Resend an Unopened Email

If you have subscribed contacts who didn't open an email that contained important information for them, you may want to send it again. Sending the same email can sometimes cause unsubscribes. However, if you only do it once, and within a day of the original send time, it may help boost audience engagement.

In this article, you'll learn how to resend an email to people who didn't open it the first time.

Before you start

Here are some things to know before you begin this process.

• Your chances of unsubscribes and complaints will increase if you resend an email 2 or more days after the original delivery time.
• Check out the Mailchimp blog to view our research on resending campaigns.
• This article tells you how to resend unopened regular, plain-text, A/B testing, or multivariate emails from Mailchimp on a web browser.
• You can also resend unopened regular email from the mobile app.

Resend an unopened email after sending

After you send or schedule an email campaign, you’ll see the Resend to non-openers button. You email must meet the following requirements for the button to appear:

• The email is a regular email.
• The email hasn’t already been resent or sent to a segment of non-openers.
• The email has click and open tracking turned on.

To resend an unopened email, follow these steps.

1. On the Send/Schedule confirmation page of your campaign, click Resend campaign to non-openers. If your email doesn't meet all requirements, you won't see the Resend to non-openers option.
2. In the Schedule your Resend Campaign modal, select a date to schedule your email.
3. Enter an optional new subject line.
4. Click Schedule email. That’s it! Your email is on its way to people who did not open your email.

Manually resend an unopened email

To resend your email to people who didn't open it, you'll replicate the original email and send it to a segment of unresponsive subscribed contacts.

Replicate your email

You’ll use the replicate option to create a copy of the original email. We’ll duplicate its content and its settings.

To replicate an email, follow these steps.

1. Click Campaigns, then click All campaigns.
2. Click the drop-down for the email you want to resend, and choose Replicate.

The replicated copy will open the checklist in the email builder.

Target unresponsive contacts

Create a segment to find the subscribed contacts who should have received your email, but didn’t open it. For more information about segments, check out Create and Send to a Segment.

Depending on your plan type, your experience with creating segments will differ. Complex segments are included with the Standard or higher, while simple segments are included with a Free plan.

Create a complex segment

To create a complex segment, follow these steps.

1. In the To section of the Campaign Builder, click Edit Recipients.
2. Click the Send to drop-down, then choose select Target contacts to open the complex segment builder.
3. Click the Select or search a filter drop-down and choose Campaign interaction.
4. The next drop-down should display was sent. If it doesn’t, click the drop-down to change it.
5. Click the Campaign drop-down and choose an option that includes your email. Select from any campaign, any of the last 5 Campaigns, or all of the last 5 Campaigns.
6. Optional: click the Choose drop-down next to the Timeframe and choose a time period.
7. Click Add “and” to open the And filters.
8. Click the Select or search a filter drop-down and choose Campaign interaction.
9. Click the was sent drop-down and choose has not opened.
10. Click the Campaign drop-down and choose the same option in the first filter; any campaign, any of the last 5 Campaigns, or all of the last 5 Campaigns.
11. Optional: click the Choose drop-down next to the Timeframe and choose a time period.
12. Click Review segment. Allow time for your segment to load.
13. Click Use segment.
14. Click Save in the email checklist, then send or schedule your email.

All set! Now you've resent your email to subscribed contacts who didn't open it the first time it was sent.

Create a simple segment

To create a regular segment, follow these steps.

1. In the To section of the Campaign Builder, click Edit Recipients.
2. Click the Send to drop-down, then choose New segments to open the segment builder.
3. Click the Select or search a filter drop-down and choose Email interaction.
4. Select was sent for the next drop-down.
5. Click the Choose drop-down, then choose an Aggregate or Sent option that includes your email.
6. Click Add filter.
7. Click the Select or search a filter drop-down and choose Email interaction.
8. Click the opened drop-down and choose did not open.
9. Click the Choose drop-down and select the same option you used in the first filter that includes your email.
10. Click Review segment. Allow time for your segment to load.
11. Click Use segment.
12. Click Save in the email checklist, then send or schedule your email.

All set! Now you've resent your email to subscribed contacts who didn't open it the first time it was sent.

Next steps

Be sure to monitor your email reports page to see how your email resend affected engagement.

Consider planning a re-engagement strategy to win back long-term inactive subscribers.