One of the trickiest parts of email marketing? Bringing cold subscribers back to life.
It can feel awkward — like showing up to a friend’s party after ghosting them for months. Should you call out your absence? Pretend like it didn’t happen? Send cupcakes?
Enter: The Re-Engagement Campaign.
A re-engagement campaign is your way of softly re-introducing yourself to inactive subscribers and inviting them back into your world. It’s a strategic, relationship-first move that turns quiet leads into warm leads again.
Here’s why this effort matters:
Inactive subscribers are still more valuable than brand new leads. They’ve already shown interest — now they just need a nudge.
Before you write anything, you need to know who you’re re-engaging.
Search Google for guidance specific to your email platform:
Example: “Identify cold subscribers ActiveCampaign”
You’ll usually find a helpful article or tutorial directly from your platform.
This series should rebuild trust and value without being awkward or desperate.
Here’s a sample cadence:
Goal: Give value without expectations.
Include:
Goal: Get them to update their email if needed.
Include:
Goal: Encourage dialogue.
Make this email:
Goal: Clean your list.
Include:
Pro Tip: Include a “click to stay subscribed” option in every email of the sequence. The moment they click it, they can be removed from the re-engagement flow.
If you have lots of cold subscribers, break them into batches. Sending too many re-engagement emails at once can hurt your deliverability.
Rule of thumb: Stick to batches of 100 or fewer.
The goal is to:
This isn’t about fixing yourself — it’s about re-opening the door to connection.
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