The Ultimate Guide to Re-engagement Campaigns
10+ Years of Best Practices
The Ultimate Guide to Re-engagement Campaigns: 10+ Years of Best Practices
Re-engagement campaigns can breathe new life into your candidate database. But launching them the wrong way can damage your email deliverability and frustrate your recruiters. After more than a decade of testing, learning, and refining, here is a step-by-step guide to running high-impact re-engagement that are smart, strategic, and successful.
Whether you're working with 2,000 or 200,000 candidates, this guide will help you build a re-engagement engine that’s both scalable, effective, and drives revenue.
Start Small to Win Big
Avoid launching one massive automation to your entire database. Instead, begin with smaller, high-probability segments that are more likely to respond. This helps you:
Protect your email domain reputation
Manage responses more easily
Learn and iterate quickly
Example:
If you have 200,000 contacts, split them into ten groups of 20,000 and spread your campaign over 10 days using the staggered start automation option. This kind of staggered rollout allows you to monitor performance, manage inbound interest, and make adjustments as needed.
Segment Intelligently
Not all inactive candidates are the same. Divide your database into clear segments based on previous activity and the strength of your relationship. This ensures each candidate receives the most relevant message possible and you get quick wins from the start.
Suggested Segmentation Model:
Group 1: Previously placed candidates with no recent activity
Group 2: Candidates submitted positively but inactive for a period
Group 3: Candidates who applied or were screened but have gone quiet
Group 4: Candidates with no activity in a set time frame
Group 5+: Continue expanding based on time and interaction history
Start with your warmest leads first, then expand into colder audiences as your systems and team adjust.
Choose the Right Sender
Who the email comes from can make or break your re-engagement.
Active relationships: If a recruiter has worked with a candidate before and is still with your team, the message should come directly from that recruiter.
Inactive or unowned contacts: Use a central recruiting or marketing email to maintain professionalism and consistency.
People respond more when they feel a real person is reaching out. But you get diminishing returns on that if there is no relationship or it has been multiple years of inactivity.
Craft Content That Connects
Tailor your message based on the candidate’s segment and past experience. Generic emails won’t cut it. Speak to their history and what they’re likely to care about today.
For previously placed candidates:
“I know we’ve worked together successfully before. I’d love to hear what you’re up to and how things have been going for you lately.”
For previously submitted or screened candidates:
“It’s been a little while since we last connected. Just wanted to check in and see where you are in your career journey.”
For colder leads or candidates without a positive recruiter experience:
You’ll need to work harder to demonstrate value. Offer clear benefits to re-engaging and position the message as a helpful opportunity, not just a check-in.
Always include a call-to-action that gives the candidate a next step.
Add Real Value First
Lead with value before asking for anything. This principle consistently delivers higher engagement.
Examples of providing value:
Salary guides
Resume / interview tips,
Industry news
These small gestures show you’re serious about helping them, not just filling roles.
Follow Up the Right Way
Persistence works, but don’t be a pest. Build follow-up attempts into your re-engagement flow, spaced in a way that keeps you visible without being annoying.
Best practices for follow-ups:
Plan a multi-touch cadence over 2 to 4 weeks
Use varied formats (text-heavy, job highlights, personal check-ins)
Watch engagement metrics to optimize frequency and tone
If a candidate hasn’t responded after 3 or 4 thoughtful nudges, it’s okay to pause. You can always re-target later with a refreshed message.
Use Advanced Content Features
To boost results, take advantage of dynamic content and interactive tools:
Dynamic job suggestions based on the candidate’s past preferences
A link to your full job board in every message
A self-updating form for candidates to update their info or upload a new resume
This works especially well for higher-quality candidates who already trust your brand. It saves them time and increases the odds of a meaningful reply.
Prepare Your Team
Re-engagement can drive serious volume. Before launching, make sure your recruiting team is fully informed and ready to handle inbound responses.
Key steps:
Let recruiters know who you’re targeting and when
Make sure they have talking points or scripts if needed
Align on how to prioritize placeable vs. non-placeable candidates
Nothing kills momentum faster than reaching out, getting a response, and then failing to follow up properly. Make sure your team is set up to win.
The biggest key is ensuring you are reaching out to candidates that recruiters want to reconnect with!
Final Thoughts
Re-engagement isn’t just about blasting out emails. It’s a thoughtful, multi-step process that balances strategy, technology, and human connection.
Start small
Segment smart
Send with care
Deliver real value
And always follow through
When done right, a re-engagement campaign can turn dormant data into your best source of revenue.
The ultimate re-engagement goal?
Having an engagement system so robust you never need to re-engage.
But that is an article for another day.
Happy Automating and AI-ing!
-Billy