Skip to main content

Re-engagement Campaigns for Cold Leads

Use a DM campaign to win back cold contacts: find who's still interested, move them into an active follow-up, and leave the rest alone.

Most contacts don't convert the first time. They comment, enter a flow, maybe click a link, then go quiet. This playbook builds a re-engagement campaign that finds who's still worth pursuing and moves them back into an active sequence, without bothering the people who have truly moved on.

What you'll build

A DM campaign aimed at contacts who engaged in the past but haven't responded or converted recently. It sends one short message that invites a reply, then branches on whether they answer. People who re-engage move to a "Warm leads" folder for active follow-up. People who don't are left alone.

A re-engagement campaign flow with an opening message, a wait-for-reply step, and the replied and no-reply branches leading to different folders.

Step 1: Build your target segment

Cold leads showed interest once but haven't done anything lately. In Contacts, build a segment that combines:

  • An activity filter: contacts who replied to a scenario, clicked a link, or finished a campaign, dated more than 30 days ago.

  • An exclusion: leave out anyone in your "Customers" folder. No point re-engaging people who already bought.

  • Optional follow filter: add Follows you if you only want to reach current followers.

For a first run, target contacts who engaged in the last 90 days but not the last 30, your warmest cold segment. Save the segment before moving on. Full detail in Segmentation & Filters: Build Smart Audiences.

The contact filter builder with an activity date range and a folder exclusion applied together.

Step 2: Create the campaign and set the audience

Go to Campaigns → + New campaign and name it clearly, like "Re-engagement: 30 to 90 day leads". In the audience panel, choose your saved segment, and keep Exclude contacts who have received a campaign in the last 72 hours on to avoid overlapping sends. See Audience Selection & Segmentation for Campaigns.

Step 3: Write the opening message

Add a Send message step. A re-engagement opener should feel personal and low-pressure, and aim for a reply rather than an immediate sale:

  • The check-in: "Hey {{contact.first_name}}, it's been a while. Still thinking about that?"

  • The direct question: "{{contact.first_name}}, quick one: is that still on your radar?"

Keep it to two or three sentences. Longer reads like sales copy and gets ignored.

Step 4: Wait for a reply

Add a Wait for reply action. It pauses the campaign for each contact until they respond. Set a timeout of 3 to 5 days and use the branches:

  • Any reply: they responded, continue.

  • If the contact hasn't replied in time: they didn't, handle them in the no-reply branch.

You don't need keywords here; any reply signals interest. See Ask a Question & Wait for Reply.

Step 5: Handle the contacts who reply

On the reply branch, add an Add or remove folder action to move them to "Warm leads", then a Send message that continues naturally: "Great to hear back! Here's what I was thinking..." followed by your link or next step. You can also add a Trigger a scenario action to hand them to a detailed follow-up flow.

Step 6: Handle the contacts who don't

On the timeout branch, file them in a "Cold" folder and stop. Don't send another message. If a personal, low-pressure note didn't land, more messages won't help and risk opt-outs. You can try this folder again later with a different angle, but give it at least 60 days.

Step 7: Test, then send

Use the Send campaign dropdown to choose Send a test first, run the full flow on a test contact, then Send campaign to go now or Schedule campaign for later.

Variations

Re-engage comment leads. Target contacts who commented on a post more than 30 days ago but never entered a DM flow, and reference the content they commented on.

Post-freebie re-engagement. Filter for "Freebie leads" who clicked the download but never replied, and ask if they got a chance to use it. See Lead Generation with Freebies & Gated Content.

Timely hooks. If there's a real reason to reach out (a launch, a limited offer, an update to something they looked at), use it: "We just released something new, which addresses exactly what you mentioned."

Results to expect

Re-engagement campaigns to warm cold leads typically see reply rates of 10 to 25 percent, depending on how recently they first engaged and how personal the message feels. Repliers convert at a much higher rate than cold outreach, because they already know you. Expect some non-responders to opt out, which is healthy: it cleans your list.

🐾 Netsuke's Tips

  • Test send to 5 to 10 contacts first and read the message in a real DM thread. It often reads differently there than in the builder.

  • Keep the opener curious, not salesy. "Still interested?" gets more replies than "Here's another chance to sign up."

  • Cap it at one opener plus one timeout follow-up. Stacking three messages on silent contacts drives opt-outs.

  • To run this monthly, duplicate the campaign and resend; because the segment is dynamic, new contacts age into the 30-to-90-day window automatically.

What's next?

Once re-engaged contacts sit in "Warm leads", move them toward a conversion with Selling Courses, Tickets & Bookings via DMs, or route anyone who never gave you an email into Lead Generation with Freebies & Gated Content.

Did this answer your question?