How to clean up inactive subscribers for better deliverability

Cleaning up inactive subscribers is essential for improving email deliverability, as it helps maintain a high sender reputation, reduces bounce rates, and boosts engagement. 

Here’s a step-by-step approach to effectively manage inactive subscribers:

• Define Inactivity: Decide what qualifies as “inactive” for your list. For many, this means subscribers who haven’t opened or clicked an email in the last 3–6 months, but it can vary based on your sending frequency.
• Segment the List: Use your email platform’s segmentation tools to create a list of these inactive subscribers. This allows you to isolate them for targeted re-engagement or removal.

• Send a “We Miss You” Email: Try to re-engage these subscribers by reminding them of the value you offer. Include a special offer, update, or survey to pique their interest.
• Offer an Easy Opt-Out: Allow them to unsubscribe easily if they’re no longer interested. This is better than them ignoring emails or marking them as spam.
• Create a Series of Re-Engagement Emails: If the first email doesn’t work, consider a follow-up series. Each email can escalate the message, starting with gentle reminders and moving toward a final confirmation.

• Offer Subscription Options: In your re-engagement emails, link to a preference center where subscribers can choose the frequency and types of emails they want to receive.
• Give Control Over Content: Allowing subscribers to select their preferred topics can increase engagement, as they’ll only receive relevant emails.

• Suppress Inactive Subscribers: If they don’t respond to the re-engagement campaign, consider moving them to a suppressed list instead of immediately deleting them. You can keep these subscribers for potential future campaigns but exclude them from regular sends.
• Permanently Remove Unengaged Subscribers: After multiple attempts to re-engage, it’s best to remove those who remain inactive. This ensures your list is filled with engaged, interested subscribers, positively impacting your deliverability and engagement rates.

• Ask New Subscribers to Confirm: Using a double opt-in process from the start helps build a list of engaged subscribers who are genuinely interested. This results in fewer inactive subscribers over time.

6. Regularly Verify Your List

• Consider Quarterly or bi-annual list/contacts verification to keep your list active and healthy

• Check Your Sender Score: Regularly monitor your sender reputation through services like SenderScore, which rates email reputation. A healthy score indicates that your emails are more likely to land in the inbox.
• Analyze Deliverability Reports: Look at your platform’s deliverability and engagement reports to identify potential issues with low engagement.

By following these steps, you’ll maintain a healthy, engaged email list that improves deliverability and leads to better campaign performance over time.

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