How to Automatically Re-Engage Email Non-Openers

Common reasons include:

• The email arrives while the contact is busy.

• The message is buried in a crowded inbox.

• The subject line fails to capture attention at the right moment.

As a result, marketing emails often show open rates between 15–30%, meaning 70–85% of your audience may never see the content.

An Open-Loop Follow-Up Workflow solves this problem by automatically sending a second version of the email only to contacts who did not open the first message.

The Problem This Solves

Low Visibility for Campaigns

Even well-written emails often go unopened. This can lead to:

• Reduced campaign ROI

• Missed opportunities for engagement

• Lower conversion rates for downloads, demos, or offers

Sending another campaign to the entire list is not ideal because it may annoy contacts who already opened or engaged with the original email.

How the Open-Loop Follow-Up Works

The workflow identifies contacts who did not open the original email and automatically sends a second message with a modified subject line.

Typical flow:

The second message creates an “open loop” by presenting the same content with a new entry point (usually a different subject line or preview text).

This approach typically increases total campaign opens by 10–30% without increasing list size.

Implementation

Step 1: Send the Original Marketing Email

1. In your HubSpot account, navigate to
   Marketing → Email

2. Create and send your campaign.

Example subject line:

Step 2: Create a List of Non-Openers

Create an active list that identifies contacts who received the email but did not open it.

Steps:

1. Navigate to CRM → Lists

2. Click Create list

3. Select Active list

Add filters:

The list will update automatically as contacts engage with the email.

Step 3: Clone the Original Email

Create a second version of the campaign:

1. Navigate to Marketing → Email

2. Locate the original email

3. Click Clone

Only update:

• Subject line

• Preview text

Example revised subject line:

Step 4: Create the Follow-Up Workflow

1. Navigate to Automation → Workflows

2. Click Create workflow

3. Select Contact-based workflow

Set the enrollment trigger:

Add workflow actions:

Optional safeguard:

This ensures engaged contacts do not receive the follow-up.

Best Practices

Change Only the Subject Line

Keep the email body identical. This ensures you are testing the subject line’s ability to drive opens.

Adjust the Send Time

Send the second email at a different time than the first.

Example:

This increases the likelihood that the message reaches the contact at a better time.