Using subject lines like "Verify your active status" can lift open rates by 27-31% for contacts who haven't engaged in over a year. While effective for reactivation, this slightly gimmicky approach will also annoy some users, leading to a higher-than-usual unsubscribe rate and negative replies, which requires 'thick skin'.

Don't fear unsubscribes after trying a new tactic like an emoji. A high unsubscribe rate often means your email finally stood out to a long-disengaged segment. This prompted them to take action and clean themselves from your list, which is a positive outcome for list health.

Instead of waiting for customers to churn, use AI to monitor key engagement metrics in real time (e.g., portal logins, link clicks). When a user shows signs of disengagement, trigger a personalized, automated nudge via SMS or email to get them back on track before they are lost.

A sudden increase in unsubscribes after a marketing change isn't necessarily a failure. It often means you've successfully grabbed the attention of disengaged subscribers who then self-select out because the content is no longer relevant, which is a healthy outcome for your list.

Instead of optimizing for a single "best" send time, marketers should vary sending days and times (e.g., evenings, weekends). This strategy acknowledges that different people within your database interact with email at different times, maximizing overall reach and engagement across your entire list.

Prompting subscribers with simple, non-work-related questions (e.g., "What's your favorite holiday cookie?") encourages replies. This builds a conversational relationship, improves engagement signals, and positively impacts email deliverability and open rates.

The holiday season sees a massive spike in email unsubscribes. This isn't due to your marketing efforts, but because people are trying to "clean up" their inboxes for the new year. Marketers should anticipate this trend and not misinterpret it as a sign of poor campaign performance or reduce email frequency.

An automated email course is a superior lead magnet because it delivers value daily over a set period. This consistency trains new subscribers to anticipate and open your emails, establishing a strong engagement habit from the very beginning of your relationship.

For subscribers who don't open an email, a simple and effective tactic is to resend the exact same content. The only change is tweaking the subject line and pre-header to capture their attention. Since they never saw the original content, it's still new to them and requires minimal effort to redeploy.