Here’s a practical publisher guide to re-engaging newsletter readers

If you invited friends to a party every week and 70 percent of them never showed up, what would you do?

Keep sending the same invitation? Or try a different approach to get them interested?

That’s a version of what happens when publishers keep sending the same newsletter to readers who haven’t engaged in months. They’re still on the list, but something about the emails isn’t getting them to open it or click on anything.

A re-engagement campaign is a chance to change that. Today, I’ll walk through why to run one, what to include and how to set one up.

We’ll also cover re-engagement in the first session of our free 2027 Audience Growth Webinar Series, which kicks off next week with a focus on newsletter strategies. You can still sign up here.

1. Why you should run a re-engagement campaign

You likely have people who need to be re-engaged with your newsletter. A re-engagement campaign gives you a chance to remind them what’s useful about it and invite them to start reading again.

It also helps you decide which subscribers to keep sending to and which to remove from regular delivery. Some publishers have a hard time wrapping their heads around sending to a smaller, but more engaged list. While size matters, an engaged audience gives an advertiser a better chance of reaching readers who will respond.

That’s why I usually recommend focusing regular newsletter sends on new subscribers and readers who have engaged in the last three months, depending on how often you send. Look at clicks as well as opens, since opens alone don’t always reflect actual readership.

The re-engagement campaign gives readers outside that group a chance to come back, rather than simply dropping them from regular sends or continuing to send emails they aren’t reading.

2. What to include in a re-engagement campaign

I’d suggest running a re-engagement campaign for anyone who hasn’t engaged in a three-month time period. Here’s a pretty simple guide you can use:

• Email 1: Explain the purpose of the newsletter and what the reader can expect. Also include details on when it arrives and a link to the latest edition. Focus on how it helps them, whether that’s finding weekend plans or keeping up with local decisions.
• Email 2: Feature three specific stories or guides that are still timely and useful, with a short description and a link. Choose examples that show the value of reading regularly, such as a local guide or reporting they won’t find elsewhere.
• Email 3: Share a personal message from the owner or editor. Explain why the publication exists and why serving its readers matters to you. This would be a good opportunity to share some journalism you’re proud of and ask readers to reply with something they’d like you to cover.

3. Here are a few best practices to follow

There are some very specific tactics that can help you make a re-engagement campaign really work:

• Great subject lines: Give readers a specific reason to open the newsletter. Try subject lines like “A few stories worth coming back for” or “A note from our editor.”
• Effective CTAs: Make sure that there is a clear button or action for the reader to take with each email. Include wording like “Read the latest edition,” “Explore the guide” or “Reply with a story idea.”
• What counts as re-engagement: An open shouldn’t automatically move someone back to your engaged list. Require that someone clicked on a story or responded to the email.
• Set up the emails to send automatically: Use your email platform to send the three emails one week apart. When a reader clicks on a story or replies, stop the campaign and return them to regular newsletter delivery. If they don’t engage, leave them out of regular sends.

📩 We can help you improve your newsletter

Our newsletter program helps publishers improve their format, content, engagement strategies and revenue. We review what you’re sending, identify where readers are losing interest and work with your team on specific changes. Reply to this email to talk about how our newsletter program could help you today.

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