How many subscribers does reactivation actually bring back?

The real share depends heavily on vertical, geo and how long the base has been dormant — don't anchor on someone else's number, and measure response on your own base by comparing the cohort before and after the series.

After how many inactive days should a subscriber count as dormant?

Usually 7-10 days for gambling and betting and longer for nutra and dating, but the exact window is best calibrated against your own click data rather than a fixed rule of thumb.

Should subscribers who never reactivate be deleted?

After a few unsuccessful series, move them to a rare background cadence or drop them from active segments — otherwise they keep dragging down deliverability and CTR for the whole base.

Can the same win-back offer go to every segment?

It can, but response drops noticeably compared to personalizing by vertical and subscriber history — a specific bonus tied to someone's interest almost always beats one generic message.

How often can a win-back series run against the same base?

No more than once every few weeks for the same dormant segment — reaching out to inactive subscribers too often raises unsubscribes without lifting response.

How to Reactivate a Dormant Push Subscriber Base

Push base reactivation means winning back subscribers who stopped opening notifications and depositing, without buying a single click of new traffic. Every push base loses attention naturally — a chunk of subscribers simply forgets about the offer after one or two silent weeks. A well-built win-back series recovers part of that group almost for free, since the only real cost is the sends themselves.

What counts as a dormant subscriber, and when to reactivate

Treat a subscriber as dormant once they have gone longer than a set window without opening or clicking — usually 7-10 days for gambling and betting, given how fast interest fades, and a longer window for nutra and dating. Calibrate the window against your own base's behavior instead of a universal number: compare click share over the last 3 days against the previous 3 days per segment. Starting a win-back series too early (2-3 days of silence) wastes sends on people who simply have not opened their phone yet, while waiting too long (a month or more) lets the base decay — the browser gets removed, the device falls out of use, and the subscription stays technically alive but unreachable.

Segmenting the base before reactivation

A simple 'hasn't opened in N days' flag works, but it's blunt — add a second layer: whether the subscriber ever clicked or deposited before, and which geo and vertical they came from. Someone who deposited once and went quiet deserves a more generous, targeted offer than someone who subscribed and never clicked at all. Separately exclude dead subscriptions — where the browser is gone or the push can no longer physically deliver — since they drag down deliverability and CTR for the whole send while looking like a live audience.

Timing and structure of a win-back series

A working structure isn't a single push but a short series of 3-4 sends with escalating value: a soft reminder first, then a specific bonus, and a closing push with a real deadline ('offer ends today'). Spacing sends 1-3 days apart works best — any looser and the subscriber forgets the previous push's context, any tighter and the base gets fatigued and unsubscribes climb. If the whole series doesn't land, don't repeat it immediately — drop that segment into a low-frequency background cadence (once every week or two) instead of pushing daily.

Offers that actually bring dormant subscribers back

A generic 'we miss you' message barely moves anyone — what works is a concrete benefit tied to the vertical: free spins or a deposit bonus for casino, boosted cashback or match odds for betting, a deadline discount for nutra. Personalizing by the vertical the subscriber originally came from lifts response far more than one universal message sent to the whole base. Urgency ('only 24 hours') works harder in a win-back series than in a regular send — you're already fighting for the attention of someone who has already shown they're willing to tune you out.

Measuring reactivation results

Track the reactivated segment as its own cohort — how many dormant subscribers opened, clicked and deposited after the series — instead of blending those numbers into the active base's overall stats. Some subscribers won't respond to any attempt, and that's normal; after 2-3 unsuccessful series it's smarter to move them to a rare background cadence or drop them from active segments entirely rather than let them keep dragging down deliverability and CTR. Reactivation is almost always cheaper per contact than fresh traffic, even at a lower response rate, because the base is already collected and paid for.

Reactivation inside APEX

APEX's push engine segments the base by geo, vertical and activity automatically, so the dormant segment surfaces without exporting lists and cross-checking spreadsheets by hand. Triggered sends fire on an inactivity condition (N days with no click), while scheduled sends handle the win-back series itself — both live in the same interface, with no need to move the base to a separate push tool. Sticky split tests tied to the subscriber let you compare two reactivation offers on the same segment and keep only the one that works before rolling it out to the whole dormant base.

FAQ

How many subscribers does reactivation actually bring back?: The real share depends heavily on vertical, geo and how long the base has been dormant — don't anchor on someone else's number, and measure response on your own base by comparing the cohort before and after the series.
After how many inactive days should a subscriber count as dormant?: Usually 7-10 days for gambling and betting and longer for nutra and dating, but the exact window is best calibrated against your own click data rather than a fixed rule of thumb.
Should subscribers who never reactivate be deleted?: After a few unsuccessful series, move them to a rare background cadence or drop them from active segments — otherwise they keep dragging down deliverability and CTR for the whole base.
Can the same win-back offer go to every segment?: It can, but response drops noticeably compared to personalizing by vertical and subscriber history — a specific bonus tied to someone's interest almost always beats one generic message.
How often can a win-back series run against the same base?: No more than once every few weeks for the same dormant segment — reaching out to inactive subscribers too often raises unsubscribes without lifting response.

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