Why You Need to Clean Your Email List

As your email list grows, you may find that not all subscribers continue to engage with your content. Some might have lost interest, changed email addresses, or simply stopped opening your emails. Keeping these unengaged subscribers on your list can negatively affect your email marketing performance. Unengaged subscribers can lower open rates, increase the likelihood of your emails being marked as spam, and harm your sender reputation. This is why it’s essential to regularly clean your email list. It’s not just about removing inactive contacts—it’s about improving your overall email performance, enhancing engagement rates, and maintaining a healthy relationship with your audience.

Misconceptions About Cleaning Your Email List

A common misconception is that the more subscribers you have, the better. However, this isn’t necessarily the case. A large email list might look impressive, but if many of those subscribers aren’t engaging with your content, it could hurt your performance. Quality is far more important than quantity. By cleaning your list, you’re ensuring that the subscribers who remain are genuinely interested in your content, which leads to better engagement and ultimately, better results.

Another misconception is that removing subscribers is a loss. In reality, it’s a strategic move that boosts your overall email performance. You’re focusing on the people who matter most—those who actively engage with your emails, increasing the likelihood of conversions and better campaign outcomes.

How to Clean Your Email List

Cleaning your email list involves identifying and removing unengaged subscribers. This can be done manually, but many email marketing platforms, like Klaviyo or Mailchimp, offer automation to make the process easier and more efficient. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you clean your email list effectively:

Implement Double Opt-In

One of the best ways to avoid the need for constant cleaning is by implementing a double opt-in process when subscribers join your list. This means after someone subscribes, they’ll receive a confirmation email asking them to confirm their subscription. By doing this, you can filter out fake or erroneous email addresses right from the start, ensuring that only genuine subscribers make it to your list.

Segment Unengaged Subscribers

Once you have your list, the next step is to identify the unengaged subscribers. Typically, these are individuals who haven’t opened your emails or clicked on any links in the past 90 days. In your email platform, create a segment for these subscribers. This allows you to track who’s been inactive, making it easier to target them for re-engagement efforts.

Build a Sunset Flow

A Sunset Flow is a series of automated emails designed to give inactive subscribers one last chance to engage with your content before they’re removed from your list. This strategy is key to maintaining a healthy email list while trying to re-engage users who may have simply lost interest temporarily.

To create a Sunset Flow, start by crafting a series of emails aimed at re-engaging these subscribers. The first email should be a gentle reminder of the value they’re missing out on, with a clear call to action. If they don’t respond, follow up with more direct messages, perhaps offering a special discount or exclusive content. The final email should inform them that they will be unsubscribed if they don’t take action. This approach gives them a fair chance before removing them from your list.

Regularly Clean Your List

List cleaning should be a regular part of your email marketing strategy. It’s not a one-time task but rather an ongoing process. Aim to clean your list every 3 to 6 months, depending on the frequency of your email campaigns. Regular cleaning ensures that you’re not sending emails to people who aren’t interested, which can negatively affect your sender reputation and deliverability rates.

Exclude Unengaged Subscribers from Campaigns

Once you’ve identified and removed or suppressed unengaged subscribers, make sure to exclude them from future campaigns. This ensures that only those who are actively engaged with your emails continue to receive your content. By doing this, you increase your chances of reaching the right audience, improving your email deliverability, and enhancing the overall performance of your campaigns.

Suppressing Subscribers vs. Deleting

When cleaning your list, you have two options: deleting or suppressing subscribers. Deleting removes them completely from your list, while suppressing means they’ll no longer receive emails but will stay on your list. Suppression is useful if you plan to re-engage these subscribers in the future via different channels, such as social media ads. You can always remove them later if they still don’t engage.

Don’t Forget About Your SMS List

Cleaning your SMS list is just as important as cleaning your email list. Like email, SMS subscribers can become inactive over time. By identifying subscribers who haven’t interacted with your messages, you can send a re-engagement message to see if they’re still interested. This process helps ensure that your SMS campaigns are sent only to those who will engage with them, maximizing your results.

Conclusion

Cleaning your email list is not just a good practice; it’s essential for maintaining a healthy and effective email marketing strategy. By segmenting unengaged subscribers, using a Sunset Flow to re-engage them, and regularly cleaning your list, you’ll improve your email deliverability, engagement rates, and overall campaign success. Remember, it’s about quality, not quantity. A smaller, more engaged list will always yield better results than a larger, disengaged one.

FAQ

How often should I clean my email list?
You should clean your list every 3-6 months, depending on how often you send emails. Regular cleaning helps you maintain high engagement and a good sender reputation.

What’s the best way to clean my email list?
Start by creating a segment for inactive subscribers and use an automated Sunset Flow to attempt re-engagement. Once the flow is complete, remove or suppress those who didn’t engage.