deliverability? Usually yes. Mailbox providers watch engagement, and sending to many people who never open can push your emails toward spam.
- Can todo.is set up the automation in my email platform? Your agent writes the emails and the setup steps. You build the automation in your own platform.
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