Email and customers · Lesson 5.6
10 Win Back Campaign Strategies to Pick From
Generic win back advice usually reads like a list of everything at once. That is how people end up sending five emails with three offers to everyone, and then deciding win back does not work. This post gives you ten strategies for a win back campaign, with what each one is for and its risk. You are meant to pick two.
None of these come with a promised result. They come from the help pages of email tools and sender rules, plus plain logic about how customers behave. Lesson 5.6 walks you through it step by step: Win back customers who went quiet.
Pick two strategies, run them on one group of lapsed customers, and judge them by purchases, not opens.
The ten, side by side
| Strategy | Best when | Main risk |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Set the quiet window from your buying cycle | You sell things people reorder | Choosing a number by guess |
| 2. Split repeat buyers from one time buyers | You have both kinds | Extra work for small lists |
| 3. Lead with value, not a discount | Margins are thin | Weaker pull for price shoppers |
| 4. Small offer with a real end date | You want a clear reason to act | Training people to wait for deals |
| 5. Show three to six products | You sell several things | Overloading the email |
| 6. Ask a one line question | You do not know why they left | Replies you must answer |
| 7. Exclude people who bought since | Always | Embarrassing mix ups |
| 8. Limit to three emails | Always | None, it protects you |
| 9. Make leaving easy | Always | Shrinking list |
| 10. Plan the next step for silent people | After the series ends | Forgetting to do it |
1. Set the quiet window from your buying cycle
Klaviyo's guide says the flow should only target people who have gone quiet for longer than your average buying cycle, and gives an example: a couch seller has a longer cycle than a shampoo seller. Work out your own gap, then add a little leeway. Klaviyo suggests setting the first delay a little longer than the average.
2. Split repeat buyers from one time buyers
Mailchimp advises segmenting a high value customer who went silent from a one time shopper, since the relationship differs. A repeat buyer might get a personal note from you. A one time buyer might get a simple reminder of what they bought and what is new.
3. Lead with value, not a discount
Mailchimp's suggested first email is a "we miss you" note focused on what is new or what they may have missed, with discounts held back for later. This works if you do not want to give away margin. The risk is that it may be too gentle for people who left over price.
4. Offer something small, with a real end date
Both Klaviyo and Mailchimp put the incentive early or in the middle of the series, and Klaviyo suggests urgency such as an expiry date. Keep the offer modest and keep the date honest. If the "last chance" returns next week, people learn to ignore it, and the FTC's CAN-SPAM guide also warns against deceptive subject lines.
5. Show a few products, not your whole shop
Klaviyo suggests three to six of your best sellers or newest items in the first email. For a service business, the equivalent is one or two ways to book again, not a menu of everything you do.
6. Ask a one line question
Mailchimp lists a feedback request as an option for the last email: ask why they left. This costs you nothing and can teach more than the sales numbers. Say something like: "If you have ten seconds, what stopped you from ordering again? Just reply to this email." Then read the replies yourself.
7. Exclude anyone who bought since
Klaviyo's flow setup adds a filter so someone who places an order after the flow starts is not sent the rest. If you work by hand, the same idea applies: check the order list again before each email goes out.
8. Cap it at three emails
Klaviyo recommends keeping a win back flow to three emails per recipient and warns against too many. It is better to send three good ones than six tired ones.
9. Make leaving easy
Klaviyo's last email in the pattern includes a prominent unsubscribe link. Gmail's sender guidelines call for one click unsubscribe on subscription messages and for honouring requests within 48 hours. Yahoo's page lists two days. Under CAN-SPAM, the legal limit is 10 business days, so use the shorter limit.
10. Plan the next step for silent people
Decide in advance what happens to people who ignore all three. Mailchimp notes that win back campaigns let you remove unengaged contacts, which may help you keep a good standing with big email providers. A simple rule: after three emails with no purchase, no click and no reply, stop sending promotional emails to them for a while.
How to pick your win back campaign strategies
Use this short test. Which of these problems do you actually have?
- You are not sure who counts as quiet: start with strategies 1 and 7.
- Your last campaign got unsubscribes and complaints: start with 3 and 9.
- You do not know why people left: start with 6.
- You have a mixed list: start with 2.
Keep track so you can learn
Write down the date you sent, who was in the group, which strategies you used, and what happened. The measuring guide covers what to count: Measuring a win back campaign. For the step by step version, see the complete guide.
Questions people ask
Which strategy matters most?
Getting the right people on the list. If the quiet window is wrong, a good email still goes to the wrong audience.
Should every win back campaign include a discount?
No. Mailchimp's pattern holds the discount until the second email, and you can skip it if your margins are tight.
How soon will I know if it worked?
You will see most purchases and unsubscribes within the span of the three emails and a week or so after. Judge it on that, not on one day.
Where to go next
If you want the ten strategies turned into a working campaign on your own customers, Lesson 5.6 covers finding people who stopped buying, writing the note in your voice and sending a small offer to the right people only: Win back customers who went quiet.