Sunset Flow

An automation designed to phase out unengaged subscribers to improve deliverability.

1 min readLast updated Apr 2026

Reviewed by Golden Digital·Operator-reviewed ecommerce reference

Quick Reference

CategoryEmail Marketing & Klaviyo

An automation designed to phase out unengaged subscribers to improve deliverability.

Why It Matters

Unengaged subscribers hurt deliverability—ISPs see low engagement as a signal to filter your emails to spam. Sunset flows give unengaged subscribers a final chance to re-engage before suppression. This protects your sender reputation and improves metrics for engaged subscribers.

Practical Example

Scenario

A lifestyle brand sunsets subscribers who haven't opened in 120 days. 3-email flow over 2 weeks: 'Do you still want to hear from us?' If no engagement, auto-suppress.

Calculation

Sunsetting 15,000 unengaged subscribers from 100,000-person list

Result

List drops 15%, but open rates rise from 18% to 24%, deliverability improves, and revenue per send actually increases because engaged subscribers see more emails.

Pro Tips

1Set clear criteria: no opens in 90-180 days is typical
2Give 2-3 chances to re-engage with increasingly direct messaging
3Use compelling subject lines: 'Should we stop emailing you?' often gets opens
4Suppress (don't delete) so you have the record and can reactivate if they purchase

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Never sunsetting anyone, letting dead subscribers accumulate and hurt deliverability

Only sending one sunset email—give multiple chances before suppressing

Deleting instead of suppressing (losing purchase history and ability to reactivate)

Frequently asked questions

90-180 days of no opens typically. Shorter for frequent senders (3x/week), longer for infrequent. Consider purchase history too—a 1-year-old buyer who doesn't open may still buy again.

Unengaged subscribers weren't generating revenue anyway and were actively hurting deliverability. Brands typically see revenue increase or stay flat while engagement metrics improve significantly.

Put it to work

Related Terms

Winback Flow

An automated sequence targeting customers who haven't purchased in a defined period.

List Hygiene

Regular maintenance of email lists by removing invalid addresses and unengaged subscribers.

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7.7x blended return at scale — seven figures attributed, across five straight quarters · Modern Prairie · Apr 2025–Jun 2026 Read the Modern Prairie case study