Re-engagement Flow in Brevo: How to Wake Up Dead Subscribers

Re-engagement is one of the most profitable automation workflows inside Brevo, yet most businesses either build it wrong or activate it too late. Inactive subscribers silently destroy your email performance—lower opens, higher bounces, weak conversions, and eventually deliverability problems. A proper re-engagement flow fixes all of this. This guide shows you exactly how to build a clean, compliant, high-converting re-engagement automation inside Brevo using a simple, repeatable structure.

Why This Matters

Most brands let subscriber inactivity run out of control. After 60–180 days of disengagement, those emails start hurting your sender reputation. Brevo provides you with automation triggers, segmentation logic, and event-driven personalization to revive inactive users in a controlled, data-driven way. You’re not guessing—you’re rescuing value before it disappears.

What You Will Learn

• How to define an “inactive subscriber” inside Brevo with precision
• The best list segments for re-engagement workflows
• The ideal 3–5 email structure to revive unengaged contacts
• Exact timing and pacing that avoids spam traps
• How to use events, tags, and conditions for cleaner automation logic
• When to suppress, remove, or sunset a subscriber safely

Step 1: Define Inactivity Properly in Brevo

Before building the workflow, you need a precise inactivity definition. Most brands use 90 days, which is acceptable, but industries vary.

Recommended Inactivity Windows

• 40–60 days: High-volume e-commerce
• 60–90 days: SaaS & B2B
• 90–120 days: Low-frequency newsletters

How to Build This Segment in Brevo

• Go to Contacts → Segments → Create a New Segment
• Add condition: Last email opened → more than 90 days
• Optional: Has purchased or Visited page for better targeting
• Exclude: Hard bounces, unsubscribes, suppressed contacts

This segment becomes the trigger input for your automation.

Step 2: Blueprint for the Perfect Re-engagement Workflow

The ideal re-engagement flow in Brevo follows a simple structure:

Why This Works

Inactivity usually means one of these: 1) timing mismatch, 2) value mismatch, 3) inbox fatigue, or 4) index issues (your emails land in Promotions/Spam). Your sequence solves all four by progressively increasing clarity, relevance, and commitment.

Step 3: Email-by-Email Breakdown

Email 1 — Value Reminder

Goal: Rebuild recognition + remind them who you are.

Messaging Includes:

• Your strongest value proposition
• Top 1–2 benefits
• Short CTA: “See what’s new”
• No discounts, no desperation

Email 2 — What They’re Missing

Goal: Show relevance. This email must make them feel the product still fits their needs.

• New features they haven’t seen
• Quick wins they missed
• Popular resources
• Updated templates or workflows

Email 3 — Interaction/Confirmation

Goal: Get one click. That single click resets their engagement score.

• “Still want to receive updates?”
• One CTA only
• No heavy content
• Soft, minimal design works best

Email 4 — Sunset Email

Goal: Make it clear this is the final check-in before removal.

Your tone stays respectful and compliant. No pressure.

Step 4: Build the Workflow in Brevo

Automation Flow Setup

1. Create a new workflow inside Automation → Create Workflow
2. Choose trigger: Contact enters a segment
3. Select your inactivity segment (60–120 day window)
4. Set conditions:
   • IF contact opens any re-engagement email → EXIT workflow immediately
   • IF subscriber clicks → add tag “Re-engaged”
5. Apply suppression logic for non-engagers
6. Send sunset email

Timing (Important)

• Wait 1 day between Email 1 → Email 2
• Wait 2–3 days between Email 2 → Email 3
• Wait 3–7 days between Email 3 → Email 4

This timing avoids deliverability damage but still keeps the journey compact.

Step 5: Tagging & Cleanup Logic

Use These Tags

• “Re-engaged” — for anyone who clicks or opens
• “Disengaged-Sunset” — for final non-engagers
• “DoNotSend-Reengagement” — optional compliance tag

Who Should Be Removed?

After Email 4, suppress anyone who:

• Did not open any of the emails
• Did not click any CTA
• Has inactivity greater than 180 days

This is important: A clean list improves deliverability → which improves your ROI.

Step 6: Personalization That Increases Re-engagement

Use These Variables

• {{ contact.firstname }} in subject line
• Behavior-based dynamic blocks
• Product-based recommendations
• Send-time optimization

Event Triggers Improve Accuracy

You can fire reminders or urgency emails only if the user shows new behavior:

• Page visit
• Product view
• Cart open
• Email click (but no conversion)

Step 7: Optimize the Re-engagement Performance

Track These Metrics

• Open rate of Email 1 (indicator of familiarity)
• Click rate of Email 3 (your main signal)
• Recoveries → users who re-enter engaged segment
• Deliverability health

A/B Test These

• Subject line tone (friendly vs benefit-driven)
• Plain-text vs HTML
• CTA text
• Interval length

Step 8: Essential Compliance Notes

• Always include unsubscribe link
• Never resend a re-engagement email twice
• Suppress safely after sunset
• Honor GDPR retention windows

This workflow keeps your list healthy and ensures your brand reputation stays strong.

Final Verdict

A well-built re-engagement flow inside Brevo recovers thousands of subscribers and protects your deliverability. Most brands react too late, build weak messaging, or do not tag correctly. By using a structured 4-step approach—Reminder, Relevance, Interaction, Sunset—you take full control of your subscriber lifecycle.

Brand Recommendation

Run this workflow continuously, not once per quarter. Let inactive subscribers flow into it, get revived, tagged, or cleaned automatically. It keeps your entire marketing system lighter, faster, and profitable.