You’ve invested time and effort in creating a powerful email marketing campaign, but the results haven’t met your expectations. Now, you’re considering resending the emails to those who didn’t open them initially, but you’re unsure if this approach is worth it.
In short, yes: this is likely worth your time. Your target clients and customers are open to marketing messages when they’re delivered under the right conditions.
Re-sending email campaigns to those who haven’t opened them can be a great strategy to improve the success of your campaign. This approach targets emails that were sent but not opened initially, giving you a chance to Increase your open rates.
While it’s frustrating when your email campaign doesn’t perform as expected, don’t lose hope. By re-sending your emails and applying successful strategies, you can turn a disappointing outcome into a success on your second attempt.
This blog will guide you through the strategies to consider when resending email campaigns.
Why Should We Resend Email Campaigns?
It’s perfectly normal for a significant share of emails to go unread. Marketing guru Neil Patel highlights several examples of businesses that have struggled with open rates around 20 percent or lower. In a remarkable case study, a company increased its open rate from 20 percent to over 29 percent just by tweaking the subject line and re-sending the email to those who hadn’t engaged initially.
If you’re doubtful about the progress of resending unopened emails, you’re not alone. It’s normal to be hesitant about resending unopened emails, especially with the constant emphasis on engaging readers with new and original content. However, resending emails can simplify your marketing efforts without overwhelming your audience.
It offers a great chance to experiment with different subject lines without creating new content.
And if you’re concerned about annoying your recipients, automation ensures that you won’t send the same emails to the same contacts multiple times. As such, you can take confidence in knowing that those who open resends will view the recycled content with fresh eyes. I know im not doing it the i should but it’s very difficult and it’s more difficult to me because im the most egoistic person and i take everything upon my heart and i know it should’nt be. It’s true that i want to fulfill my dreams but it’s not that easy.
Be Consistent With Resending Email Campaigns
Make sure to give your recipients enough time to open your initial email before considering a resend. After a few days, you can resend your email campaign.
Rinagil Isanan, an email marketing strategist, advises against resending within 24 hours. She suggests waiting between two days to a week before sending your email again. Resending within this timeframe ensures your campaign remains relevant and timely, without becoming outdated in terms of trends or context.
How to Resend an Email Campaign
Resending is one of the top-guarded secrets of today’s most efficient email marketing campaigns. Despite this, you might initially feel nervous about reusing content.
As you proceed, remember: the goal is to work smart, not hard. Follow these simple steps to make the most of this opportunity.
- Only Resend Selected Emails
While it’s possible to automate the process so that all emails are resent regardless of content, this quantity-over-quality approach could make your emails feel spammy.
This strategy is a lot less useful if it’s applied consistently across all types of messages. Instead, limit resending to the most impactful emails.
Are you trying to work out which emails qualify? Consider any email’s long-term implications instead of worrying about one-time clicks or opens. Which are most likely to build a powerful connection with your target market?
For example: If you want to build a deeper connection with qualified leads, a resend involving a free ebook or webinar might produce more goodwill than one advertising the latest newsletter or sale. Ultimately, it all comes down to what your contacts crave and how you satisfy them.
- Give it a Few Days Before Resending Your Email
Once you’ve determined which emails to resend, you’ll have to optimize the timing. When you resend an email, it may have even more influence than the existing content.
Even if the recent emails have not been opened, recipients may recognize the subject line or pre-header. This is more likely if they receive the same email twice within a few days. Resend too soon, and contacts will think that your emails are spam. They may even hit that dreaded unsubscribe button.
Give it a little time, a few customers or clients will realize that they’ve seen certain emails twice. So, wait four days before resending. In most cases, four days will be the sweet spot.
- Try a New Subject Line
Recipients are unlikely to notice recycled content if they’ve neglected to open the original email. That said, they’ll be much quicker to spot reused subject lines.
Thankfully, this is an easy fix. And it’s a great opportunity to improve on your previous subject line. If you discover that a new subject line dramatically alters open rates or other email metrics, you can use your new approach to inform future subject line selection.
If your previous subject line wasn’t living up to its full potential, keep these considerations in mind when resending emails:
Keep subject lines short—up to seven words. Avoid promotional language, all caps, and excessive punctuation. Use humor if it suits your audience to engage readers. Try open-ended questions to spark curiosity. For fresh ideas, use subject line recommendation tools.
Your new subject line should differ from the previous one but still match the tone and purpose of the original email. If you aren’t sure which subject lines work best, use A/B testing to learn your contacts’ preferences.
- Determine if You Need to Modify the Pre-Header
Changing the subject line might be beneficial to update the pre-header—the text that follows the subject line. A fresh pre-header can make your re-sent email new and engaging, just like the defined subject line.
Both the subject line and preheader should be short and impactful. While pre-headers can be up to 250 characters long, they generally perform better when kept under 90 characters and 10 words.
Make sure that the pre-header aligns with the new subject line’s tone and engages the email content. Finding this balance can be challenging, but together, they should encourage readers to open the email and act on your calls to action.
Changing the pre-header isn’t always necessary, especially if you’re using automation. Adjust it only if the new subject line makes the original pre-header seem mismatched.
- Automate The Process
Resending emails don’t have to be a time-consuming process. Once you identify what needs adjustment, use automation to align and speed up the sending process.
Email automation allows you to set up automatic resends for recipients who didn’t open the original emails. You can segment your list to target exactly who should receive the follow-up and schedule it thoughtfully to avoid sending it too soon.
By automating your receding email, you save time on manually deciding who should get the emails. Meanwhile, you can analyze the effectiveness of these resends and fine-tune your approach based on which strategies yield the best results.
- Stop Resending Emails More Than Once:
Success in resending is all about knowing what you can get away with — and when you should back off. This means adopting a strict policy of resending any given email only once.
Sending a single follow-up email is usually fine and won’t bother most recipients, especially if they didn’t open the original message. However, repeatedly sending the same email can come across as spam.
If readers don’t open the email after two attempts, they’re unlikely to engage with a third one. Instead, it’s more effective to focus on creating new, compelling content. According to Forbes experts, this content should fit within your overall campaign strategy for a unified marketing approach.
The key to a successful resend campaign is subtlety. Keep resending to a minimum and prioritize quality over quantity to avoid overwhelming your audience.
How about resending the email to everyone on my list?
We’ve covered the what, when, and how of email resends, but it’s equally important to strategically consider who should get these emails on the follow-up.
Avoid resending an email to your entire list, as it can confuse those who already saw the original message and might backfire.
If you need to reach everyone again, send a reminder email clearly labeled as a follow-up. This can spark curiosity among those who missed the first email and make them want to see what’s important enough to be highlighted again.
Only use this method for essential campaigns to prevent coming across as spammy or irritating to your audience.
- What Actions Can You Take if Your Email Remains Unopened?
Email resending can streamline your marketing efforts, but it won’t compensate for a poorly executed campaign. To see real, long-term improvements, you need to enhance other areas of your marketing strategy.
For instance, you may need to make your email content more personalized and authentic to your brand. While resends might provide a short-term boost, deeper changes are necessary for lasting success.
If your open rates remain low despite resending, it’s time to reassess your strategy. Consider the following suggestions:
- A/B test Subject Lines
To improve your email open rates, follow these A/B testing best practices:
- Assess the Original Subject Line: Identify issues with your current subject line—whether it’s too lengthy, unengaging, or overly promotional. Pinpoint the problem and aim to fix it with your A/B test.
- Create Two Variations: Develop two distinct subject lines for testing. Send each version to half of your test group.
- Choose Your Test Group: Select a substantial number of contacts for accurate results—ideally at least 1,000.
- Determine Testing Duration: Set a timeframe for the test, and decide whether to start immediately or schedule it for later. After the period ends, identify the better-performing subject line.
- Resend the Winning Version: Send the winning subject line to the remaining contacts who weren’t part of the test.
Make sure your content resonates with your target readers.
If you’re not confident that readers are interested in your email content, it’s time to reach out and learn what they think of your messages and where they believe improvements are needed.
The simplest method for gathering feedback is to send a survey via email. Utilize online survey tools that can be integrated into your marketing messages. Design questions that explore the kinds of emails your contacts are interested in receiving.
The Springfield Thunderbirds minor league hockey team gathers feedback with an easy-to-find survey and a promise of a quick process.
Keep surveys short and user-friendly, ideally using straightforward multiple-choice questions or sliding scales. As responses come in, analyze both individual answers and overall trends. Are there any noticeable patterns?
If the survey results suggest that adjustments to your content are needed, make sure to A/B test the revised emails to see if they achieve the desired effect.
9. Monitor Other Metrics
Open rates only tell part of the story in email marketing. While they can indicate whether your emails are being opened, they don’t necessarily reflect your overall ROI or the effectiveness of your campaigns. Apple’s Mail Privacy Protection (MPP) has altered open rate accuracy by pre-loading email data, which can lead to inflated open rates that don’t truly represent user engagement.
To better assess your email campaign’s success, focus on these key metrics:
- Click-Through Rate (CTR): Measures how many recipients clicked on links within your email.
- Conversion Rate: Tracks how many recipients completed a desired action, such as making a purchase.
- Bounce Rate: Indicates how many emails were undeliverable.
- Unsubscribe Rate: Shows how many recipients opted out of your list.
These metrics provide a clearer picture of your campaign’s performance beyond just open rates.
Ready to Increase engagement using strategic email resending?
You don’t always need to create new email campaigns from scratch. Resending emails to non-openers can enhance conversions and improve marketing efficiency, potentially delivering a strong ROI.
If your non-open rate is higher than desired, a well-planned resend strategy can make a significant impact.
Develop your email resend approach today, incorporating A/B testing for new subject lines. You might be surprised at how quickly your open rates, click-throughs, and conversions can improve. START NOW
