That segment of subscribers who haven't opened an email in 90 days?
They're not dead. They're dormant.
And with the right re-engagement strategy, 15-25% of them will come back to life—often spending more than when they first discovered you.
The Re-engagement Reality Check
Most brands handle dormant subscribers wrong:
Keep sending the same content that caused disengagement
Use generic "We miss you" subject lines
Offer weak incentives that don't address the real problem
Give up after one or two attempts
Result: Permanently lost customers and damaged sender reputation.
The 4-Stage Revival Framework
🎯 Stage 1: Pattern Interruption (Day 1) Subject: "Was it something we said?" Acknowledge the silence honestly Use humor or vulnerability to break through inbox noise No sales pitch—just genuine curiosity about their experience
🎯 Stage 2: Value Reconnection (Day 7) Share your best content from what they missed Highlight customer wins or product improvements Remind them why they subscribed originally Still no direct sales—rebuild trust first
🎯 Stage 3: Exclusive Incentive (Day 14) Offer something genuinely exclusive to win-back subscribers VIP early access, special pricing, or bonus products Make the offer time-sensitive but generous This is where you ask for the sale
🎯 Stage 4: Respectful Goodbye (Day 21) Final email acknowledging they may have moved on Easy unsubscribe with no guilt or manipulation Leave door open for future re-engagement Clean your list of non-responders
The Psychology of Re-engagement
People don't unsubscribe—they just stop paying attention.
Maybe your content became repetitive. Maybe their needs changed. Maybe they got overwhelmed by email frequency.
The best re-engagement campaigns diagnose why someone disengaged, then address that specific issue. It's customer service disguised as marketing.
Your dormant subscribers already know and trusted you once. That's a massive head start over cold prospects.
How many subscribers haven't engaged in 90+ days? Time to wake them up.
