Do I need to warm up my email list of 100k contacts?
Summary
What email marketers say12Marketer opinions
Email marketer from Woodpecker Blog shares that to think about your domain and IP address as a newly-hired employee, you need to gradually show you are someone to be trusted by sending small amounts of emails and seeing who responds.
Marketer from Email Geeks shares a rule of thumb to send to 1K first, and if everything is ok, 10K to confirm it is indeed ok when testing a new list.
Email marketer from SalesBlink Blog explains that before you even start warming up your email list, make sure to clean it and only send emails to addresses that are safe and legitimate.
Marketer from Email Geeks states that warming up is typically done with a new IP/sending domain, not so much a list, and recommends starting slowly and building up volume.
Email marketer from Hunter.io Blog explains that for cold email outreach to a large list, warming up the sending domain and IP is essential to avoid being flagged as spam and emphasizes a gradual increase in email volume.
Email marketer from Quora user John Smith explains that before warming up, cleaning the list and removing invalid or inactive addresses is crucial to avoid high bounce rates and spam complaints.
Email marketer from MailerLite Blog explains that for a list of 100k contacts, a gradual warmup is crucial, starting with smaller batches and gradually increasing the volume over several weeks, while monitoring deliverability and engagement metrics.
Email marketer from StackExchange user EmailPro shares that segmenting the list based on engagement history and sending targeted content during the warmup process can improve results.
Email marketer from Gmass Blog explains to gradually increase your sending volume over time, starting with a small batch of emails and gradually increasing the number of emails you send each day or week. This gives email providers a chance to see that you're a legitimate sender and not a spammer.
Email marketer from Reddit user u/EmailGuru shares that warming up a large list is always recommended, especially if you haven't mailed it recently or if the source is questionable, to protect your sender reputation.
Email marketer from Sendinblue Blog shares that warming up a list of 100k contacts is vital if the list is old, hasn't been mailed to in a while, or was acquired through questionable means, emphasizing the importance of building sender reputation.
Marketer from Email Geeks says that if a warm-up process for 100k is suggested, the only reasons they can see are risky/unknown/old data, or new IP/domain.
What the experts say3Expert opinions
Expert from Email Geeks questions why a warmup is needed, suggesting if the recipients are consent-based and mailed to frequently, it shouldn't be necessary.
Expert from Word to the Wise shares that it is important to think about your IPs and domains like you are just starting out and not to send to a list size that is too large to ensure it doesn't get you on any blocklists.
Expert from Spam Resource, Laura Atkins, responds that list age is a factor and if the list hasn't been mailed to in a long time, a warmup is definitely needed to re-establish engagement.
What the documentation says5Technical articles
Documentation from Microsoft Postmaster explains that to improve deliverability, especially when sending to large lists, proper authentication and list management practices are necessary, recommending gradual ramp-up and monitoring bounce rates.
Documentation from Hubspot explains that if you purchase a dedicated IP address through HubSpot, there is an automatic warm up feature so you can start sending emails right away.
Documentation from Google Sender Guidelines explains that for bulk senders, including those with lists of 100k contacts, it's critical to follow authentication best practices and monitor sender reputation to ensure deliverability to Gmail users.
Documentation from Mailchimp explains that warming up your email list allows you to build your reputation to prevent from any blocks by a mail server or spam filter. Your Mailchimp sending limits will gradually increase and you can send to more subscribers at a time.
Documentation from SparkPost explains that warming up dedicated IPs is crucial when sending to large lists to establish a positive sending reputation, advising starting with small volumes and increasing gradually.