[FAQ]

Hey everyone,

I’m the marketing manager for a subscription box company based in Denver. I’m trying to figure out the best way to approach our inactive users.

We have one group of people who are still subscribed but haven’t opened an email in months. Then we have another group who have actively cancelled their subscription in the past. I’ve heard the terms ‘re-engagement’ and ‘win-back’ used, but I’m not sure if they’re the same thing or if they require different strategies. Is a ‘win-back’ campaign just a type of ‘re-engagement’ campaign?

Trying to get my strategy straight. Thanks for any clarification!

[Jeff Bullas]

An excellent distinction to make. Using the right strategy for the right audience is key.

Short Answer: A ‘re-engagement’ campaign targets subscribers who have become inactive but are still on your list. A ‘win-back’ campaign is a more aggressive strategy aimed at customers who have actively cancelled a service or have not purchased in a very long time, with the goal of winning back their business.

Think of it as the difference between waking up a sleeping contact versus convincing an ex-customer to come back.

A re-engagement campaign is focused on list hygiene and waking up subscribers who have simply stopped opening or clicking your emails. The audience is passive. The primary goal of the text is to get them to take a single action, even just an open, to signal that they are still interested. The tone of the text is often emotional or curiosity-driven, with subject lines like “Is this goodbye?” or “Here’s what you’ve missed”. The ultimate goal is often to identify the truly uninterested subscribers so you can remove them with a sunset policy.

A win-back campaign, on the other hand, is a sales-focused strategy targeted at a much more valuable segment: lapsed customers. This audience has actively purchased from you in the past but has since churned. Because you know they have been a paying customer, the strategy can be more direct and incentive-driven. The email text should acknowledge their past loyalty and present a compelling offer to return, such as a significant discount, a special new product, or an exclusive service offering. The goal is not just an open, but a new conversion.

So, while both campaigns target “inactive” contacts, re-engagement is for passive list members, while win-back is for former paying customers.

Cheers,
Jeff

[Author]

Posts