Email List Hygiene: Klaviyo Sunset Flows and Suppression

A bigger list isn't always a better list. Subscribers who never engage cost you money (Klaviyo bills by profile count) and can drag down inbox placement for everyone else. A sunset flow fixes both.

Why engagement matters to deliverability

Mailbox providers watch how recipients react to your mail. Lots of ignored messages, and especially spam complaints, signal that people don't want it, and future campaigns can land in spam even for engaged subscribers.

Opens are inflated, so look at clicks and activity

Apple Mail Privacy Protection can register "opens" without a person reading anything. So define engagement with clicks, site activity (Active on Site, Viewed Product) and purchases alongside opens, not opens alone.

Building the sunset flow

• Segment: no clicks or site activity in about 180 days and no purchase in 180 days. Shorten it to around 120 days if you send very frequently.
• Email 1: "Should we keep in touch?" with a one-click "Yes, keep me subscribed" link that adds a profile property or tag.
• Email 2 (about 4 days later): last chance, plus a preference center so they can choose less email instead of none.
• After about 3 more days with no action: suppress, don't delete. Suppressed profiles stop receiving marketing but keep their history.

Campaign targeting goes with it

Send regular campaigns to engaged segments (30, 60 or 90 days, depending on volume), and occasionally a broader segment for big moments. Never default to "everyone."

Check whether you have a sunset flow and engagement segments with the free audit.