Re-engagement Email Benchmarks
Re-engagement emails (also called win-back emails) target subscribers who have stopped opening or clicking your emails over a defined period. They are designed to either re-activate the subscriber or confirm they want to remain on your list.
| Metric | Average | Above Average | Excellent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Rate | 25-35% | 38%+ | 45%+ |
| Click-Through Rate | 3-6% | 7%+ | 10%+ |
| Click-to-Open Rate | 12-18% | 20%+ | 25%+ |
| Re-engagement Rate | 5-12% | 15%+ | 25%+ |
| Unsubscribe Rate | 2-5% | Below 1.5% | Below 1% |
| Spam Complaint Rate | 0.1-0.3% | Below 0.05% | Below 0.02% |
Why Re-engagement Benchmarks Matter
Every email list naturally decays at 20-30% per year. Without a systematic re-engagement programme, your list becomes bloated with inactive subscribers who drag down your open rates, click-through rates, and sender reputation. These benchmarks help you evaluate whether your win-back efforts are effective and whether it is time to sunset unengaged contacts.
Benchmarks by Inactivity Period
| Period of Inactivity | Open Rate | CTR | Re-engagement Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30-60 days | 30-40% | 5-8% | 15-25% |
| 61-90 days | 25-35% | 4-6% | 10-18% |
| 91-180 days | 20-30% | 3-5% | 5-12% |
| 180+ days | 15-25% | 2-4% | 2-6% |
How to Improve Re-engagement Email Performance
- Define inactivity clearly: Use 60-90 days of no opens as the threshold for re-engagement. Shorter periods catch subscribers early before they fully disengage. Longer periods may be too late.
- Segment by reason for disengagement: Subscribers who stopped engaging after a purchase need different messaging than subscribers who never engaged at all. Tailor your approach to what is likely to re-activate them.
- Make a clear ask: Tell subscribers what you want them to do. A single question ("Do you still want to hear from us?") with a simple yes/no option often performs better than a promotional offer.
- Offer an incentive: A discount, free resource, or exclusive content can be the trigger that re-engages a lapsed subscriber. The incentive should be compelling enough to overcome the inertia of disengagement.
- Give them an easy way to leave: Include a prominent "unsubscribe" link. Subscribers who have to hunt for the unsubscribe button are more likely to mark your email as spam.
- Follow up with a sunset policy: If a subscriber does not re-engage after 2-3 win-back attempts, remove them from your active list. Continuing to send to unengaged subscribers damages deliverability for everyone else.
- Test subject lines that acknowledge the gap: Subject lines that reference the time since last engagement ("It has been a while...") often outperform generic promotional subject lines for re-engagement campaigns.
Example Re-engagement Sequence
| Send Time | Content | |
|---|---|---|
| Curiosity / Value Reminder | Day 1 | "We miss you" + best content they missed |
| Incentive Offer | Day 5 | Discount or exclusive content for returning |
| Final Check | Day 10 | "Do you still want to hear from us?" with preference centre link |
| Sunset Notification | Day 20 | "We are removing you from our list" + final chance to stay |
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Frequently Asked Questions
A good re-engagement email open rate is 25-35%. Subscribers who have been inactive for 30-60 days are more likely to re-engage (30-40% open rate) than those inactive for 180+ days (15-25% open rate).
Send the first re-engagement email after 60-90 days of inactivity. Earlier detection (30-60 days) makes re-engagement easier. After 180 days of inactivity, the likelihood of re-engagement drops significantly.
Yes. Implement a sunset policy that removes subscribers who do not re-engage after 2-3 win-back attempts. Continuing to send to unengaged subscribers damages your sender reputation, lowers your engagement metrics, and increases spam complaints. The health of your list matters more than its size.
A good re-engagement rate is 5-12% of inactive subscribers. Top-performing win-back campaigns achieve 15-25% re-engagement rates. Success depends on how long the subscriber has been inactive, the strength of the incentive, and the relevance of the re-engagement message.
Send 2-4 emails over 10-20 days. Three emails is the most common sequence: a value reminder, an incentive offer, and a final confirmation request. If the subscriber does not respond to any of these, remove them from your active list.