Customer Winback Email Campaign Strategy
Email MarketingintermediateClaude 3.5 Sonnet or GPT-4o. Claude excels at nuanced email copy and strategic thinking, while GPT-4o is faster for generating multiple variations. Both handle personalization logic and campaign structure equally well. Choose Claude if you want more sophisticated tone and psychology; choose GPT-4o if you need quick iterations.
When to Use This Prompt
Use this prompt when you have a segment of inactive customers you want to reactivate without damaging brand relationships. It's ideal for SaaS, e-commerce, subscription services, or B2B companies with clear purchase history data. Perfect when you need a full campaign strategy quickly rather than building from scratch.
The Prompt
You are an expert email marketing strategist specializing in customer reactivation campaigns. I need you to create a comprehensive winback email campaign strategy for a [INDUSTRY] company looking to re-engage [CUSTOMER_SEGMENT] who haven't purchased in [TIME_PERIOD].
## Campaign Context
- Business: [COMPANY_NAME]
- Product/Service: [PRODUCT_DESCRIPTION]
- Target Audience: [CUSTOMER_SEGMENT] (e.g., "high-value customers who spent $500+")
- Inactivity Period: [TIME_PERIOD] (e.g., "6 months")
- Campaign Goal: [SPECIFIC_GOAL] (e.g., "drive 15% reactivation rate")
- Budget/Incentive Available: [INCENTIVE_TYPE] (e.g., "15% discount code, free shipping, exclusive offer")
## Requirements
Create a 4-email sequence that includes:
1. **Subject lines** (3 variations per email for A/B testing)
2. **Email copy** (150-200 words each) with clear value proposition
3. **CTA recommendations** (primary and secondary)
4. **Timing strategy** (days between sends)
5. **Personalization opportunities** (dynamic content suggestions)
6. **Success metrics** (what to track for each email)
## Tone & Approach
Make the campaign feel personal and genuine—acknowledge the relationship without guilt-tripping. Focus on what's new, improved, or exclusive since they last engaged. Include social proof where relevant.
## Deliverables
Provide the complete sequence with all elements above, plus a brief implementation checklist and key performance benchmarks for [INDUSTRY].
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Tips for Best Results
- 1.Replace all [BRACKETS] with specific data from your CRM before pasting. Vague inputs produce generic campaigns—specific details drive personalized, high-performing sequences.
- 2.Test subject lines against your historical open rates. Ask the AI to generate 5-7 variations instead of 3 if you have large enough segments to split-test effectively.
- 3.Add a 'pre-send' step: ask the AI to identify which email in the sequence has the highest historical drop-off for your industry, then request optimization for that specific email.
- 4.Request the AI generate a parallel SMS or push notification sequence for multi-channel reactivation, especially if your inactive segment has mobile engagement history.
Example Output
## Winback Campaign: 4-Email Sequence
### Email 1: "We Miss You" (Send Day 0)
**Subject Lines:**
- "We've missed you, [FirstName]"
- "What you've been missing (it's good)"
- "Come back and see what's new"
**Copy:** Hi [FirstName], it's been [TIME] since we last saw you, and we wanted to reach out personally. We've launched three major features our customers love, and we think you'd appreciate them too. Plus, we're offering returning customers [INCENTIVE] as a welcome back gift. No pressure—just wanted you to know we're here and better than ever.
**CTA:** Explore What's New | View Your Exclusive Offer
**Timing:** Day 0
**Metrics:** Open rate, click-through rate, incentive redemption
### Email 2: "Social Proof" (Send Day 3)
**Subject Lines:**
- "[NUMBER] customers came back. Here's why."
- "See how [COMPETITOR/SIMILAR_COMPANY] is using us now"
- "Your peers are getting [SPECIFIC_BENEFIT]"
**Copy:** Since you last used us, [SOCIAL_PROOF_STAT]. Customers in your industry are seeing [SPECIFIC_RESULT]. We'd love to show you how [CUSTOMER_NAME] increased [METRIC] by [PERCENTAGE]. Your offer expires [DATE]—let's get you back on track.
**CTA:** See Customer Success Stories | Claim Your Offer
**Timing:** Day 3
**Metrics:** Click-through rate, landing page conversion
### Email 3: "FOMO + Urgency" (Send Day 7)
**Subject Lines:**
- "Last chance: [INCENTIVE] expires [DATE]"
- "[FirstName], your offer ends soon"
- "Don't miss out on [EXCLUSIVE_BENEFIT]"
**Copy:** Your exclusive welcome-back offer expires in [DAYS]. We know you're busy, but we wanted to make sure you didn't miss this. If you have any questions or need help getting started again, reply to this email—our team is here for you.
**CTA:** Redeem Now | Get Started
**Timing:** Day 7
**Metrics:** Conversion rate, redemption rate
### Email 4: "Final Goodbye + Door Open" (Send Day 14)
**Subject Lines:**
- "We'll be here when you're ready"
- "One last thing before we go"
- "We hope to see you again soon"
**Copy:** We understand life gets busy. If now isn't the right time, that's okay. We'll keep your account active and ready whenever you want to return. In the meantime, here's a resource that might help: [HELPFUL_CONTENT]. We're always here if you need us.
**CTA:** Browse Helpful Resources | Contact Our Team
**Timing:** Day 14
**Metrics:** Engagement rate, unsubscribe rate
## Implementation Checklist
- [ ] Segment inactive customers by purchase value and last purchase date
- [ ] Personalize with customer name, product history, and relevant benefits
- [ ] Set up automated send times based on historical engagement patterns
- [ ] Create unique discount codes for tracking
- [ ] Design mobile-responsive templates
- [ ] Set up conversion tracking in email platform
- [ ] Prepare customer service team for response volume
- [ ] Plan post-campaign analysis
## Industry Benchmarks ([INDUSTRY])
- Expected open rate: 25-35%
- Expected click-through rate: 3-5%
- Expected conversion rate: 1-3%
- Typical reactivation rate: 10-20%
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