Should You Sunset That Subscriber?

Hey there,

Reputations are hard-earned and even harder to preserve. So if low open rates are sending your sender reputation on a downward spiral and you’ve been considering list cleaning, you’re not wrong.

Another reason why you might think about list cleaning is the relatively recent update from Klaviyo. Starting February this year, Klaviyo decided to charge based on the number of profiles in your account—not how many emails you send. That means you end up paying for EVERY person on your list. Even those who don’t engage with you at all.

List cleaning has thus never been more pertinent than ever. But before you clean away, remember you have another option: reactivating your subscribers. With a sunset flow.

What is a sunset flow?

A sunset flow is a type of marketing automation that involves a series of emails going out to subscribers who aren’t engaging with your messages. It is about finding a way to identify users to sunset—that is, reduce or suppress marketing messages going out to them. 

Sunset flows are important because:

1️⃣ They save your sender reputation.
Low open rates drag down deliverability—and that affects everyone on your list.

2️⃣ They save money.
As mentioned before, since Klaviyo now charges based on profile count, not sends, you’re paying for every subscriber—even the ghosts.

3️⃣ They boost quality.
Smaller, more engaged lists always perform better than large, unresponsive ones.

Why a sunset flow is not necessarily bad news

There may be many reasons why a user may need to be sunsetted. And it is not always bad news. For instance:

✅ They no longer need your product
Maybe they’ve changed lifestyles. If you’re an alcohol brand, maybe they’ve gone sober. If you sell baby gear, maybe the baby’s now in high school and there’s no other baby in the pipeline.

✅ They’re infrequent buyers
Think seasonal or luxury shoppers. Someone who buys a luxury watch might not want another for years.

In such cases, the user is not going to ever want to open your email. No matter how interesting it is, or fabulous your offers are.

Sunsetting such users may therefore actually be a way to keep your list healthy. Think of a sunset flow not so much as deciding whom to sunset. It is instead about deciding whom it’s really worth investing in.

Doing so leads to a better email engagement outcome. It also yields better customer lifetime value. That means more value derived from each customer.

So, how do you create a sunset flow?

There are two ways to go about creating a sunset flow. The first, as you will see below, is more direct.

Method 1: The quick filter

Create a list of all users who haven’t engaged with your emails. This is a way to weed out those bots and completely disengaged users. Send them an email like the one below, inviting them to stay subscribed if they wish to. 

If the response is not welcoming, then it’s time to send a final email bidding them goodbye. 

Method 2: The smart reengage

Create a flow for all subscribers whose last purchase was over 12 months ago. You know these are real people. They probably just need a good reason to reengage. 

You need to essentially prepare to send two emails here again. The first must contain relevant content, such as recommendations based on what that person has bought and/or browsed before or things like coupons and discounts. The second, of course, is again a goodbye email.

What sets this type of email apart from a winback email is three things:

✅ The intention: Sunset flows are sent with the intention of identifying those who should be filtered out.

✅ The audience: Sunset flows are sent to disengaged users, including those who have never purchased.

For a good example of this kind of email, see the Topfoxx email below. There’s a discount code after what’s clearly a goodbye message of sorts.

The key thing here is to be careful to not confuse regular seasonal shoppers for sunset users. The purchase history of an individual buyer should be taken into account while creating the email.

Whatever option you choose, the thing to remember is that not all subscribers are worth fighting for. A smaller, healthier list can outperform a bloated, disengaged one.

Besides, if you’re going to be paying for a long list, it only makes sense to make each subscriber really count.

A well-executed sunset flow helps you part ways gracefully with those who’ve moved on, while giving one last nudge to those who might still reengage. With inboxes more crowded than ever and email platforms getting smarter (and pricier), the brands that win are the ones that prioritize quality over quantity. So before you clean house, run that sunset flow—and let your list work smarter, not harder.

For help with setting up advanced flows like sunset flows—or even basic ones—call us now!