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Understanding the Engagement Days Metric with Keap

Madsen, Amanda

What It Measures

The Engagement Days metric shows:

  • The contacts you’ve emailed within the last 30 days.
  • The average number of days since their last engagement.

Engagement is recorded when a contact:

  • Opens an email sent through the Keap network.
  • Clicks a link in an email sent through the Keap network.

This metric is critical for monitoring deliverability health. A lower average engagement age indicates an active, responsive audience.

 

Why Engagement Matters

Mailbox providers (e.g., Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo) track user behavior to decide whether your emails should be delivered to the inbox or the spam folder.

If your contacts consistently do not engage, providers assume your content is irrelevant or unwanted. This can result in:

  • Inbox placement issues (emails landing in spam/junk).
  • Increased spam complaints from uninterested recipients.
  • Negative sender reputation signals that affect all your sending.

Additionally, sending to unengaged contacts increases the risk of hitting:

By contrast, focusing on engaged recipients demonstrates that you are a trustworthy sender who maintains good list hygiene.

For more information on why engagement matters, please read our article:
Engagement Essentials: Understanding Email Engagement and Why It Matters

 

How to Improve Engagement Days

Step 1: Identify Unengaged Contacts

  1. Log in to your Keap application.

  2. Navigate to Reports:

    • For Pro / Max users: go to Reports → Email Engagement Tracker.

    • For Classic users: go to Marketing → Reports → Email Status Search.

  3. In Search Criteria:

    • Under the Search Tab, set Email Status to contains any → choose Unengaged Marketable.

    • Set the Last Engagement Date range (e.g., Start: 01/01/2020; End: 6 months prior to today).

  4. Click Search to generate the list.

 

Step 2: Segment and Re-Engage

  • Apply a tag to the group for easy reference.

  • Send a confirmation or re-engagement sequence asking them to verify interest.

  • Allow 7–10 days for response.

 

Step 3: Suppress or Opt-Out

  • No response after 7–10 days → opt the contact out.

  • No engagement in 6+ months → suppress or opt out to protect deliverability.

 

Best Practices for Healthy Engagement

  • Set engagement thresholds (e.g., remove or suppress after 90–180 days of no engagement).

    • As of Friday, January 30, 2026, Keap now restricts email sending to contacts who have been inactive for 18 months or longer to help maintain deliverability and sending reputation.

  • Use confirmed (double) opt-in to ensure accurate, intentional signups.
  • Segment by behavior (e.g., clicks, opens, purchase activity) and tailor campaigns.
  • Monitor metrics regularly spikes in unengaged contacts can be an early warning of deliverability issues.
  • Leverage automation Keap’s Automated List Management (Classic Users Only) can streamline engagement-based cleanup.

 

Bottom Line

The Engagement Days metric is one of the strongest indicators of your email program’s health. By identifying and suppressing unengaged contacts, you lower the risk of spam complaints, spam trap hits, and invalid bounces all while improving inbox placement and protecting your sender reputation.


Looking for extra help?

If you’d like professional guidance with your email practices or recommended tools to improve your email practices and deliverability, check out these trusted partners:

 

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