What is the best way to clean an email list with steadily decreasing open rates?

Email marketer from StackOverflow responds that validating email addresses upon signup prevents issues later on. They also use a suppression list to avoid sending to known complainers or unsubscribes.

Marketer from Email Geeks suggests that if you've been steadily mailing the list, then hygiene is unlikely to be your issue and you should look to see if you're meeting recipient expectations.

Marketer from Email Geeks suggests that a reconfirmation campaign via Confirmed Opt-In is what you need when cleaning an email list.

Email marketer from OptinMonster responds that using a double opt-in process from the start can help prevent low engagement. They also recommend regularly cleaning your list by removing bounced emails, unsubscribes, and inactives.

Marketer from Email Geeks shares that if your open rate is steadily dropping, then you may need to look at the root cause. Sure, it could be a statistical issue with too many non-engaged recipients, but it could also be related to your content or general list hygiene methods.

Email marketer from Mailjet explains that removing unengaged subscribers is crucial. They recommend identifying and removing subscribers who haven't opened or clicked emails in the past 3-6 months to improve deliverability.

Email marketer from Sendinblue shares that segmenting your list and sending targeted re-engagement campaigns to inactive subscribers is a good start. If they still don't engage, it's best to remove them.

Email marketer from Quora suggests segmenting your list based on engagement and sending targeted emails to different segments. Focus on re-engaging your inactive subscribers with special offers or exclusive content.

Email marketer from Reddit explains that they periodically send a 'last chance' email to inactive subscribers, offering them a reason to stay subscribed. Those that don't respond are removed.

Expert from Spam Resource shares that a key method is to implement a sunset policy, where you gradually decrease the frequency of emails to unengaged subscribers before ultimately removing them. This provides an opportunity for re-engagement while minimizing negative impact on deliverability.

Expert from Word to the Wise explains that it's important to focus on engagement-based segmentation and removal. They suggest identifying subscribers who haven't opened or clicked in a significant period (e.g., 6-12 months) and removing them from active sending.

Expert from Email Geeks explains all fixed audiences will decline over time. If you aren't adding new, it's like a pond with no incoming flow of water - over time it will dry out.

Documentation from Validity (formerly ReturnPath) shares that maintaining list hygiene is essential for good deliverability. They recommend regularly removing invalid email addresses and suppressing unengaged subscribers to improve your sender reputation and avoid spam traps.

Documentation from Spamhaus explains that good list hygiene involves removing invalid email addresses, unsubscribes, and users who haven't engaged in a while. This helps maintain a good sender reputation and avoid being listed as a spam source.

Documentation from AWS explains that hard bounces indicate a permanent delivery failure, and you should immediately remove these addresses from your sending list to protect your sender reputation.

Documentation from Google explains that consistently sending unwanted mail can harm your domain's reputation and cause email to be marked as spam. They recommend only sending to engaged users and providing easy unsubscribe options.

Documentation from Microsoft shares that maintaining a clean email list helps prevent being flagged as a spammer. They suggest regularly removing invalid or inactive email addresses to improve sender reputation.