Should I Opt Out, Sunset, or Delete a Contact?

Use this guide to decide whether a Patch contact should be opted out, sunset, deleted, or excluded from a specific campaign.

In this article

• Use this quick decision guide
• Choose opt-out when someone says stop
• Choose sunset when someone is inactive
• Choose delete when the record should be removed
• Choose segment exclusion for one-time targeting
• What not to do

Use this quick decision guide

Choose opt-out when someone says stop

If a person unsubscribes, replies asking not to receive emails, or otherwise tells your business to stop sending marketing email, use opt-out or suppression. Do not just remove them from one list and keep sending through another campaign.

Opt-out is the safest choice when the issue is consent or preference.

Choose sunset when someone is inactive

Use sunsetting when the contact has not complained or unsubscribed, but they have stopped engaging. This is a list quality decision, not a deletion request.

Examples:

• No clicks in 180 days
• No visits in 12 months
• No purchases in 12 months
• No response to a re-engagement email

Sunset contacts should be excluded from regular marketing sends.

Choose delete when the record should be removed

Delete a contact only when the contact record itself should be removed from the Patch account. Deleting can affect your ability to view history, activity, and reporting tied to that contact.

Before deleting, ask:

1. Do we only need to stop email? If yes, opt out instead.
2. Do we need to preserve purchase, booking, or visit history? If yes, sunset or suppress instead.
3. Is this a privacy or data removal request? If yes, follow your approved privacy process.

If you need to delete contacts follow this article: How To Delete Contacts In Patch

Choose segment exclusion for one-time targeting

Use segment exclusions when a contact should not receive a specific message, but they can still receive other relevant messages later.

Example: You are sending a party promo and want to exclude current party bookings so they do not receive the wrong offer.

What not to do

• Do not delete a contact just because they unsubscribed.
• Do not re-import opted-out contacts to email them again.
• Do not use a new segment to bypass an opt-out.
• Do not send to old contacts just because they still exist in the account.

Use the action that matches the reason the contact should stop receiving email.

Customer Support

If you need help or are not sure which step to take next, contact Patch Customer Support at success@patchretention.com or 888.605.4429.