How do I start emailing a large list with no engagement history?
Michael Ko
Co-founder & CEO, Suped
Published 9 May 2025
Updated 15 Aug 2025
6 min read
Starting an email program with a large list that has no engagement history is a significant challenge, but it's not insurmountable. Many businesses acquire or inherit such lists, often through mergers, acquisitions, or simply collecting emails over time without a clear communication strategy.
My goal is to outline a methodical approach to activate these contacts without jeopardizing your sender reputation. A misstep here can lead to high bounce rates, spam complaints, and a damaged sending reputation, which impacts all your future email efforts.
Understanding your list's current state
The first critical step is to understand the nature of your list. Where did these email addresses come from, and how old are they? While precise sign-up dates might not always be available, any associated data, such as the last time a user interacted with your platform or product, can be incredibly valuable.
Before sending a single email, a thorough list hygiene process is paramount. This involves identifying and removing invalid, non-existent, or high-risk email addresses. Sending to these addresses will lead to hard bounces and increase your chances of hitting spam traps, both of which severely harm your sender reputation and can lead to your domain being put on a blocklist (or blacklist). We often see deliverability issues arise from neglected lists.
Beyond simply removing bad addresses, it is also important to consider if these users are expecting to hear from you. An unexpected email, even if legitimate, can trigger spam complaints. This is why a strategic re-engagement plan is necessary.
Initial steps for list assessment
Data analysis: Try to find any associated data like sign-up date, last activity, or purchase history to gauge recency and potential interest.
List hygiene: Utilize a reputable email verification service to remove invalid email addresses, role-based emails, and known spam traps. This is a critical step to improve email deliverability.
Identify expectations: If users didn't explicitly opt-in for marketing emails, acknowledge this in your initial outreach and offer a clear value proposition.
Strategic segmentation and re-engagement
Sending to an entire large, unengaged list at once is a common pitfall that can instantly damage your sender reputation. Instead, I recommend a strategic segmentation approach. Divide your list into smaller, more manageable groups based on any available data, such as sign-up date, last interaction, or even inferred interests.
Prioritize sending to the most recently acquired or last active segments first. These individuals are more likely to remember your brand and engage with your emails. This initial positive engagement helps establish a good sending reputation with mailbox providers like Gmail and Yahoo. If you're dealing with a large, unengaged email list with no existing reputation, this approach is crucial.
For older, less engaged segments, consider re-engagement campaigns. These emails should explicitly state why you're contacting them, what value you offer, and provide a clear call to action to confirm their interest or update their preferences. An insightful article on Campaign Monitor discusses what to do with inactive email subscribers.
Active or recent signups
Engagement likelihood: Higher chance of opens and clicks due to recent interaction or sign-up.
Email content: Start with a welcome series or a re-introduction of your brand, clearly stating the value you offer.
Volume: Begin with a smaller, highly engaged segment to build positive sending metrics.
Inactive or older signups
Engagement likelihood: Lower chance of engagement, higher risk of spam complaints.
Email content: Craft a specific re-engagement campaign, explaining the purpose of the email and asking for explicit consent.
Volume: Send very small batches initially, carefully monitoring engagement rates and bounce rates. Consider a double opt-in.
Warming up your sending process
Even with a clean, segmented list, it's crucial to properly warm up your sending infrastructure. This means gradually increasing your sending volume over time, starting with your most engaged segments. This slow and steady approach allows mailbox providers to recognize your sending patterns as legitimate, rather than a sudden burst of mail that could be flagged as spam.
Alongside warming, ensure your email authentication protocols are perfectly configured. This includes SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. These records prove to mailbox providers that you are who you say you are, significantly impacting your deliverability. If you need help with DMARC, SPF, and DKIM, there are many resources available.
Neglecting the warm-up process or authentication can lead to your emails consistently landing in spam folders or even your domain being added to a blacklist or blocklist. Remember, it's about building trust with internet service providers (ISPs) over time, showing them you are a responsible sender.
Ensuring proper email authentication
Configuring DMARC, SPF, and DKIM is fundamental for email deliverability. These records verify your sending identity and help prevent spoofing and phishing attempts, while also improving your standing with mailbox providers like Google.
Once you begin sending, rigorous monitoring of your email metrics is non-negotiable. Pay close attention to your open rates, click-through rates, bounce rates, and, most importantly, spam complaint rates. Low engagement and high complaint rates are red flags indicating that your audience is not receptive to your emails, which can lead to your emails going to spam.
Leverage tools like Google Postmaster Tools and your email service provider's analytics to gain insights. These platforms provide valuable data on your sender reputation, spam rates, and deliverability. If you notice a decline in performance, be prepared to pause campaigns to problematic segments or adjust your sending strategy.
Maintaining a clean and engaged email list is an ongoing process. Regularly remove inactive subscribers who show no signs of engagement after multiple re-engagement attempts. This proactive email list management keeps your list healthy and improves overall deliverability, ensuring your messages reach the inbox rather than the junk folder.
Risks of neglecting monitoring
Ignoring key metrics or continuing to send to disengaged users can severely impact your sender reputation and lead to serious deliverability issues.
High bounce rates: Indicates a significant number of invalid or non-existent email addresses, signaling a poor list quality.
Spam trap hits: Occurs when you send to addresses used to identify spammers, leading to immediate blacklisting (or blocklisting).
Low engagement: Signals to ISPs that your content is irrelevant, increasing the likelihood of future emails landing in spam.
Increased complaints: Direct feedback from recipients marking your email as spam, severely impacting your sender reputation.
Views from the trenches
Best practices
Start by thoroughly cleaning your list to remove invalid or risky addresses, even if it reduces your total count.
Segment your list based on any available data, prioritizing recent or active contacts for initial outreach.
Implement a gradual warm-up strategy, slowly increasing email volume to build sender trust.
Ensure all email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) is correctly configured before sending any campaigns.
Common pitfalls
Sending to the entire unengaged list at once, risking high bounce rates and spam complaints.
Neglecting email list hygiene, which can lead to hitting spam traps and blacklisting (or blocklisting).
Not setting up proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), causing emails to fail authentication checks.
Ignoring available data points like last activity or sign-up date for segmentation.
Expert tips
Utilize internal data points like 'last played' or 'date of registration' to identify the most responsive segments.
For very old or unresponsive segments, consider a double opt-in message to reconfirm consent.
Leverage non-email channels like in-app notifications or push alerts to announce a new email program and ask for consent.
Focus on content quality that genuinely provides value and encourages interaction from the very first email.
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks says to segment users based on data points such as 'Last time played' or 'Date of registration' to determine who to reach out to. They recommend sending an opt-in message asking for consent for future emails and explaining the benefits.
2020-10-29 - Email Geeks
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks says if sign-up dates are unavailable, consider using a third-party hygiene service and prioritize double opt-in to mitigate high complaint rates due to unexpected emails.
2020-10-29 - Email Geeks
The path to engaged subscribers
Starting an email program with a large, unengaged list requires a meticulous and patient approach. It's not a race, but a marathon where consistency and careful execution pay off. By prioritizing data analysis, rigorous list hygiene, smart segmentation, and proper warm-up procedures, you can transform a dormant list into a valuable asset.
Remember, the goal is always quality over quantity. A smaller, highly engaged list will always outperform a massive, unresponsive one, leading to better deliverability and ultimately, higher returns on your email marketing efforts. Stay diligent in monitoring your performance, and adapt your strategy as you learn more about your audience's behavior. This disciplined approach will ensure your emails reach the inbox and foster meaningful connections.
Yahoo. If you're dealing with a large, unengaged email list with no existing reputation, this approach is crucial.
Google.
