Are there benefits to sending email from regional IPs?

Summary

The consensus suggests that while regional IPs might offer localized advantages like improved deliverability in specific areas (particularly outside EU/US, such as APAC), bypassing regional blocks, and aligning with recipient locations, they are not a primary driver of email deliverability. Factors such as sender reputation, domain authentication, engagement metrics, consistent sending practices, and proper IP warmup carry significantly more weight. Some ISPs may also have varying tolerances for non-local IPs. Technical documentation emphasizes correct configuration of reverse DNS records and authentication protocols as crucial regardless of IP region.

Key findings

  • Localized Benefits: Regional IPs may offer advantages in specific regions, especially outside of EU/US, and can help bypass regional blocks or filters.
  • Reputation and Authentication Paramount: Sender reputation, domain authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), and engagement metrics are more critical for deliverability than IP location.
  • Varying ISP Policies: Some ISPs may have differing tolerances for connections or speeds from non-local IPs.
  • rDNS Configuration: Correct Reverse DNS (rDNS) configuration is essential for regional IPs.
  • No Guarantees: Email delivery is never guaranteed, regardless of IP location.

Key considerations

  • Prioritize Reputation: Focus on building and maintaining a strong sender reputation through consistent sending and positive engagement.
  • Implement Authentication: Ensure SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are correctly configured for your sending domain.
  • Warmup New IPs: If using new IPs, gradually warm them up to establish a sending history.
  • Set Realistic Expectations: Manage client expectations and emphasize the importance of factors beyond IP location.
  • Compliance: Consider the compliance needs to any particular region

What email marketers say
10Marketer opinions

While the use of regional IPs for email sending can offer potential benefits in specific scenarios, such as improved deliverability by aligning with recipient locations, building trust, and bypassing regional blocks, it's not a guaranteed solution and its effectiveness varies. Factors like sender reputation, domain authentication, IP warmup, and engagement metrics carry more weight in determining email placement.

Key opinions

  • Regional Alignment: Regional IPs can potentially improve deliverability by aligning with the recipient's location and building trust.
  • Bypassing Blocks: In some cases, regional IPs may help bypass regional blocks or filters, particularly in countries with strict internet censorship.
  • IP Reputation Dominance: Sender reputation, domain authentication, and engagement metrics are more influential than IP location for deliverability.
  • Varying ISP Tolerance: Some ISPs may tolerate less connections, volume, or speed from non-US IPs, although this can change.

Key considerations

  • Sender Reputation: Focus on building a strong sender reputation through consistent sending practices, positive engagement metrics, and proper authentication.
  • Domain Authentication: Implement SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to authenticate your sending domain and establish trust with recipient servers.
  • IP Warmup: If using a new IP address, gradually warm it up by increasing sending volume and monitoring engagement metrics.
  • Regional Specificity: The benefits of regional IPs may be more pronounced in specific geographic regions with unique regulations or filtering practices.
Marketer view

Email marketer from Mailjet Blog explains that regional IPs can improve deliverability by aligning with the recipient's location, building trust, and potentially improving engagement rates.

February 2025 - Mailjet Blog
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Geeks shares that there are US ISPs tolerating less connections or volumes or speed from non-US IPs, and that maybe tomorrow they'll change that, without telling anyone.

March 2023 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from Reddit explains that using regional IPs can sometimes help bypass specific regional blocks or filters, especially in countries with strict internet censorship.

July 2024 - Reddit
Marketer view

Email marketer from SendGrid shares that dedicated IP addresses allow you to build a sending reputation based on your email practices, potentially beneficial for deliverability in specific regions.

July 2023 - SendGrid
Marketer view

Email marketer from Quora shares that there *can* be a slight advantage with regional IPs due to perceived relevance by some ISPs, particularly in certain geographic regions like Asia, but consistent sending practices are key.

February 2023 - Quora
Marketer view

Email marketer from StackOverflow shares that some regional ISPs may have different filtering rules, and using an IP from the same region as your recipients *might* provide a slight edge, but it's not a guarantee.

September 2024 - StackOverflow
Marketer view

Email marketer from Litmus shares that sender reputation is the most important factor for deliverability, and it's influenced by engagement metrics like open rates, click-through rates, and complaint rates, more than IP region.

September 2024 - Litmus
Marketer view

Email marketer from SparkPost shares that IP warmup is important when starting to use a new IP address to send emails, and the region of the IP isn't as relevant as the gradual increase in volume and engagement metrics.

November 2022 - SparkPost
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Marketing Forum shares that he thinks regional IPs might help with deliverability in specific countries where there are strict regulations or firewalls, but it depends on the specific situation and it's not a universal solution.

October 2023 - Email Marketing Forum
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email on Acid explains that IP location is one factor considered by ISPs, although it is not the primary driver of email placement. Domain authentication and sender reputation carry more weight.

August 2023 - Email on Acid

What the experts say
5Expert opinions

Experts generally agree that while regional IPs might offer some advantages in specific cases, particularly outside of EU/US scenarios, they are not a major factor in email deliverability. Building a strong sender reputation and focusing on proper email marketing practices are considered more important.

Key opinions

  • Limited Impact: IP address location is a small component of deliverability, not a huge factor.
  • Sender Reputation Matters More: Major mailbox providers prioritize sender reputation and authentication over IP location.
  • APAC Potential: APAC may see a bigger improvement from sending on local IPs than in the EU.
  • No Guarantees: There is never any guarantee in email delivery.

Key considerations

  • Set Expectations: You’ll just need to set client expectations regarding deliverability.
  • Focus on Key Factors: Concentrate on factors that dominate performance, like sender reputation and authentication.
  • Good Practices: Focus on building good email marketing practices for better results.
Expert view

Expert from Spam Resource shares that while geo-located IPs were once thought to provide a deliverability advantage, especially in specific regions, most major mailbox providers now prioritize sender reputation and authentication over IP location.

June 2022 - Spam Resource
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks explains that in some cases, you’ll get better response from local IPs, however EU <-> US isn’t the situation where he would expect it to be much of an issue.

September 2021 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks explains that APAC might see a bigger improvement from sending on local IPs than in the EU and that the EU <> US send is not really an issue for most businesses or mailbox providers

December 2022 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Word to the Wise responds that IP address location is a small component of deliverability, but not a huge factor. Having good email marketing practice will provide a better return

October 2024 - Word to the Wise
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks shares that there’s never any guarantee in email delivery, and you’ll just need to set client expectations. Also, what region your sending IP is allocated from is list in the noise compared to most everything else, so it might be a good point to suggest they look at all the other things that’ll dominate performance.

May 2023 - Email Geeks

What the documentation says
3Technical articles

Technical documentation highlights that while using different AWS regions for sending emails can offer latency or compliance benefits, correctly configuring reverse DNS records for regional IPs and implementing SPF, DKIM, and DMARC for your sending domain are crucial for establishing trust and ensuring deliverability, regardless of the IP's region.

Key findings

  • AWS Region Flexibility: You can send emails from different AWS regions, potentially benefiting latency or compliance.
  • rDNS Importance: Maintaining correct Reverse DNS (rDNS) records for regional IPs can help with deliverability.
  • Authentication Critical: Configuring SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records is critical for establishing trust, regardless of IP region.

Key considerations

  • Correct rDNS Configuration: Ensure your regional IPs have correctly configured Reverse DNS records.
  • Implement Authentication: Prioritize configuring SPF, DKIM, and DMARC for your sending domain.
  • Compliance Requirements: Consider regional compliance requirements when choosing an AWS region for sending emails.
Technical article

Documentation from AWS explains that you can send emails from different AWS regions, which might be beneficial for latency or compliance reasons, implicitly leveraging regional infrastructure.

June 2021 - AWS Documentation
Technical article

Documentation from RFC explains the importance of Reverse DNS (rDNS) which maps IP addresses back to domain names and how maintaining correct rDNS records for regional IPs can help with deliverability.

August 2021 - RFC-Editor
Technical article

Documentation from Microsoft shares that configuring SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records correctly for your sending domain, regardless of IP region, is critical for establishing trust with recipient servers.

March 2021 - Microsoft Learn