Dunning 101: Email configuration
Configure your Recurly dunning email templates to maximize subscription recovery. Learn how to apply visual branding, insert dynamic personalization variables, write escalating message copy, and test payment update links.
Retain • Dunning 101
Email configuration
Step-by-step: how to apply your branding, add personalization, and get your templates ready to send.
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Email configuration
How to configure your email templates
Head to Configuration → Email Templates → Dunning management templates in your Recurly dashboard. You'll see one template per email in your dunning sequence. Edit each one to apply your branding and personalization before enabling your campaign.
Open the template editor
Go to Configuration → Email Templates → Dunning management templates. Click into the first template in your sequence — usually the Day 0 email.
Apply your visual branding
Set your logo in the header, apply your brand's primary color to the background and button, and update the footer with your company name, address, and support link. Every email in the sequence should use the same branded header and footer.
Add dynamic variables
Personalize each email using Recurly's built-in variables: subscriber name, amount owed, card last four digits, and days remaining in the window. Personalized emails consistently outperform generic ones — include at least the subscriber name and amount in every template.
Write distinct copy for each email
Do not reuse the same message across your sequence. Each email should have a different subject line and escalating urgency — early emails are friendly reminders, later ones communicate real consequences. Subject lines and CTAs are covered in detail on the next page.
Send a test email and verify every link
Before saving, use the Send Test button on each template. Open the email on both desktop and mobile. Click the payment update link and confirm it routes correctly — a broken link is the most common reason subscribers who want to update their payment can't.
Recurly typically won't retry hard declines — a wrong card number, a fraud block — so your email sequence is the only automated recovery tool in those cases. Make sure your first dunning email is scheduled for Day 0, not Day 3, so hard-decline subscribers get an immediate prompt to act.