What’s the difference between “neutral” and “negative” non-engagement?

Neutral non-engagement represents normal recipient behavior. People get busy, go on vacation, or simply do not check email every day. Occasional non-interaction is expected and does not significantly harm reputation.

Negative non-engagement is a persistent pattern where recipients consistently ignore, delete, or never interact with your messages over extended periods. This pattern signals that your mail is not wanted by that segment of your audience.

The distinction matters for list management. Neutral non-engagement is acceptable. Negative non-engagement should trigger suppression or re-engagement campaigns before the accumulated silence damages your sender reputation.

Neutral is a merchant too busy to visit the dock today. Negative is a merchant who ignores every ship you send for months. One is normal commerce. The other signals a relationship that has ended.