How do I warm up a new IP address for transactional emails?
Summary
What email marketers say13Marketer opinions
Email marketer from Email Geeks explains you can gradually warm up the transactional IP by enabling triggered campaigns one by one, or in batches if needed based on how much volume they send, but may not be necessary if daily send volumes are low and gradual throughout the day.
Email marketer from Reddit shares that for transactional emails, starting with a small volume and gradually increasing it over a few weeks is also important, even if it's transactional. The poster advises focusing on maintaining a low bounce rate and monitoring any complaints to quickly address any deliverability problems.
Email marketer from Email Geeks advises to be fairly calm adding 50k daily volume on a new dedicated IP and to start being more careful when the daily expected volume reaches 80k-100k.
Email marketer from Neil Patel's Blog explains that IP warming is the process of gradually increasing the volume of emails sent from a new IP address to build a positive reputation with ISPs. This involves starting with small batches of emails to engaged subscribers and gradually increasing the volume over time, while also monitoring deliverability metrics such as open rates, bounce rates, and spam complaints.
Email marketer from Customer.io explains that the process of warming up an IP address is by starting with sending emails to only your most engaged users. This gives the new IP the best chance of showing mailbox providers that you send wanted mail. As you gain reputation, you can slowly increase the volume of emails sent from the IP.
Email marketer from GMass explains warming up an IP involves gradually increasing the volume of emails sent from it. This helps establish a good sender reputation with ISPs. Start small, monitor engagement and deliverability, and then increase the volume slowly. Don't send to cold or unengaged lists during this phase.
Email marketer from Litmus emphasizes the importance of list segmentation during IP warm-up. By segmenting based on engagement (e.g., recent openers, clickers), you can focus your initial sends on the most responsive subscribers. This helps build a positive sender reputation quickly and avoids damaging your deliverability with less engaged contacts.
Email marketer from Email Geeks advises should be fine w/ 5k or less per MBP/IP/day.
Email marketer from WebHostingTalk Forum answers that its best to use smaller volumes initially (like sending to your own accounts first) and then slowly scale up over time. User42 emphasises checking the reputation of the IP before starting, and to monitor for blacklists.
Email marketer from Mailjet shares that your IP warm-up strategy should include segmenting your mailing list by engagement, starting with highly engaged subscribers. It also involves slowly increasing the number of emails you send each day and monitoring your sending reputation to catch any deliverability issues.
Email marketer from ActiveCampaign explains that IP warming is all about building a positive reputation with ISPs. They advise that by consistently sending valuable content to engaged subscribers, you can demonstrate that you are a responsible sender. Monitoring sender reputation and promptly addressing any deliverability issues (e.g., high bounce rates, spam complaints) are crucial for a successful IP warm-up.
Email marketer from Email Geeks states they have always started with 50k for their first send and ramped from there, closely monitoring performance.
Email marketer from GlockApps explains that a typical IP warmup schedule might start with sending 500-1,000 emails on day one and doubling the volume every day or every other day. However, the exact schedule should be tailored to your specific circumstances and monitored closely for any negative impact on deliverability.
What the experts say6Expert opinions
Expert from Email Geeks shares that launching a very large sender, 99% transactional email in basically one day can be done, however they did have to reach out to a few people and password reset and OTP emails have a very high engagement rate.
Expert from Email Geeks advises that a well thought out, well managed setup, with extra IPs to give some elasticity to volume bursts during the initial days can send in the range of 50,000-500,000 on day one.
Expert from Spam Resource shares that you should start by sending small volumes of email. Then monitoring how ISPs treat you. Then gradually increase the volumes sent. Make sure the list you are sending to is high quality, you are not sending spam and make sure to authenticate your email correctly.
Expert from Email Geeks advises 1k-5k/day should be okay, maybe more, though the first days can be rougher. Refers to Matt V's experience of potentially larger sends going okay.
Expert from Word to the Wise explains that IP warming involves gradually increasing your sending volume while closely monitoring your reputation metrics. Starting with transactional emails to highly engaged users is a good approach. They emphasize that consistency and building a positive sender reputation are key factors for successful deliverability.
Expert from Email Geeks shares it's necessary to warm up new IPs, and it can be tricky. Sometimes the natural daily volume is low enough that it warms itself, otherwise volume may need limiting or round robin/flow overflow volume routed via another IP or shared IP.
What the documentation says4Technical articles
Documentation from SparkPost explains that a gradual IP warm-up is essential for establishing a positive sending reputation. They recommend starting with your most engaged users and gradually increasing volume over several weeks, monitoring deliverability metrics closely. The key is to demonstrate to ISPs that you are a legitimate sender sending wanted mail.
Documentation from Postmark shares even for transactional email, an IP warm-up process is important to establish a positive reputation. Start with smaller sends and gradually increase the volume, monitoring deliverability metrics closely. Focus on providing value and ensuring recipients want to receive your emails.
Documentation from SendGrid outlines different phases of IP warm-up, recommending starting with low volume and gradually increasing it over several weeks. It explains the importance of monitoring sender reputation, spam complaint rates, and engagement metrics during each phase to adjust your sending strategy accordingly.
Documentation from Amazon SES states that a good IP warm-up strategy involves slowly increasing the volume of email you send, carefully monitoring your bounce and complaint rates. They advise starting with your most engaged subscribers, and only increasing send volume if your metrics remain healthy.