How to Build an Inactive Subscriber Re-engagement Automation

A re-engagement automation helps you maintain a healthy email list by identifying subscribers who have stopped engaging and giving them an opportunity to reconnect before they are removed from your mailing list.

Step 1: Create Your Inactive Subscriber Audience

Start by creating a dynamic segment for inactive subscribers.

1. Go to LIST

2. Select the list you want to review.

3. Click UNENGAGED SUBSCRIBERS> Choose 6 MONTHS UNENGAGED

4. Click on ACTIONS and click on SAVE THIS SEGMENT

You can use this saved segment as the trigger for your automation.

Step 2: Build the Automation

Once your segment is ready, create the automation.

1. Go to AUTOMATIONS and click on CREATE NEW.

2. Select the trigger:

• Subscriber Joins a Segment
• Choose the inactive segment you created in Step 1
• You can then build a simple three-email re-engagement sequence.

Step 3: Create Email 1 – The Acknowledgement

Add an email immediately after the automation trigger.

The purpose of this email is to gently reconnect with inactive subscribers.

Best practices:

• Keep the design simple and uncluttered.
• Avoid heavy promotional content.
• Use a personal subject line, such as: It's been a while We've missed you

The email should:

• Acknowledge that some time has passed.
• Highlight your most valuable recent content or update.
• Include a single call-to-action that encourages the subscriber to click.

The goal is not to make a sale but to generate any sign of engagement.

After this email, add a 5-day delay.

Step 4: Create Email 2 – The Direct Question

After the delay, add your second email.

This email should ask subscribers directly whether they still want to hear from you.

Include a clear and simple call-to-action, such as:

Yes, keep me subscribed

The button can:

• Link to a confirmation page, or
• Update a subscriber tag or custom field if your Mail Blaze plan supports it.

Keep the message straightforward and make responding as easy as possible.

After sending Email 2, add another 5-day delay.

Step 5: Create Email 3 – The Honest Reminder

The third email serves as a final courtesy notice.

Keep it brief and transparent. Let subscribers know that if you do not hear from them, they will be removed from your mailing list to help maintain a healthy and relevant subscriber base.

Include the same confirmation button used in Email 2.

Avoid:

• Guilt-driven messaging.
• Artificial urgency.
• Aggressive sales tactics.

The objective is simply to give subscribers one final opportunity to stay connected.

Step 6: Add the Suppression or Unsubscribe Action

After the third email, add a final automation step.

Choose one of the following actions:
- Unsubscribe the subscriber from the mailing list, or
- Move them to a suppressed or inactive segment for future data management.

This action should apply only to subscribers who complete the full sequence without engaging.

Step 7: Activate and Monitor the Automation

Before activating the workflow:

• Send test versions of all three emails to yourself.
• Check that the links and call-to-action buttons work correctly.
• Verify that the delays between emails are set as intended.

Once everything has been tested, activate the automation.

After approximately 30 days, review its performance by monitoring:

• Open rates for each email.
• Click rates for each email.
• The number of subscribers who reactivated.
• The number of subscribers who reached the suppression or unsubscribe step.

Regularly reviewing these metrics will help you refine your messaging and maintain a healthy, engaged subscriber list.

Important Note

Automations cannot work retroactively. Subscribers who already meet the inactivity criteria before the automation is activated will not automatically enter the workflow unless they newly qualify for the trigger. To ensure the automation functions as intended, set up and activate it before relying on it to manage inactive subscribers.