💬 Email can be a key driver as part of a winback and re-engagement campaign - and with testing different angles, messaging, variants in terms of design/layout, and other elements that I highlight through this checklist, you can increase your chances of better winback/re-engagement performance.
💬 Most of the tactical areas I share below have example references from top SaaS brands I've seen - hoping there are some areas that can spark some other thoughts/tests that you can run for your product. :)
Setup automated sequence campaigns like this to stay top of mind to freemium/free-plan user segments about paid features and capabilities they’re missing out on.
It can help create FOMO, especially when using the right messaging (highlighting USPs/pros), social proof and use cases.
I always speak to clients/companies I consult with to ensure to have at a minimum, product update emails to send to all segments - where it’s a chance to highlight new product releases, bug fixes, upcoming features, reminder for feedback, resources to share and other relevant announcements.
I’m a big fan of initiatives like this where you keep things more “human” and away from just the typical promo/automated sequences.
If you want to get cut-through and generate engagement/replies for something that is critical to get feedback/engagement from users and customers, then plain-text founder emails like this example from Rand Fishkin can be effective.
To help with ‘winning’ back those who are on freemium plans after they downgraded, or didn’t commit post free-trial period, experiment with emails focused on top features, backed with relevant and focused customer review(s).
Key recommendation: based on the attributes you have available, choose ICP-aligned reviews to those key segments you’re sending to.
I’m a big believer of using social proof elements like reviews, publication logos, UGC-type content (videos and/or images), thought-leader quotes (etc) wherever possible across emails.
In this case, sending dedicated emails focused just on social proof can work very well for re-engagement for inactive/low activity-based audiences.
You can achieve higher re-engagement rates from users/audiences who have become inactive when you share more stories, which relate to key solutions and your primary ICP’s.
If you’re wanting to push for more conversions, sometimes you have to dangle the carrot to get people to commit - and that’s where sharing incentives/offers can help.
Reminder: Tailor offers and messaging by key behavioural segments.
As mentioned earlier in this checklist, utilising social proof elements like testimonials and reviews can help accelerate trust-building and credibility, which is important to make noticeable for those deeper in the funnel.
And the tactical experiment I’m pointing out here is to utilise social proof with a core offer in one email.
From experience, emails like this tend to perform quite well as it’s focused on one core CTA.
If you have ‘templates’ or some sort of ‘use case’ library that’s part of your product offering, experiment with this angle to remind users of how ‘easy’ it can be to apply templates to specific solutions/use cases.
Ensure to tailor send outs with templates that are broken down by segment goals/attributes - (for e.g. send project management templates to operation managers).
Sometimes, all you need is a simple email with one focused CTA, with minimal and succinct copy to inactive/low-active segments.
Have tested this in the past and it can work - sometimes less ‘clutter’ can help with certain pockets of audiences.
Many of the top SaaS startups use this tactic for those who were on free trials and never upgraded.
Highly recommend to incorporate this into the mix of your SaaS email strategy.
Recommendation: run the first one with no offer, and for those who don’t uptake, test combining with an offer at a later date.
Sometimes just a simple prompt reminder is all you need to get a % of users to come back - especially in a busy inbox, just focusing on one simple action can help get some users back.
I always get impressed as a user with these types of “end of year” data-based emails - whether related to my specific use, or just knowing the benchmarks/data from the company about how their users across the board have utilised the product, I find interesting.
Related to the above checklist point, a good way to get people back are through summary reports from the company and/or product.
With any sort of event/webinar or conference you’re planning to run, you want to ensure to send tailored and dedicated emails to segments that are inactive or those who have previously downgraded plans.
You can use this as an opportunity to angle ‘exciting new updates’ and other messaging focused on why they should attend, tied with social proof.
Sharing any sort of milestone or celebratory anniversary is a great way to nudge and stay top of mind to users.
I actually wrote a checklist on different types of milestone/anniversary experiments that you can test.
