How should I warm up IPs after acquiring a company with 300,000 contacts?
Summary
What email marketers say7Marketer opinions
Email marketer from GlockApps recommends gradually increasing your sending volume. Start with a small number of emails and increase it daily or weekly, based on your current volume. A sudden spike in sending volume can trigger spam filters and harm your deliverability.
Email marketer from Reddit suggests segmenting your list by engagement and recency. Start with those who have engaged in the last 30 days and slowly add older segments. Monitor your open rates closely, and pause if you see dips.
Email marketer from Mailjet details the importance of segmenting your email list when warming up your IP address. Segment based on engagement, and send emails to your most engaged subscribers. Use a ramp-up schedule based on the ESP guidelines, increasing the volume daily or weekly, and monitor metrics like open rates, click-through rates, and bounce rates.
Email marketer from EmailonAcid stresses the importance of proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC). Ensure that your email is properly authenticated before starting the warm-up process. Authentication helps establish trust with mailbox providers and improves deliverability.
Email marketer from StackExchange recommends starting with a small segment of your most engaged users and slowly increase volume over time. Watch your bounce and complaint rates closely. Make sure you're sending relevant content to your users.
Email marketer from HubSpot emphasizes that you should maintain consistent sending habits. After your initial warm up, you must maintain a regular sending cadence. Inconsistent volumes can raise red flags with ISPs and impact deliverability.
Email marketer from Litmus shares insights on warming up new IPs by focusing on engagement. Sending to disengaged subscribers during the warm-up phase can negatively impact your sender reputation. Target highly engaged subscribers initially, and gradually introduce less engaged contacts as your reputation improves.
What the experts say4Expert opinions
Expert from Email Geeks recommends starting from the current volume and slowly increasing it, while considering how new subscribers might react, particularly concerning engagement data and expectations, to prevent increased complaints. Also, Laura suggests being careful about triggering the "unexpected volume" filters when warming up.
Expert from Email Geeks advises to start from current volumes and increase by 30% daily, monitoring open and click rates to adjust the pace.
Expert from Word to the Wise advises implementing a phased rollout when warming up IPs after acquiring a large contact list. They suggest segmenting the list based on engagement and gradually introducing contacts to the mailing schedule. This helps monitor sender reputation more effectively and avoids overwhelming ISPs with sudden spikes in volume.
Expert from SpamResource explains that maintaining excellent list hygiene is critical during IP warming, particularly after acquiring a large contact list. They advise rigorously cleaning the list by removing invalid or inactive email addresses to minimize bounce rates and avoid being flagged as a spammer during the initial stages of warming up.
What the documentation says5Technical articles
Documentation from SparkPost explains that a gradual IP warming strategy is crucial. Start with a small volume of emails to the most engaged users, slowly increasing the volume over time while monitoring deliverability metrics. Segment your list and send to the most active users first to build a positive reputation.
Documentation from Amazon SES provides best practices on how to gradually increase the volume of emails you send through a new IP address. As you send more email, ISPs will gradually learn that your email is legitimate, which will improve your deliverability. It is important to monitor your sending limits and deliverability metrics during the warming up process.
Documentation from SendGrid outlines that a proper IP warming schedule depends on your sending volume and list hygiene. Start with your best contacts and increase gradually. Follow a schedule and carefully monitor your sender reputation to avoid deliverability issues. Ensure you are authenticating your emails and are following all email best practices.
Documentation from Google Postmaster Tools emphasizes the necessity of monitoring your sending reputation during IP warming. Use tools like Google Postmaster Tools to track spam complaints, IP reputation, and domain reputation. React quickly to any negative signals to maintain a healthy sending reputation.
Documentation from Microsoft details that warming up a dedicated IP involves establishing a positive sending reputation by gradually increasing email volume. Start by sending low volumes of email to known, engaged users, and progressively increase the volume over a period of several weeks or months. Actively monitor feedback from Microsoft's Smart Network Data Services (SNDS) and Junk Mail Reporting Program (JMRP) to identify and address any issues impacting deliverability.