Time to clean your email list: A step-by-step guide
Ideally, you should clean your email list twice a year: at the beginning of the year and again in summer when business is typically quieter.
Here’s how to identify and remove inactive subscribers from your Klaviyo account while also giving them one last chance to re-engage.
The 3 key segments to review
To efficiently manage your list, focus on these three groups:
📌 Unengaged customers – People who have purchased but are no longer engaging with your emails.
📌 Unengaged non-customers – Subscribers who signed up but never made a purchase.
📌 Never active profiles – Contacts who have never interacted with your emails or website.
Step 1: Create your unengaged non-customer segment
Start by identifying subscribers who have NOT:
Purchased
Clicked
Opened
Been active on your site
Started checkout
… in the last 500 days. You can adjust this timeframe based on your business cycle, but 500 days ensures you cover two Black Friday periods for a fair analysis.
Step 2: Validate your segment
Before taking action, double-check your segment’s accuracy:
✅ Click on random profiles in the segment to verify their activity.
✅ Ensure the segment size makes sense compared to your total list.
✅ Adjust the segment criteria if it’s too broad or too narrow.
Step 3: Run a sunset flow
A sunset flow is your last attempt to re-engage unresponsive subscribers before removing them.
Pro Tip: You don’t need to offer a discount—your goal is to get a click, not necessarily a sale. Encourage subscribers to confirm they still want to hear from you.
If they don’t engage, it’s time to remove them.
Step 4: Suppress never-active profiles
For contacts who have never engaged with your emails, it’s best to suppress them immediately.
Here’s how to create a suppression segment in Klaviyo:
Go to Segments
Use the following filters:
Person can receive email marketing = Yes
Email is set
Created at least 180 days ago
Received at least 5 emails in the last 72 weeks
Opened = 0 times (all time)
Clicked = 0 times (all time)
Active on site = 0 times (all time)
Viewed product = 0 times (all time)
Checkout started = 0 times (all time)
Placed order = 0 times (all time)
Why does this matter? Klaviyo charges based on active profiles. Keeping inactive contacts in your list can unnecessarily increase your costs.
For more on Klaviyo’s billing terms, check out their official guidelines:Klaviyo Help Center
Need help managing your Klaviyo list?
If you’re unsure about who to keep and who to remove, a Klaviyo Audit can help troubleshoot your email performance and optimise your list.
Want expert guidance? Enquire about a Klaviyo Audit or learn more here: Klaviyo Account Audits
By cleaning your list regularly, you’ll improve email deliverability, reduce costs, and focus your marketing on engaged subscribers who are more likely to convert!
