Strategies For Reactivating Inactive Users

Your newsletter isn’t just a newsletter. It’s a customer reactivation machine. Most companies treat churned customers like they’re gone forever. We turned Post Planner's newsletter into a reactivation engine — bringing back past customers without sending cringey "reactivation" sequences. Here’s how you can do the same: 1️⃣ Pull Your Churned Customer List Export past customers from your CRM (if they didn’t opt out of emails). Bonus: Include inactive free-tier users or trial users who never converted. 2️⃣ Segment and Clean Your List Before launching, verify your entire list with a tool like Clearout. Slowly drip these emails into your newsletter sends (increasing your sending volume too quickly will cause your deliverability to tank). 3️⃣ Create a Newsletter That’s Actually Worth Reading Most B2B newsletters are dry product updates. Nobody wants that. Instead, send: ✅ Industry insights your audience actually cares about ✅ Playbooks & tactics they can implement right away ✅ Case studies showing how others are getting results with your product ✅ (Subtle) product mentions—but only when relevant 4️⃣ Make It Fun & Engaging Your newsletter should be: 🔥 Scannable (short paragraphs, bullets, bold key points) 🔥 Entertaining (add personality, memes, and humor) 🔥 Consistent (weekly or bi-weekly, never sporadic) 5️⃣ Track Engagement Beyond UTM Clicks Most companies only track “newsletter-driven sales” through UTM links. That’s a mistake. Look for these signs of reactivation: ✅ Increased logins from old accounts ✅ More Intercom/chat support inquiries from churned users ✅ Leads that “randomly” re-enter your pipeline 6️⃣ Stay Consistent & Play the Long Game When done right, newsletters: 💰 Keep your brand top-of-mind with leads (until they're ready to buy) 💰 Nurture past customers until they’re ready to return 💰 Drive revenue without pushy re-engagement tactics that burn through your contacts list #B2BSaaS #contentmarketing #B2Bmarketing

I was asked to prove my worth—in just 4 hours. I walked away with a $500 win and a 17% boost in repurchase rate. A few weeks ago, I got shortlisted for a retention role with a fast-growing DTC brand. But instead of endless interviews or unpaid “trials,” they did something rare: “Let’s start with a 4-hour paid audit. We’ll pay $500. Show us ONE test that can actually move the needle.” No fluff. No PDFs. Just impact. Here’s what I was asked to audit: Subscription flow (Recharge) Loyalty setup (Smile.io) Post-purchase experience (Shopify + Klaviyo) Here’s what I found: Subscriptions had zero retention logic — once canceled, it was a dead end. Loyalty tiers existed — but felt generic and transactional. Post-purchase emails were receipt-style — no upsell, no emotional momentum. So I proposed one high-leverage test: A win-back flow for lapsed one-time buyers and canceling subscribers. Tools: Klaviyo + Smile.io + Recharge Incentive: Double loyalty points + relevant product bundle Trigger: Cancelation or inactivity window CTA: Come back + unlock a curated bonus 📈 Results after 10 days: 17% increase in repurchase rate 11% reactivation among churned subs +8% uplift in AOV from returning customers All from one focused lifecycle flow. What I loved most? They valued thinking, not just execution. Paid me for strategy, not just hands-on time. And saw real revenue in less than 2 weeks. The brand didn’t care about pretty dashboards. They wanted real revenue lifts from real customer behavior—and they were willing to pay for strategic thinking. 📌 Key takeaway for founders & marketers: Sometimes the answer isn’t “more flows” or “more budget.” It’s asking: Where are we losing people we already paid to acquire?

How do you get churned customers ... back? Reactivations are when previously churned customers come back and start paying again. Reactivations are way too often overlooked, but they can be a meaningful lever for growth if you approach them strategically. Our B2C friends often obsess over there, but in B2B, we rarely approach getting customers back as broadly and strategically as we could. RevenueCat manages 40% of all mobile apps subscriptions, across 10,000+ paid apps. What does it see? 12% of lapsed paying customers … come back later. Most are more B2B2C that B2B, but the point still holds. 👉 In B2B, about 8-12% of churned customers tend to come back, depending on your business model and how well you nurture them after they leave. That’s a big enough number to make it worth your time. To drive reactivations, you need a dedicated strategy: #1. Drip Campaigns for Churned Customers Set up a series of emails or messages targeted specifically at churned customers. Space them out—every 60-90 days is a good cadence. Highlight new features, improvements, or anything that addresses the reasons they left in the first place. #2. Invite Them to Events Webinars, product launches, or even customer success stories can help keep you top of mind. It’s about reminding them why they liked your product in the first place. #3. Offer a Low-Risk Reentry Sometimes, churned customers just need a nudge. Offer them a free trial or a discounted rate to come back. Make it easy for them to re-engage without a big commitment upfront. #4. Focus on High NPS Customers: If your product has a high Net Promoter Score (NPS), you already know many of your customers liked or even loved your product. These are the ones most likely to come back if you stay in touch and show them the value they’re missing . #5. Treat Them Well When They Leave. This is critical. And too often, done wrong these days. Let them go gracefully—don’t play games with their data or make it hard to cancel. If you treat them well on the way out, they’re more likely to come back when the timing is right. Reactivations are especially valuable because they often come with lower CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost). You’ve already built some trust with these customers, and they’re familiar with your product. The key is to stay patient and consistent—reactivations can take months or even years, especially in enterprise B2B. But if you play the long game, they can be a meaningful part of your growth strategy.