Determining Engagement Recency

The older I get, the more my definition of "recent" expands. When I talk about something that "just" happened I might mean 2 days ago, or maybe 2 years. I remember being about 10 years old, and laughing when my Nana described an event from 30 years ago as something that occurred "the other day", but now I get how that much time can pass in the blink of an eye (especially because THAT convo feels like it just happened and was now 30 years ago itself. 🥲) 

As someone who often succumbs to bouts of nostalgia, I understand the inclination to embrace the past. And while it's fun to reminisce, the unfortunate truth is that when it comes to deliverability, we have to face the passage of time and the toll it takes on both people and their email addresses. Since inbox placement is rewarded based on positive engagement, it's important to send to users who interact with your emails, and eventually stop contacting those who don't. When determining who to sunset and who to stay in touch with, weigh what impacts engagement recency for your brand and customers:

🕰️ How & why do subscribers sign up for your emails? Are people opting in because they want your newsletters, or are they being enticed with a special offer? If they want email updates, their interest is likely to last longer than if they initially subscribed because they wanted a quick coupon. Do users go through a confirmed opt-in process (aka double opt-in)? If email addresses are eligible for mailing immediately after signup without verification, pay close attention to their early engagement. Users who do not engage may not be valid or valuable contacts over the longer term, so proceed with caution.

⏰ How often do people receive mail from you? How often do they purchase? The more you send, the more opportunities there are for recipients to engage (or not!). This means that a daily mailer will need a more aggressive sunset policy than a monthly mailer. If you sell cars, you'll want to send less often than a brand selling car insurance or accessories.

⏱️ How varied is the content? Conventional wisdom says that history will repeat itself, buuuut your content probably shouldn't. If your messaging seldom changes, it would be wise to send less often to avoid fatiguing your users. They need a compelling reason to open, click, and convert, and email has come a long way from the full-page ads of the past. Today's subscribers expect unique offers, compelling updates, and valuable product info. As users become familiar with monotonous messages, their engagement will become a thing of the past.

⌚ What about alternate channel engagement? SMS, push, and in-app messaging can work well in tandem with, or as an alternative to email, but engagement isn't universal. Mailbox providers can't see how users engage with your brand outside of email, meaning that someone who actively visits your site and logs into your app can still negatively impact your sender reputation if they're not interacting with your emails.