Reclaim Inactive Email Customers with Win-Back Email Campaigns

Email overload is a real problem these days. Think about it – how many emails do you get in a day? Your subscribers are no different. With so much competition for their attention, it’s not surprising that some of them lose interest in your email marketing campaigns. But giving up on these subscribers is a wasted opportunity. Sending dedicated automations to re-engage former customers is a great way to increase brand loyalty and sales. If you don’t take advantage of this opportunity… You’re missing out on potential revenue and the chance to strengthen your relationship with your customers. You worked hard to get them there. Let’s fight to get them back in the game and get results like these 👇

What is a win-back or re-engagement email?

A win-back email is like reaching out to an old friend you haven’t heard from in a while. It’s a campaign that brands send to existing but inactive customers who haven’t bought from them or opened their emails in a while. The goal is to motivate these customers to interact with the business again and rekindle their interest in what it has to offer.

How Do You Identify Inactive Subscribers

You can generally consider a customer inactive after 3-6 months of not engaging with your business. But this time frame varies depending on your;

• Brand
• Products
• Customers.

Contextualise this to your sales cycle though. If you find you are in the high-ticket ecommerce space you may find that your sales cycle extends beyond 6 months. In this case, the inactivity period would have to be longer. Whereas, if you sell a monthly food crate, you’d expect customer purchase monthly. Take a look at your typical sales cycle so you can properly segment this group out of your list.

What Does a Win-Back Email Campaign Look Like?

To get the most out of your win-back email series without risking your sending reputation, include between 2 to 5 emails in the flow. When it comes to the message we send in each email, try a few of these strategies:

Personalise to previous purchase:

Take a look at this example by Overtone. They are using a reminder email that is witty and reminds customers of the product they purchased, specifically for brown hair colour.

Give a Bonus Benefit:

Here’s an example from Venmo that highlights the benefit of easily using their app with Grubhub. You could do the same with your ecommerce products by linking them to a tangible benefit of using that specific product.

Addressing Common Pain Points:

In this example, Lows publicises an update on their business that involves solving a likely common problem among many of their customers. You could do this to address common objections that people may have had when using your product or interacting with your brand. This can be a good way to entice people who left because of that reason to come back as new customers.

Addressing Common Pain Points:

RuffleButts offers their customers an incentive to shop with them again by providing a discount code. This encourages customers to return and make another purchase. To entice a faster or more immediate purchase, you can also couple the discount with a sense of urgency. Offering a discount is typically a good strategy to provide a benefit and encourage repeat customers.

The Final Email:

This email should be the last in your series and should let the recipient know that it’s their last chance to take advantage of your offer. It’s important to make the offer as appealing as possible, whether that’s through a discount, free gift, or another incentive. By creating a sense of urgency, you can prompt inactive customers to take action and re-engage with your brand.

The Top Win-Back Email Subject Lines You Can Steal:

1. We’ve missed you! 😢 Here’s 20% off to welcome you back.
2. Is it time for a reunion? Enjoy an exclusive 30% discount, just for you. 💖
3. Hey there, long time no see! 🕒 Check out our latest arrivals.
4. It’s been a while! Grab your special 15% off inside. 🎁
5. Remember us? Here’s something special just for you. 🌟
6. Don’t say goodbye yet! 😭 Take 25% off on your next purchase.
7. We haven’t seen you lately.
8. Come back and save 20% on your favourite products.❤️
9. Rekindle the love: Get your custom 10% off discount code.💕
10. You have a free gift 🎁 waiting – claim it now!
11. {Name}, you’re missed! Unlock your exclusive 15% discount.
12. We’ve made some upgrades since you left – take a look! 🚀
13. A sweet deal 🍭 just for you: 25% off your entire purchase!

When you make your win-back strategy more enticing with catchy subject lines, strategic send times, and engaging content, you can create a series that fits your unique audience perfectly.

From there, you can test and evaluate the results.

Ultimately, win back customers you may have lost for good.