Issue #220 All About Email

Hi, {{first_name|friend}}. 👋

Welcome to Issue #220 of All About Email!

Last week, I shared some actionable tips to help you start 2026 with a cleaner, more deliverable email list.

This week, I will expand on my sunset automation so you can put something in place for 2026 or maybe tweak an existing automation.

Let’s go! 👇

Last week, in Day 5 of 7, I mentioned sunset automations and linked to Issue 212, which provides additional detail on my sunset automation.

By my standards, this blew up a little bit on LinkedIn, and people were very interested to know more, so here you go, {{first_name|friend}}. 👇

🏁 If a subscriber has not opened or clicked in 90 days, they are moved to the sunset automation.

💡 Conditional Re-entry: A subscriber may re-enter this automation once more with no cooldown period. This is important because a subscriber who repeatedly re-enters this automation is “not engaged”.

A re-entry of “one more time” (is a second chance, but also takes into account a potential for a subscriber’s personal/work circumstances that might impact engagement).

I’m not going into the wording of each email or subject line in detail, but they should follow these basic principles as the subscriber in the flow is already unengaged:

💡 We then wait three days and branch:

💡 We then wait three days and branch:

💡 We then wait three days and branch:

The next part is important, so read the section below carefully, {{first_name|friend}}. 👇

💡 It’s all about data, and your sunset automation is not evergreen; you should change things up based on:

For example, you might need only two steps rather than three (my third email currently re-engages 6.38% of users who enter the flow, so I need it).

You need to review your data and test.

Next is “wait time”, which will depend on when you send an email from your sunset automation.

If you’re sending on the weekend and the subscriber is B2B, it’s unlikely they will see it.

💡 Again, it’s about your data. Most of my engagement occurs in the first 48-72 hours, which is why I have a three-day wait before the next steps in the automation.

Sometimes it’s hard to say goodbye, and sometimes it’s necessary for you and your subscribers.

Try to view it as a positive (“sunset party”) rather than a negative, and celebrate the time you and your subscribers have shared (especially in your email copy).

✅ Remember, I said about “personalising without being creepy”?

A great way to do that is to review your acquisition sources and tailor multiple sunset automation and their respective content.

💡 A subscriber from your social media is different from a subscriber who converted on your website or via a referral.

Depending on your ESP (and any integrations you might have), you could have a wealth of data to use to personalise and customise multiple sunset automations.

“Acquisition source” is just one example.

Note that sometimes a single flow is sufficient, and you need to keep things simple. 😉

💡 Lastly, check the automation triggers, links, and actions to ensure they work as intended (bonus points for re-checking periodically, because you never know what an ESP can do).

That’s it for this week! 👋

Welcome to Curiosity Corner! Each week, I throw one question your way…not always about email marketing, but always worth a reply.

This week’s question is the last of 2025. 👇

In last week’s poll, I asked you how long is too long?

“The Middle - I like around 500 words” is leading with 9 out of 13 votes (69.23%). 👇

Every week, as I write this newsletter, I'll share the track of the moment to create an unbelievably eclectic playlist just for your inbox.

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This week's excellent and insightful email news & tips:

If you have any questions about this email or email marketing, please reply, and I will answer you as soon as possible.

I hope you have a great week! 👋