Does IP warming require consecutive days of sending or can it be gradual?
Summary
What email marketers say16Marketer opinions
Email marketer from Postmark answers that when warming a new IP address, focus on steadily increasing the volume of emails you send. While sending daily is a common approach, it's more important to be consistent and gradually ramp up your sending over several weeks.
Marketer from Email Geeks echos the previous statements, saying you don't need to send every single day and aims for 2-3 days per week for casual senders. For those sending almost every day, they ramp from a few days to most days to mimic their planned sending cadence.
Email marketer from Email Marketing Forum shares that they had success with warming an IP by sending every other day, rather than daily, and achieved good deliverability.
Marketer from Email Geeks agrees with Matt, but considers warmups with no traffic for 7 days risky, especially in the first few weeks.
Email marketer from Customer.io Blog shares that IP warming doesn't demand daily sending. The key is to progressively increase your volume, establishing a steady and reliable sending pattern over a defined period.
Email marketer from Email on Acid emphasizes the importance of consistent volume and frequency during IP warming. Sending doesn't necessarily have to be on consecutive days, but it should be predictable.
Marketer from Email Geeks explains you don't have to send every day, suggesting sending maybe three times a week and incrementing as per your warming plan to reach your target volume. He also provides a way to convert a daily warming plan into a weekly one.
Marketer from Email Geeks shares that IP warming consistency depends on mailing frequency. They have had success warming up "monthly senders" by spreading out a monthly newsletter volume over a variety of days and then once some reputation is established start to adjust to the monthly cadence ISPs can expect ongoing.
Email marketer from Mailjet Blog explains that a gradual approach to IP warming is recommended, increasing sending volume over time. Sending consistently, but not necessarily daily, helps establish a positive sender reputation.
Email marketer from SendGrid Blog shares that IP warming should involve a gradual increase in email volume, but doesn't explicitly state that it must be consecutive. The focus is on building a good reputation steadily.
Email marketer from Reddit shares that while daily sending can be effective, it's not strictly necessary. A gradual increase over a few days a week, mirroring your typical sending pattern, can also work well.
Email marketer from GlockApps Blog explains that consistency is important, but sending frequency should align with your regular sending habits. If you don't normally send daily, don't warm up that way.
Email marketer from SMTP2GO answers that warming up an IP address is to build a good reputation with ISPs. The best approach is to start slow and gradually increase the number of emails sent daily, however it doesn't have to be daily.
Marketer from Email Geeks shares his opinion that warmup is about training the inbox providers on what they can expect from you. If your normal send is weekly, but you warmup daily, that sends an inaccurate message.
Marketer from Email Geeks agrees that you don't have to send every single day, but advises against missing a lot of consecutive days.
Marketer from Email Geeks shares his opinion that consistency is more important than frequency in IP warming and that daily sends aren't necessary.
What the experts say2Expert opinions
Expert from Word to the Wise answers that you do not need to send every day. A gradual build to establish a reputation with mailbox providers is the goal, and that can be achieved without daily sending. The key is to be consistent with the volume you're sending over time.
Expert from Spamresource answers that IP warming needs to be consistent but not necessairly every day. The goal of IP warming is to establish a predictable reputation, which may require more time to warm up, but its benefits are usually worth the time spent.
What the documentation says4Technical articles
Documentation from SparkPost Documentation explains that while daily sending isn't mandatory, consistency is key. They recommend establishing a sending pattern that aligns with your normal sending frequency after the warmup period.
Documentation from Amazon AWS answers that for new dedicated IP addresses, you should establish a reputation by gradually increasing your sending volume over several weeks. There is no need to send every day.
Documentation from Microsoft states a strategy of gradually increasing volume over time to establish a reputation is valid. It does not explicitly state daily consecutive sending is needed.
Documentation from Google Postmaster Tools implies that a consistent sending pattern is beneficial, but doesn't specify that warming must be done on consecutive days. The emphasis is on establishing a regular sending cadence.