She bought from you twice last year. Then nothing. No opens, no clicks, no visits. She did not unsubscribe. She just drifted away quietly, the way most inactive customers do.
A re-engagement campaign exists for people like her. It is a structured effort to restart the relationship before you lose the connection entirely. Here is what a re-engagement campaign is and how to run one.
What is a re-engagement campaign?
A re-engagement campaign is a targeted series of messages sent to subscribers or customers who have become inactive. The goal is to remind them of your value and encourage them to interact again.
Inactive means different things for different businesses. For an email list, it might mean no opens in 90 days. For an online store, it might mean no purchase in six months. Define inactivity based on your typical customer cycle.
Why re-engagement matters
Keeping an existing contact is cheaper than finding a new one. Inactive subscribers still take up space on your list and can hurt deliverability if they never open your messages.
A win back campaign gives people one last reason to stay before you remove them. Some will return. Others will unsubscribe, which actually improves your list quality.
How a re-engagement campaign works
Most re-engagement campaigns follow a short sequence over one to three weeks.
1. The check in
Send a friendly message acknowledging the silence. Ask if they still want to hear from you. Offer something useful, like a popular article or a small discount.
2. The reminder
If they do not respond, send a second message with a stronger reason to return. Highlight what they missed or what is new since their last visit.
3. The final notice
Let them know you will stop sending messages unless they click a link or take an action. This creates urgency without being aggressive.
Re-engagement email is the most common channel, but the same logic applies to push notifications and in-app messages. See email triggers for engagement for automated versions of these sequences.
Pair your campaign with notification marketing principles so your win back messages feel helpful, not desperate.
Frequently asked questions
When should I start a re-engagement campaign?
Start when a subscriber or customer passes your inactivity threshold. For email, 60 to 90 days without an open is a common trigger. For purchases, three to six months without an order works for many retail businesses. Adjust based on your sales cycle.
Should I offer a discount in a win back campaign?
A small discount can motivate return visits, but it trains some customers to wait for deals before buying. Use discounts in your final message rather than the first one. Lead with value and content before resorting to price cuts.
What should I do with subscribers who do not respond?
Remove inactive subscribers who ignore your entire re-engagement sequence. Keeping them on your list hurts email deliverability and skews your engagement metrics. A cleaner list performs better than a larger one full of ghosts.
Can I run re-engagement through push notifications?
Push notifications work for re-engagement when subscribers opted in but stopped clicking. Send one or two alerts with a compelling reason to return. Avoid sending multiple push re-engagement messages, since push unsubscribes are harder to reverse than email.
How do I create landing pages for re-engagement campaigns?
Build a dedicated page that welcomes returning visitors with updated content or a clear next step. WEMASY's website builder lets you create focused landing pages for win back campaigns without starting from scratch.
How is a re-engagement campaign different from a regular newsletter?
A regular newsletter goes to your full active list on a schedule. A re-engagement campaign targets only inactive contacts with a specific sequence designed to restart the relationship. The tone, timing, and goal are different from your standard content sends.