What is a sunset flow?
Nicklas Segatz Mortensen · Growth Hacker · Fractional CMO · Meta Ads Nerd · 8 July 2026 · 3 min.
Definition
A sunset flow gradually steps profiles that haven't engaged over a longer period down and eventually out of active sending — to protect your sender reputation.
Also called: Sunset flow, Suppression flow, List hygiene flow
Sådan virker det
Sunset-flowet gradueres uengagerede profiler ned og til sidst ud af aktiv sending. Det føles kontraintuitivt at stoppe med at maile folk, men det beskytter din afsender-reputation, så de engagerede rent faktisk modtager dine beskeder i indbakken.
01Emailing fewer to reach more
It feels wrong to stop emailing people on your own list. But inbox providers measure engagement: if you send to lots of people who never open, they read it as a signal that your emails are unwanted — and start routing them to spam, even for your active customers. The sunset flow protects against exactly that.
The flow gives the unengaged one last chance to show interest, then removes those who don't respond from active sending. The result is a smaller but far healthier list — and better deliverability to the customers who actually read.
Frequently asked questions
Why should I remove people from my own list?+
Because inbox providers penalize low engagement. If you send to lots of people who never open, more of your emails land in spam — even for the active ones. Sunsetting the dead contacts protects deliverability to those who read.
When should a profile be sunset?+
Typically after a longer stretch with no opens, clicks or purchases — often 90–120 days, depending on your send frequency and repurchase interval. Give them one last chance to respond before removing them.
Related terms
Glossary
What is deliverability?
Deliverability is the share of your sent emails that actually land in the recipient's inbox rather than in spam or getting rejected entirely.
Read the entry →Glossary
What is a winback flow?
A winback flow triggers when a former customer has been inactive for a while — and tries to get them buying again before they're considered lost.
Read the entry →Glossary
What are SPF, DKIM and DMARC?
SPF, DKIM and DMARC are email authentication standards that let the recipient's mail server verify that an email really was sent from the domain it claims — and therefore isn't spoofed.
Read the entry →
Nicklas Segatz Mortensen
Growth Hacker · Fractional CMO · Meta Ads Nerd at Oaksmond
Growth hacker and fractional CMO with 10+ years' experience and hundreds of millions in managed ad spend behind him. Background from larger Danish and international scale-ups, and from the agency world.
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