A sunset policy is a strategy used in email marketing to identify and gradually stop sending messages to inactive subscribers—those who haven’t opened or engaged with emails for a defined period of time. The goal is to improve list quality, maintain sender reputation, and boost overall deliverability by reducing the number of unengaged recipients.
Why is a Sunset Policy Important?
Inactive subscribers can hurt your email performance metrics such as open rate, click-through rate, and deliverability. Continuing to email disengaged users may lead to:
- Higher bounce rates
- Increased chances of being marked as spam
- A damaged sender reputation
Implementing a sunset policy helps keep your list clean and focused on engaged recipients who are more likely to convert.
How Does a Sunset Policy Work?
A typical sunset policy involves:
- Defining Inactivity: For example, subscribers who haven’t opened or clicked an email in 3–6 months.
- Re-engagement Campaigns: Before removing users, many marketers send one or two final emails to try to rekindle interest. You can learn more in our article on newsletter sign-up strategies.
- Sunsetting Users: If the re-engagement emails don’t get a response, the subscriber is removed or suppressed from future campaigns. Mailpro allows you to automate this using email automation.
Benefits of a Sunset Policy
- Improves overall email engagement rates
- Reduces spam complaints and unsubscribes
- Enhances sender reputation and deliverability
- Ensures you're only sending to an audience that actually wants to hear from you
Using Sunset Policies with Mailpro
Mailpro allows you to monitor subscriber activity through powerful email statistics. You can segment inactive users based on opens and clicks, create automated re-engagement emails, and apply a sunset policy to clean your lists—all while staying compliant with GDPR and email best practices.