How do I warm up a new subdomain for low volume B2B email sends?

Summary

Warming up a new subdomain for low-volume B2B email sends involves establishing a positive sender reputation through a gradual and strategic process. Experts and documentation agree that starting with a small, highly engaged audience is crucial, followed by a slow and steady increase in email volume over time. Continuous monitoring of deliverability metrics, bounce rates, spam complaints, and engagement is essential for identifying and addressing any issues. Sending valuable, relevant content and properly authenticating emails are also key components of a successful warmup. For low-volume sends, a full IP warming may not be necessary, but careful management of domain reputation remains vital.

Key findings

  • Gradual Volume Increase: Slowly and steadily increase email volume over time.
  • Engaged Audience: Start with a small, highly engaged segment of your list.
  • Monitor Metrics: Continuously monitor deliverability, bounce rates, spam complaints, and engagement.
  • Quality Content: Focus on sending valuable and relevant content to your audience.
  • Authentication: Properly authenticate your emails using SPF, DKIM, and DMARC.
  • List Hygiene: Maintain a clean email list by removing inactive or unengaged subscribers.

Key considerations

  • Sender Reputation: Prioritize building and maintaining a positive sender reputation with ISPs.
  • ISP Guidelines: Adhere to best practices and guidelines provided by major ISPs like Google and Microsoft.
  • Content Relevance: Ensure your email content is relevant and engaging to your target audience to minimize spam complaints.
  • Unsubscribe Process: Provide an easy and accessible unsubscribe process for recipients who no longer wish to receive your emails.
  • Warming Duration: Plan for a sufficient warming period, typically several weeks, to gradually build your sending reputation.

What email marketers say
9Marketer opinions

Warming up a new subdomain for low volume B2B email sends involves a gradual process of building a positive sender reputation. The consistent advice is to start with a small, highly engaged segment of your audience, then gradually increase the sending volume over several weeks. Monitoring deliverability metrics, bounce rates, spam complaints, and subscriber engagement is critical. Sending valuable, relevant content and properly authenticating emails are also essential for a successful warmup.

Key opinions

  • Gradual Increase: Gradually increase sending volume over time.
  • Engaged Users: Start with a small, highly engaged segment of your list.
  • Monitor Metrics: Closely monitor bounce rates, spam complaints, and engagement.
  • Valuable Content: Send valuable and relevant content.
  • Authentication: Ensure emails are properly authenticated.

Key considerations

  • Deliverability: Continuously monitor deliverability to ensure emails are reaching the inbox.
  • Sender Reputation: Focus on building and maintaining a positive sender reputation.
  • List Hygiene: Maintain a clean email list by removing inactive subscribers.
  • Engagement Signals: Pay attention to engagement signals (opens, clicks) as indicators of email quality.
Marketer view

Email marketer from Reddit shares that for warming up a subdomain, start with a small, highly engaged segment of your list. Gradually increase the volume over several weeks, while closely monitoring bounce rates and spam complaints.

June 2021 - Reddit
Marketer view

Email marketer from Litmus advises focusing on sending relevant and engaging content to improve sender reputation. They also recommend authenticating your emails and monitoring your deliverability metrics.

June 2021 - Litmus
Marketer view

Email marketer from Sendinblue recommends building a positive sender reputation by sending valuable content that recipients want to receive. Avoid spammy practices and ensure your emails are properly authenticated.

November 2021 - Sendinblue
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email on Acid explains that domain reputation is built over time and is affected by factors such as bounce rates, spam complaints, and engagement rates. They recommend using a dedicated IP address and gradually increasing sending volume to build a good reputation.

June 2024 - Email on Acid
Marketer view

Email marketer from ActiveCampaign shares that when warming up a new domain, it's crucial to start with a small group of highly engaged contacts. As engagement increases, gradually increase sending volume and expand to less engaged contacts. Monitor bounce rates, complaints, and unsubscribes closely.

April 2024 - ActiveCampaign
Marketer view

Email marketer from Hubspot explains to consistently send email campaigns, gradually increase your volume, and actively manage bounces and unsubscribes.

January 2022 - Hubspot
Marketer view

Email marketer from an Email Marketing Forum suggests that even with a small list, warming is important. Begin by sending to your most active subscribers and slowly increase the volume. Monitor your open rates and bounce rates carefully.

December 2023 - Email Marketing Forum
Marketer view

Email marketer from Mailjet advises a gradual subdomain warming strategy. Start by sending to your most engaged users, then expand to less engaged contacts over a few weeks. Monitor your deliverability and adjust your sending volume accordingly.

May 2024 - Mailjet
Marketer view

Email marketer from GMass shares that domain warmup is a process of gradually increasing the volume of emails sent from a new domain to establish a positive sending reputation with ISPs. Start small, send to engaged users, and monitor deliverability metrics.

September 2023 - GMass

What the experts say
3Expert opinions

Warming up a new subdomain for low-volume B2B email sends requires a strategic approach, acknowledging that a full IP warming might not be necessary for such low volumes. Experts emphasize the need for a slow and steady domain/subdomain warmup process, starting with a small, engaged audience and gradually increasing volume. Prioritizing sends to different engagement groups over a short period (2-3 days) while meticulously monitoring deliverability metrics, engagement signals, bounce rates, and spam complaints is crucial. Maintaining a positive sender reputation and ensuring valuable content are essential considerations, with an emphasis on keeping cold email volume below 10% to avoid reputation damage.

Key opinions

  • Low Volume Exception: Full IP warming might not be necessary for low volume B2B sends.
  • Gradual Warmup: A slow and steady domain/subdomain warmup process is crucial.
  • Engaged Audience: Start with a small, engaged audience.
  • Quick Send Period: Consider sending to engagement groups over 2-3 days.
  • Monitoring: Monitor deliverability, engagement, bounce rates, and spam complaints.

Key considerations

  • Sender Reputation: Maintain a positive sender reputation.
  • Valuable Content: Focus on sending valuable content.
  • Cold Email Limit: Keep cold email volume below 10% of total sends.
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks explains that with a low volume of around 5000 emails sent twice a month to B2B domains, a full IP warming strategy isn't necessary as it's unlikely the IP will ever be 'warm'. Instead, for domain warming of a subdomain, the initial plan of sending to different engagement groups is fine, but suggests sending over 2-3 days, prioritising the most engaged users first. They also suggest being careful with cold email volume, keeping it below 10% of total sends to avoid impacting reputation.

August 2024 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Word to the Wise emphasizes the importance of increasing email volume gradually when warming up a new subdomain. They suggest carefully monitoring deliverability rates, bounce rates, and subscriber engagement to ensure a smooth transition and positive sender reputation.

November 2022 - Word to the Wise
Expert view

Expert from Spam Resource explains the need for a slow and steady warmup process for new domains/subdomains. Start with a small, engaged audience and gradually increase volume while closely monitoring deliverability metrics and engagement signals. Focus on sending valuable content to build a positive reputation.

February 2022 - Spam Resource

What the documentation says
4Technical articles

Warming up a new subdomain for low-volume B2B email sends, according to various documentation sources, centers on establishing a positive domain reputation. The recommended approach includes starting with a low email volume and gradually increasing it over time, focusing on engaged users initially. Essential practices involve authenticating emails, providing easy unsubscribe options, monitoring sender reputation in tools like Google Postmaster Tools, maintaining list hygiene by removing inactive subscribers, and segmenting lists to deliver targeted content.

Key findings

  • Gradual Volume Increase: Gradually increase email volume over time.
  • Engaged Users First: Focus initial sends on engaged users.
  • Email Authentication: Authenticate your emails.
  • Easy Unsubscribe: Provide an easy way for recipients to unsubscribe.

Key considerations

  • Domain Reputation: Prioritize building a positive domain reputation.
  • Sender Reputation Monitoring: Monitor sender reputation using tools like Google Postmaster Tools.
  • List Hygiene: Maintain a clean list by removing inactive subscribers.
  • Content Segmentation: Segment lists and send targeted content.
Technical article

Documentation from Google outlines best practices for bulk email senders. It emphasizes the importance of authenticating your emails, providing an easy way to unsubscribe, and monitoring your sender reputation in Google Postmaster Tools.

January 2025 - Google
Technical article

Documentation from SparkPost explains that domain reputation is crucial for deliverability. It recommends starting with a low volume of emails and gradually increasing it over time. Focus on sending to engaged users first to build a positive reputation.

February 2023 - SparkPost
Technical article

Documentation from AWS SES states gradually increase your sending volume over time. They suggest slowly increasing the number of emails you send each day. If you suddenly increase your email volume, ISPs might throttle your emails or mark them as spam.

July 2022 - AWS
Technical article

Documentation from Microsoft emphasizes the importance of list hygiene and removing inactive subscribers to improve email deliverability. They also recommend segmenting your list and sending targeted content to different groups.

November 2022 - Microsoft