What is engagement-based segmentation?
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Engagement-based segmentation divides your list by how actively subscribers interact with your email. Recency of last click or open, frequency of interaction over a time window, and depth of engagement (opened only vs. clicked vs. purchased).
A typical structure has three to four tiers:
Highly engaged: opened or clicked in the last 30–60 days. Your best subscribers. Send them your full content cadence and test new ideas here first. Their positive engagement signals build sender reputation.
Moderately engaged: last interaction within 60–120 days. Still active, but the signal is softening. Slightly reduced frequency and periodic re-engagement prompts work best here.
At risk: last interaction 120–180 days ago. A dedicated re-engagement campaign is worth running. A direct "still interested?" with a clear opt-in to continue. This is the group you can often recover with the right message.
Inactive/dormant: no meaningful interaction in 180+ days. Send significantly less to this group. If a sunset campaign (a final "this is your last chance to re-confirm") doesn't revive engagement, suppress them from main sends.
Why this matters for deliverability: mailbox providers track your engagement rate. Sending your full campaign to the inactive tier drags down your average, signals poor list quality, and pushes more mail to spam. Including for your highly engaged subscribers.
The fastest deliverability improvement available to most senders: stop sending main campaigns to anyone who hasn't engaged in 90 days. Your click rate, complaint rate, and inbox placement will all improve before you've changed a word of your content.
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