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Re-engage Inactive Customers

A subset of your contact list has stopped opening emails. Send a re-engagement campaign to ask whether they still want to hear from you. Suppress those who do not respond.

Who this is for​

Marketers maintaining list hygiene and protecting domain reputation.

The Mailtarget surface​

ComponentUsed for
Mailtarget CDPIdentify inactive contacts via segments
SegmentationBuild the inactive-90-days segment
Email MarketingThe re-engagement campaign
Database HygienePolicy for what to do with non-responders

Execution​

Step 1: Define the inactive segment​

In the dashboard segment editor:

Status equals Active
AND Last open before 2026-02-08 (90 days ago)
AND Last click before 2026-02-08

Save the segment as inactive_90d.

Step 2: Send the re-engagement campaign​

curl https://api.mailtarget.co/v2/email-marketing/create-send \
  -X POST \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $MAILTARGET_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "subject":     "We miss you. Still want to hear from us?",
    "senderName":  "Your Brand",
    "senderEmail": "hello@your-verified-domain.com",
    "body":        "<p>It has been a while. Click below to keep getting our updates.</p><p><a href=\"https://your-domain.com/keep-subscribed\">Yes, keep me subscribed</a></p>",
    "recipients":  { "segmentIds": ["inactive_90d"] }
  }'

Make the CTA easy and fast. One click confirms continued subscription.

Step 3: Tag responders, suppress non-responders​

For contacts who clicked the keep-me-subscribed link within 14 days:

  • Add label re_engaged_2026_q2. They stay on the active list.

For contacts who did not click within 14 days:

  • Add to suppression list, or tag them inactive and exclude from future campaigns.
curl https://api.mailtarget.co/v1/suppression \
  -X POST \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $MAILTARGET_API_KEY" \
  -d '{ "email": "non_responder@example.com" }'

Run this in batch using a script that pulls the segment and excludes contacts who clicked.

Common mistakes​

SymptomCauseFix
Re-engagement campaign produces high complaint rateInactive contacts forgot they signed upSubject line and content should remind them of the relationship
Some "inactive" contacts re-engage from a different email clientThe client never registered opens or clicks (image blocking)Cross-check with click events from production sends. Some opens are silent
Suppression overshootSuppressed too aggressively, hurts list sizeSend a second re-engagement reminder before suppressing
Sender reputation drops during re-engagementSending to a list with low engagement signals to providersThrottle the send. Run over 5 days in batches, not all in one launch

Outcome to track​

  • Open rate typically 5 to 15 percent on re-engagement (low because the audience is inactive by definition).
  • CTA click rate above 2 percent on the keep-subscribed link.
  • Re-engaged contacts (clicked within 14 days) typically 3 to 8 percent of the inactive segment.
  • Domain reputation stable or improving after suppression. Read Deliverability Monitoring.