How to Run a Re-engagement Email Campaign in HubSpot

Running a re-engagement email campaign in Hubspot is essential when your contact list includes subscribers who have stopped opening or clicking your messages. A structured re-engagement process helps you clean your database, protect deliverability, and focus your marketing on people who still want to hear from you.

This guide walks through how to build a full re-engagement workflow based on the official process, including setup, segmentation, email content, and final list cleanup.

Why Use HubSpot for Re-engagement Campaigns

A re-engagement campaign targets contacts who are chronically unengaged with your marketing emails. Over time, these contacts can harm your sender reputation and reduce overall performance.

Using HubSpot for this work gives you:

• Centralized email performance data
• Automation for enrollment and follow-up
• List segmentation tools to isolate unengaged subscribers
• Clear reporting to prove impact

The method below is modeled on the official process documented in the HubSpot knowledge base and is designed to stay aligned with email deliverability best practices.

Step 1: Understand HubSpot Re-engagement Strategy

Before building anything, clarify your goal: identify unengaged contacts, give them one last chance to stay, then stop emailing those who do not respond.

A typical re-engagement strategy in HubSpot includes:

1. Defining what counts as an unengaged contact
2. Creating a smart list to track those contacts
3. Sending a focused re-opt-in email
4. Measuring opens and clicks from that email
5. Removing or excluding non-responders from future sends

This protects your email health while preserving engaged contacts who still want communication.

Step 2: Define Unengaged Contacts in HubSpot

Use engagement data to create a clear rule for who is considered unengaged. In HubSpot, this usually combines email activity with subscription history.

Common criteria might include:

• Has been subscribed to your marketing emails for at least a set number of days (for example, 90 days or more)
• Has not opened a certain number of the most recent emails
• Has not clicked a link in any email in a specific period

Choose thresholds that reflect your normal sending frequency. The goal is to find contacts who consistently do not interact, not those who simply missed one or two sends.

Step 3: Build a Smart List of Unengaged Contacts in HubSpot

Next, create a dynamic list that updates automatically as contact behavior changes. In your HubSpot account, you will:

1. Create a new active list.
2. Add filters such as:

• Marketing email activity is “did not open” for a defined set of recent campaigns.
• Last marketing email open date is unknown or older than your chosen time frame.
• Subscription status is still opted in for marketing communication.

This list becomes the core audience for your re-engagement email and will shrink or grow as contacts interact with your messages.

Step 4: Create Your Re-engagement Email in HubSpot

The re-engagement email should be simple, transparent, and focused on permission. In the HubSpot email editor, create a new marketing email dedicated to this purpose.

Key Elements of a Strong HubSpot Re-engagement Email

• Clear subject line – For example: “Do you still want to hear from us?” or “Confirm you still want our emails.”
• Short body copy – Explain why the contact is receiving the message and what will happen if they ignore it.
• Explicit call to action – Ask them to confirm they want to stay subscribed by clicking a link or button.
• Visible unsubscribe option – Make it easy to opt out if they no longer want your content.

In HubSpot, link the main call to action to a confirmation page or a simple thank-you page. This click can then be used as the signal that the contact is re-engaged.

Sample Structure for a HubSpot Re-engagement Email

• Brief reminder of who you are
• Statement that you’ve noticed they have not interacted in a while
• Offer of what they will keep getting if they stay opted in
• Primary confirmation button or link
• Secondary link to manage email preferences or unsubscribe

Step 5: Send the Campaign to the Right HubSpot List

When the email is ready, send it to the active list of unengaged contacts you built earlier. In HubSpot, choose that list as the recipient and confirm you are only targeting these subscribers.

Additional best practices:

• Avoid sending re-engagement emails during major holidays or busy seasons where inboxes are crowded.
• Consider excluding contacts added very recently, who have not had a real chance to engage.
• Monitor your send for any unusual bounce or complaint spikes.

After the send, give contacts time to open and click. Many teams wait about one to two weeks before taking the next step.

Step 6: Identify Re-engaged Contacts in HubSpot

Once the email has been live for a sufficient period, analyze your results. Your goal is to separate re-engaged contacts from those still inactive.

Create a Re-engaged List in HubSpot

Build another active list with conditions such as:

• Contact was a member of the unengaged list at the time of send
• Contact opened the re-engagement email OR clicked its confirmation link

Contacts in this list have demonstrated interest and can remain eligible for future marketing emails.

Segment Remaining Unengaged Contacts

Then, create a second list for contacts who:

• Were in the original unengaged list
• Did not open or click the re-engagement email within your time frame

This group represents contacts you should remove from regular marketing sends to protect your sender reputation.

Step 7: Stop Emailing Non-responders in HubSpot

For the list of non-responders, adjust their status so they do not receive regular marketing email. In HubSpot, teams often:

• Exclude the non-responder list from all future marketing campaigns
• Update a custom property such as “Marketing eligible” to “No” for these contacts
• Document this policy so it is followed consistently

Some organizations may choose to fully delete these contacts after a defined retention period, especially if they have no other relevant interactions such as purchases or product usage.

Step 8: Maintain Ongoing List Health in HubSpot

A single clean-up is not enough. Build a recurring process in HubSpot so your lists stay healthy over time.

Ongoing HubSpot Maintenance Tips

• Review unengaged segments quarterly or monthly, depending on send volume.
• Refresh your re-engagement email at least once or twice per year.
• Monitor open rates, click rates, bounce rates, and spam complaint rates in HubSpot reports.
• Consider using automation workflows to enroll unengaged contacts automatically into a re-engagement sequence.

Consistent maintenance keeps your database manageable and maximizes the effectiveness of every campaign.

Where This HubSpot Process Comes From

This how-to is based on the official documentation in the HubSpot knowledge base. For the original reference and interface-level details, review the source article on re-engagement campaigns at HubSpot’s support site.

Next Steps and Additional Resources

If you want help designing advanced workflows, segmentation rules, or broader lifecycle strategies around this HubSpot process, consider working with a specialist agency or consultant.

For strategic CRM and marketing operations support, you can learn more at Consultevo, which offers consulting around marketing automation, CRM architecture, and process optimization.

By following the steps above and reviewing your data regularly, you will keep your email list healthy, improve deliverability, and ensure that your HubSpot marketing program focuses on people who are truly interested in your content.

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