What are the best practices for resending emails to non-openers?
Michael Ko
Co-founder & CEO, Suped
Published 21 May 2025
Updated 19 Aug 2025
6 min read
Resending emails to subscribers who didn't open your initial message is a common tactic in email marketing, often aimed at boosting overall engagement and conversions. While it can seem counterintuitive to send another email to someone who ignored the first, there's a strategic approach to this practice that can yield positive results.
However, it's a double-edged sword. Without proper consideration for timing, content, and audience segmentation, resending can easily lead to increased spam complaints, unsubscribes, and a damaged sender reputation. My goal is to guide you through the best practices to ensure your resend efforts are effective and maintain healthy deliverability.
The strategic value of a resend
Many factors can prevent an email from being opened the first time. It could be poor timing, an overcrowded inbox, or simply that the recipient missed it. Resending offers a second chance to catch their attention.
Studies have shown that resending campaigns to non-openers can significantly increase overall open rates. For instance, data indicates an uplift in open rates by nearly 9% for resends. This suggests that a portion of your audience may still be interested in your content, but simply overlooked the initial email. The key is to be strategic, not repetitive.
The potential for increased engagement and conversions makes resending a valuable tactic. It allows you to maximize the reach of your valuable content without creating entirely new campaigns. However, the gains from resending must be weighed against the potential risks to your sender reputation if not executed correctly.
Timing your resend for optimal impact
Timing is crucial when it comes to resending emails. Sending too quickly can annoy recipients and lead to unsubscribes or spam complaints, while waiting too long might make the content irrelevant. The general consensus is to allow sufficient time for the initial email to be processed and opened.
A common recommendation is to wait between 2 to 7 days before resending. This gives your subscribers ample time to see and open the first email, avoiding the perception of spamming. For example, waiting 48 hours to a full week can be effective. Consider the nature of your content, too, for time-sensitive offers, a shorter waiting period might be appropriate, but always err on the side of caution.
Too soon (within 24 hours)
Recipient frustration: They might feel bombarded, leading to negative reactions like unsubscribing.
Increased spam complaints: Rapid follow-ups can trigger spam filters or manual spam reports.
Damaged sender reputation: Internet Service Providers (ISPs) might view your sending patterns as aggressive, impacting your overall domain reputation.
Just right (2-7 days)
Respectful cadence: Allows recipients to process the first email and avoid feeling harassed.
Increased open rates: Provides a fresh opportunity to capture attention without seeming desperate.
Better deliverability: Less likely to trigger negative recipient behavior or ISP filters, thus improving your email deliverability.
Crafting the perfect resend email
Simply resending the exact same email won't cut it. To encourage an open the second time around, you need to make changes. The subject line is often the most critical element to tweak, as it's the first thing recipients see.
Consider testing different angles: create a sense of urgency, highlight a different benefit, or try a question-based subject line. Also, don't forget the pre-header text, which acts as a secondary subject line. Even a slight modification can pique curiosity and prompt an open.
Subject line best practices
Change it completely: If the first one didn't work, a fresh approach is necessary.
Create urgency/scarcity: "Last chance!" or "Don't miss out."
Reframe the benefit: Highlight a different aspect of your offer or content.
Add personalization: Include the recipient's name or relevant data if appropriate.
Tweak the sender name: Sometimes a different sender name (e.g., person vs. company) can help.
While subject lines are paramount, consider minor content adjustments too. You don't need to rewrite the entire email, but perhaps rephrase the opening paragraph, update the Call-to-Action (CTA), or emphasize a different point from the original. These small changes can make the email feel fresh and more appealing to those who scrolled past it before.
Smart segmentation and audience selection
The most crucial aspect of resending emails responsibly is intelligent audience segmentation. You should never resend to your entire list, especially not to those who already opened the first email. Targeting only non-openers is the first step.
Beyond simply non-openers, consider segmenting further. Focus on engaged non-openers. These are subscribers who regularly engage with your emails but happened to miss the most recent one. Sending to genuinely unengaged subscribers, or those who haven't opened any of your emails in months, can negatively impact your sender reputation and lead to higher bounce rates or even land you on a blacklist (or blocklist).
Regularly cleaning your email list is a crucial companion to resending. If you're resending emails, you should also be actively re-engaging or sunsetting inactive subscribers to maintain a healthy and engaged list. This practice minimizes the risk of hitting spam traps and ensures your resends are going to genuinely interested recipients. For more information, read about how to re-engage inactive subscribers.
Here's a simplified example of how you might segment for a resend:
Example segmentation logicplaintext
Segment: Non-Openers of [Campaign Name]
Conditions:
- Sent: [Campaign Name]
- AND
- Did not open: [Campaign Name]
- AND
- Last engaged (opened/clicked) with any email: within last 60 days
Views from the trenches
Best practices
Actively resend important emails to non-openers, but only if you also regularly suppress unengaged contacts.
Only resend to subscribers who have shown recent engagement (e.g., within the last 30-60 days) to preserve reputation.
Common pitfalls
Assuming that all non-openers are simply uninterested, when they might have just missed the email.
Resending emails too quickly after the initial send, which can frustrate recipients and negatively impact deliverability.
Expert tips
Use your email service provider's engagement metrics to filter who receives the resend.
Resending certain campaigns can yield significant revenue, especially if the original campaign performed well.
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks says Mailchimp might be idealistic, assuming high user interest, but for most marketing emails, a lack of open indicates a lack of interest.
2019-09-16 - Email Geeks
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks says they agree that a lack of open typically means a lack of interest.
2019-09-16 - Email Geeks
Beyond the resend: continuous optimization
While resending can be a powerful tool, it's not a set-it-and-forget-it strategy. Continually monitor your key email metrics after each resend. Look at open rates, click-through rates, and, most importantly, unsubscribe rates and spam complaints. If these negative metrics rise, it's a clear sign that your resend strategy needs adjustment.
A/B testing different subject lines, send times, and even minor content variations for your resends can help you optimize performance over time. What works for one campaign might not work for another, so continuous testing is essential for refining your approach.
Ultimately, successful email marketing revolves around respect for the inbox and delivering value. Resending emails to non-openers can be a highly effective tactic for boosting engagement and reaching interested subscribers who initially missed your message. However, it requires a thoughtful, data-driven approach, focusing on smart segmentation, appropriate timing, and strategic content adjustments to avoid harming your sender reputation and deliverability.
