Email list sunset policy generator: when to stop emailing inactive subscribers
In short: Enter how often you send, how many months of silence count as inactive, the win-back sequence length and the grace period; get the four stages, the days and emails before removal, and a policy written out as text. Limit: It uses the thresholds you enter and doesn't read your list or your engagement data.
A sunset policy says when a subscriber counts as inactive, what you send them last, and when you stop. A common shape is no engagement for several months, a short win-back sequence, then suppression of anyone who doesn't respond. Enter your sending rhythm and thresholds here to get the stages, the dates and the policy text.
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Worked out in your browser. Nothing is sent anywhere.
The stages
About 196 days from last engagement to removal, and about 27 emails in that time.
1. Active (Engaged in the last 6 months)
Normal sending.
2. Inactive (No engagement for 6 months)
Move to the inactive segment and stop regular sends. Start the win-back sequence.
3. Win-back (3 emails over 9 days)
Each email has one link to stay. A click returns the person to Active.
4. Sunset (7 days after the last win-back email)
Suppress anyone who didn't engage. Keep the address on the suppression list; don't delete it.
The policy, as text
Our list sunset policy Purpose We email people who want our email. Sending to addresses that have gone quiet raises bounces and complaints and lowers delivery for everyone else, so we remove them on a schedule. What counts as engaged A subscriber is engaged if they have clicked a link in an email, or took an action on our site or in our product in the last 6 months. What happens to inactive subscribers 1. After 6 months with no engagement, the subscriber moves to the inactive segment and receives no regular campaigns. 2. They receive a win-back sequence of 3 emails over 9 days. Each has a link to stay on the list and a working unsubscribe link. 3. 7 days after the last win-back email, anyone who has not engaged is suppressed. They get no more email from us unless they sign up again. Timing From the last engagement to removal is about 196 days. In that time an inactive subscriber receives about 27 emails at 4 a month, including the win-back sequence. Exceptions Transactional messages (receipts, security notices, account changes) are not affected. Anyone who unsubscribes or complains is suppressed immediately, not on this schedule. Reviewing the policy We review the thresholds each quarter against bounce and complaint rates, and before any large campaign we check the list for addresses that no longer exist.
Before you adopt it
Yours to confirm: Check addresses before the win-back sequence
Inactive segments hold addresses that have since closed. Removing dead mailboxes first keeps the bounce rate of the win-back low.
Google: email sender guidelinesYours to confirm: Suppress, don't delete
Keep sunset addresses on a suppression list so a later import can't add them back.
Yours to confirm: Have the policy checked where the law requires it
This is a working template, not legal advice. Retention rules differ by country; confirm yours if you hold data on people in the EU, UK or Canada.
Next step
A sunset policy removes quiet addresses. Verification removes dead ones.
Check the inactive segment before the win-back so closed mailboxes bounce here, not on the campaign meant to repair your reputation.
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Sample result
About 196 days from last engagement to removal and about 27 emails in that time, in four stages.
- Sunset plan
- 4 stages
- To removal
- About 196 days
- Emails before removal
- About 27
What this means for you
Active, inactive, win-back and sunset, each with its window and action, written out as a policy.
- Stages with windows
- Days and emails counted
- Policy as text
- Click-based engagement
- List hygiene
- Win-back
- Policy
By SimpleVerifier Team · Last updated · Runs in your browser; nothing you paste is sent to us
Check the inactive segment before the win-back goes out.
- Export the inactive segment from your email platform.
- Upload or paste it at /verify. Every address gets a live mailbox check, and the first 100 email checks are free with a Google sign-in, no card.
How do I set a sunset policy for my email list?
- Enter how many emails you send a subscriber per month and how many months without engagement count as inactive.
- Set the win-back sequence: how many emails, over how many days, and how long to wait before removal.
- Choose what counts as engaged: a click or action only, or an open too.
- Read the stages and the policy text, copy it into your documentation and set it up in your email platform.
Example
- You enter
- Business Northwind, 4 emails a month, 6 months without engagement, a 3-email win-back over 9 days, 7 days before removal, engagement counted as a click or action.
- You get
- Four stages (Active, Inactive, Win-back, Sunset), about 196 days from last engagement to removal and about 27 emails in that time, and a policy text with purpose, definition of engaged, steps, timing, exceptions and when to revisit it.
- Limits
- Worked out in your browser; nothing is sent. A month is counted as 30 days.
What does a sunset policy decide?
Four things: what counts as engagement, how long silence has to last before someone is inactive, what the last attempt to keep them looks like, and what happens when it fails. Writing these down means the list is cleaned on a schedule, not only after a deliverability problem.
Why not rely on opens?
Some mail clients and security tools load images automatically, so an open can be recorded for a message nobody read. The default here counts a click or an action as engagement, and the open option comes with a warning in the checklist.
Why do this at all?
Mailing addresses that no longer read your email raises bounces and complaints, and Google's sender guidelines tie delivery to both. Keep a working opt-out in every message too, as the FTC's CAN-SPAM guide requires. The numbers in the plan are plain arithmetic on your inputs, with a month counted as 30 days.
Who uses this tool, and for what?
- Email marketers
- Turn a vague "clean the list sometimes" into stages and dates.
- Ecommerce teams
- Write down when quiet customers stop getting campaigns.
- Agencies
- Give clients a policy document in minutes, with the numbers behind it.
What can’t this tool tell you?
- It uses the thresholds you enter and doesn't read your list or your engagement data.
- A month is counted as 30 days.
- The policy text is a working template, not legal advice.
Common questions
- What is a sunset policy in email marketing?
- A written rule for when to stop emailing subscribers who don't engage, usually with a win-back sequence before removal.
- How long should I wait before treating a subscriber as inactive?
- It depends on how often you send and how people use your emails. Many senders use three to six months; the tool warns under three.
- Should I delete sunset subscribers?
- Suppress them instead, so a later import can't add them back. Delete only on request or where the law requires it.
- Does this change anything in my email platform?
- No. It writes the policy and the numbers; you set up the segments and automations in your own platform.
- Is this legal advice?
- No. Retention rules differ by country, so confirm yours if you hold data on people in the EU, UK or Canada.
Sources
Records published. Now the list itself.
Authentication stops your mail being forged. It does nothing about the dead addresses that get you throttled in the first place.
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