Summary
Re-engaging a dormant email list with high spam complaints requires a multi-faceted approach focused on list hygiene, segmentation, and technical best practices. Experts recommend starting with a thorough cleaning of the list, removing unengaged subscribers and honoring suppression lists (unsubscribes and bounces). Segmentation based on past engagement is crucial, focusing re-engagement efforts on those who previously showed interest. Sending a re-permission campaign can help confirm subscribers' continued interest. On the technical side, ensuring proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) is paramount, and a gradual IP warm-up process is recommended, especially after switching ESPs. A/B testing different content and subject lines can optimize re-engagement efforts and minimize spam complaints. Finally, carefully consider the risks involved, offer incentives to encourage re-engagement, and set frequency caps to avoid overwhelming subscribers. It's also crucial to define what constitutes engagement realistically for your specific business and to understand how different platforms calculate spam complaint rates.
Key findings
- List Hygiene is Paramount: Cleaning the list (removing inactive, unsubscribed, bounced addresses) is the first crucial step.
- Segmentation is Key: Segment the list based on prior engagement, focusing on those most likely to re-engage.
- Re-permission is Recommended: Send a re-permission campaign to confirm continued interest and remove those who don't respond.
- Authentication is Essential: Ensure proper SPF, DKIM, and DMARC authentication to improve deliverability.
- Gradual Warm-up is advised: Gradually increase email volume to warm up the IP address and establish a positive sending reputation.
- A/B Testing Optimizes Results: A/B test subject lines and content to maximize re-engagement and minimize spam complaints.
- Incentives Increase Engagement: Offer incentives (discounts, exclusive content) to encourage subscribers to re-engage.
- Frequency Caps Prevent Overwhelm: Set frequency caps to avoid overwhelming subscribers and triggering spam complaints.
Key considerations
- Complaint Rate Calculation: Understand that different platforms calculate spam complaint rates differently, impacting interpretation.
- Acceptable Complaint Rate Thresholds: Recognize that even seemingly low complaint rates (e.g., 0.14%) may be considered too high for permission-based lists.
- Length of Dormancy: The longer the list has been dormant, the higher the risk and the more cautious the approach should be.
- Engagement Metrics: Define and consistently apply clear and realistic metrics for defining 'engagement' specific to the business.
- Sender Reputation Risk: Be aware of the potential damage to sender reputation and proceed cautiously, prioritizing list hygiene and gradual warm-up.
- Timing: When did the last email get sent to this list? If it has been many years proceed with extreme caution.
- Product/Service Nature: The nature of the product or service influences the re-engagement strategy.
- Goals: Define immediate and long-term goals for the re-engagement campaign.
- Sales Cycle: The sales cycle of the product/service impacts the approach.
- Definition of Churn: Clearly define what constitutes churn for the specific business.
What email marketers say
10 marketer opinions
Re-engaging a dormant email list with high spam complaints requires a cautious and strategic approach. Experts recommend segmenting the list based on past engagement and prioritizing list hygiene by removing unengaged subscribers. Sending a re-permission campaign can help weed out inactive users and improve sender reputation. Warming up the IP by gradually increasing email volume and A/B testing different subject lines and content are also crucial steps. Furthermore, consider the risks involved, such as damage to sender reputation, and offer incentives to encourage subscribers to re-engage. Setting frequency caps is essential to avoid bombarding subscribers and potentially increasing spam complaints.
Key opinions
- Segmentation: Segmenting the dormant list based on previous engagement helps target those most likely to re-engage.
- List Hygiene: Regularly cleaning the list by removing inactive subscribers improves deliverability and reduces spam complaints.
- Re-permission: Sending a re-permission campaign helps identify subscribers who still want to receive emails.
- IP Warm-up: Gradually increasing email volume when re-engaging establishes a positive sender reputation, especially after switching ESPs or IPs.
- A/B Testing: A/B testing subject lines and content optimizes re-engagement campaigns and minimizes spam complaints.
- Incentives: Offering incentives like discounts can encourage subscribers to re-engage.
- Frequency Caps: Setting frequency caps prevents overwhelming subscribers and increasing spam complaints.
Key considerations
- Dormancy Length: The length of time the list has been dormant is important. If it's been many years it might be better to create a brand new list.
- Product/Service Nature: The nature of the product or service influences the re-engagement strategy.
- Goals: Define immediate and long-term goals for the re-engagement campaign.
- Sales Cycle: The sales cycle of the product/service impacts the approach.
- Definition of Churn: Clearly define what constitutes churn for the specific business.
- Sender Reputation Risk: Re-engaging a cold list poses risks to sender reputation that must be managed carefully.
Marketer view
Email marketer from Neil Patel Blog explains the importance of list hygiene. Regularly clean your list by removing inactive subscribers to improve deliverability and reduce spam complaints before trying to re-engage.
14 Jan 2023 - Neil Patel Blog
Marketer view
Email marketer from Reddit recommends gradually increasing the volume of emails sent when re-engaging a dormant list, especially if you've switched ESPs or IPs. This 'warming up' process helps establish a positive sender reputation.
23 Jul 2021 - Reddit
What the experts say
4 expert opinions
Re-engaging a dormant email list with high spam complaints necessitates careful consideration of how spam complaint rates are calculated and what constitutes engagement. Different platforms may calculate spam rates differently, potentially skewing perceptions of the problem. A seemingly low spam complaint rate (e.g., 0.14%) might still be considered high for a permission-based list. Segmenting the list and avoiding non-responders is vital. Defining 'engagement' realistically for your specific business and not prematurely deeming users 'unengaged' is crucial.
Key opinions
- Complaint Rate Calculation: Spam complaint rate calculations vary between platforms, impacting how high the rate appears.
- Acceptable Complaint Rate: A 0.14% spam complaint rate is considered high for a permission-based list.
- Segmentation Importance: Segmentation is important. Do not re-engage with non-responders.
- Engagement Definition: Define 'engagement' conservatively based on actual user behavior, specific to the business.
Key considerations
- Platform Discrepancies: Be aware of how different platforms calculate and report spam complaint rates to gain an accurate understanding of the issue.
- Engagement Metrics: Establish clear and realistic metrics for defining 'engagement' within the specific business context.
- Segmentation Strategy: Develop a strong segmentation strategy to focus re-engagement efforts on the most likely responders.
- Timing: When did the last email get sent to this list? If it has been many years proceed with extreme caution.
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks explains that Mailgun might calculate spam complaint rates as a percentage of emails sent to a specific mailbox provider (e.g., Microsoft), while Customer.io might calculate it as a percentage of complaints per total send, which can skew the numbers.
23 Mar 2022 - Email Geeks
Expert view
Expert from Word to the Wise explains that segmenting a list before re-engaging is important - don't email non-responders. Also provides some guidance on how to segment and re-engage a list.
22 Sep 2024 - Word to the Wise
What the documentation says
4 technical articles
When re-engaging a dormant email list with high spam complaints, it's crucial to adhere to established best practices and technical requirements to ensure deliverability. Email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) is essential to verify sender identity and prevent forgery. Maintaining a low spam complaint rate is critical for reaching Gmail and Outlook.com users. Suppression lists of unsubscribed or bounced addresses should be strictly adhered to; never attempt to re-engage those addresses.
Key findings
- Email Authentication: Proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) is critical for deliverability.
- Spam Complaint Rate: Maintaining a low spam complaint rate is vital for reaching major email providers.
- Suppression Lists: Suppression lists must be honored; never re-engage unsubscribed or bounced addresses.
Key considerations
- Authentication Setup: Ensure SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are correctly configured for your sending domain.
- Monitoring Reputation: Monitor your sender reputation with tools like Google Postmaster Tools.
- List Hygiene: Implement rigorous list hygiene practices to remove invalid or disengaged addresses.
Technical article
Documentation from RFC documentation explains how SPF records prevent sender address forgery, critical for improving deliverability. If your emails are not authenticated correctly, it will be hard to improve deliverability
21 Sep 2022 - RFC
Technical article
Documentation from Google Postmaster Tools details the importance of following sender best practices, including authenticating your email (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) and maintaining a low spam complaint rate to ensure deliverability to Gmail users when re-engaging.
2 Oct 2023 - Google Postmaster Tools
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