When emails don't reach your customers' inboxes, you lose opportunities to connect and drive sales. An Email Sunset Policy helps you maintain a clean, engaged contact list by removing inactive subscribers.
This guide shows you how to identify inactive Contacts, run re-engagement campaigns, and clean your list to improve deliverability and sender reputation.
What is an Email Sunset Policy?
An Email Sunset Policy is a strategy for managing inactive contacts on your email list. If someone hasn't opened your messages after a set period, you:
Send less frequently to inactive Contacts.
Send one last win-back campaign to inactive users.
Unsubscribe those who don't engage.
This process ensures you're emailing only people who want to hear from you, which protects your sender reputation and keeps your list healthy.
💡 Tip: Inactivity timeframes vary by business. High-frequency senders (3+ emails/week) might use 60–90 days; monthly newsletters might use 180+ days. Adjust based on your sending frequency.
Benefits of a Sunset Policy
Running a sunset policy brings these measurable improvements to your Email deliverability:
Higher engagement rates – Removing inactive contacts increases your average open rate and click-through rate, making campaign performance easier to measure.
Better inbox placement – Mailbox providers (Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo) prioritize senders with low bounce rates and high engagement, improving deliverability.
Reduced spam complaints – Inactive contacts are more likely to mark emails as spam. Removing them protects your domain reputation.
Cost savings – Pay only for contacts who engage with your emails, reducing your billing tier in Omnisend.
How to Set Up a Sunset Policy
Follow these steps to implement an Email Sunset Policy in Omnisend:
Step 1. Define Inactive Contacts
Decide how long a contact must be inactive before removal:
Determine your inactivity threshold (e.g., 3 months of no opens).
Consider what "disengaged" means for your business.
Decide whether to remove inactive Contacts immediately or send a re-engagement campaign first.
Create a segment to identify inactive contacts:
Go to Audience → Segments → Create segment → Create from scratch.
Filter by:
Subscription status = Subscribed to Email.
Message sent at least 30 times in the last 90 days (Adjust "30 times" and "90 days" based on your sending frequency).
Have not opened message in the last 60 days (Example threshold – adjust to match your engagement expectations).
Have not clicked message (same timeframe as opens).
Have not placed order in the last 60 days (Example threshold – adjust to match your engagement expectations) (protects active buyers).
Step 2. Send a Re-Engagement Campaign
Give inactive contacts one last chance to stay subscribed. Use Omnisend's pre-made automation templates that include reactivation workflows for your sunset strategy:
Go to Automations → Create Workflow → Reactivate Customers Templates.
Or create a custom workflow:
Set the trigger to Contact Enters a Segment (select your inactive segment from Step 1).
Add an Email with a subject like "We miss you – here's 20% off!" or "Still interested? Confirm your subscription".
Include a clear CTA (e.g., "Stay Subscribed").
If you get no response from such contacts after the re-engagement message, it's time to remove those email addresses from your contact list.
Step 3. Remove Non-Responders
After 7–14 days, remove Contacts who didn't engage with the re-engagement campaign:
Go to Audience → Segments → Create segment → Create from scratch.
Create a new segment filtering for:
Subscription status = Subscribed to Email.
Message sent = where message title is [Your reactivation email title].
Have not opened message where message title is [Your reactivation email title].
Have not clicked message where messgae title is [Your reactivation email title].
Select all Contacts in the segment → Bulk Actions → Unsubscribe.
💬 Learn more: Segment and Unsubscribe Inactive Contacts.
FAQ
Will a sunset policy delete customer purchase history?
No. Unsubscribing a contact removes them from email marketing lists but retains their order history and customer profile in Omnisend.
How often should I run a sunset policy?
Quarterly or semi-annually, depending on your sending frequency. High-volume senders (daily/weekly emails) should audit every 3 months; monthly senders can do so every 6 months.
Can I re-subscribe sunset contacts later?
Yes, but they must opt in again via a Signup Form or checkout subscription. You cannot bulk re-subscribe them without consent (violates GDPR and anti-spam laws).
Need further guidance? Our Support Team is just a click away in the app, or you can email [email protected].