How do I define "active," "inactive," and "lapsed" subscribers?
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Your definitions depend on how often you send, but here's a framework that works for most businesses. Active means someone's engaged recently. A click in the last 30-60 days is the clearest signal because clicks are hard to fake. Opens help too, but they're less reliable due to tracking issues. If you track website visits or purchases, fold those in as well.
At-risk means engaged before, but not now. Typical window: 60-180 days since the last real interaction. These people aren't bouncing or complaining yet. They're just quiet. The relationship hasn't ended, but it's on life support.
Inactive means prolonged silence. No engagement for 180+ days even though you've been sending. At this point, the relationship has effectively ended unless you do something intentional to win them back.
One key thing: adjust these windows for your own sending cadence. If you mail daily, 30 days without engagement is already bad news. If you mail once a month, 90 days represents only three ignored emails. Define these windows clearly and write them down so everyone on your team uses the same thresholds. Inconsistent definitions break segmentation.
Once you've defined them, understand why engagement segmentation matters for your sender reputation. Then create a plan for handling inactive subscribers so they don't hurt your metrics.
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