Sunset email before suppressing inactive subscribers
The last email an inactive subscriber receives under your sunset policy. If they do not click, they are suppressed and stop getting your mail.
- Category:
- List cleaning and permission pass
- Length:
- 61 words
Subject line options
- This is our last email to you
- Should we stop emailing you?
The email
Hi {{first_name}},
You haven't opened or clicked one of our emails in a while, so this is the last one we'll send unless you tell us otherwise.
Want to stay? One click keeps you on the list: {{stay_link}}
Want fewer emails instead? Choose how often you hear from us: {{preferences_link}}
Otherwise, no action needed. We'll stop emailing you on {{date}}.
{{brand}}Highlighted {{placeholders}} are the parts to replace. If you cannot fill one with something true and specific, cut the sentence rather than leaving it generic.
When to use it
Use it as the final step of a sunset policy, after a re-engagement attempt, for subscribers with no clicks over a long period that suits how often you send (often six to twelve months for a weekly newsletter).
Do not rely on opens alone to decide who is inactive. Privacy features in some mail apps record opens that did not happen, and others block open tracking entirely. Use clicks, purchases or logins where you can.
Why it works
- The subject line tells the truth. "This is our last email" is both honest and one of the few lines that gets an inactive reader's attention.
- It offers a middle option. Some people are inactive because you send too often, and a frequency choice keeps them.
- No guilt. Suppressing people who do not want your mail is good for them and good for your inbox placement.
Before you send
Some "inactive" subscribers are addresses that no longer exist and silently stopped receiving months ago. Verify the sunset segment with the free list check first and remove the invalid ones straight away. They do not need a last email, and sending one only adds bounces.