How strict are sending caps during email IP warming?
Summary
What email marketers say9Marketer opinions
Email marketer from SendGrid states that consistency is key during IP warming. Maintain a regular sending frequency and volume to build a positive sending reputation with ISPs. Erratic sending patterns can raise red flags.
Email marketer from Mailjet shares that it's best to start with small, consistent sending volumes during IP warming, gradually increasing the amount as your reputation grows. Sending too much too soon can hurt your deliverability.
Email marketer from Reddit user shares that exceeding the daily sending limit by a small amount (e.g., 10-20%) during IP warming is generally acceptable, but it's best to stay within the recommended range. Monitor your deliverability closely and adjust accordingly.
Email marketer from Email Geeks shares that exceeding warming sending caps slightly should be ok, as the volumes are guides. The ability to push these guides depends on list quality and targeting. Adding throttling can help if you go over.
Email marketer from Email Marketing Forum shared the strategy of adding throttling when you go over your allocated limit.
Email marketer from Gmass, recommends starting with a low sending volume (e.g., 50-100 emails per day) and gradually increasing it by 10-20% each day or week during IP warming. The key is to avoid sudden spikes in volume.
Email marketer from Constant Contact warns that sending too many emails too quickly during IP warming can damage your sender reputation. This can lead to your emails being marked as spam and harm your deliverability.
Email marketer from Email Provider Review suggests generally speaking, warming guidance is all hand-wavy and involves a lot of best guessing. Minor variances are not likely to tank your best efforts.
Email marketer from ActiveCampaign highlights that list quality is crucial during IP warming. Sending to engaged subscribers with a low bounce rate will help build a positive sender reputation.
What the experts say3Expert opinions
Expert from Email Geeks explains that warming guidance is generally hand-wavy and involves a lot of best guessing, so minor variances in sending volumes are not likely to tank your best efforts.
Expert from Spam Resource shares that ensuring a clean IP history is vital before commencing IP warming. A tainted IP may hinder the warming process and impact deliverability rates. Therefore, it's essential to verify the IP's reputation and undertake necessary cleansing measures before initiating any email campaigns.
Expert from Word to the Wise explains that it's a common misbelief that you should start warming by sending email to your most engaged users only. In some cases this has resulted in providers seeing this as odd since all the email is opened. They suggest creating a mix of send to your whole file, and not just to the most engaged.
What the documentation says3Technical articles
Documentation from MailChannels stresses that sudden jumps in sending volume are a common cause of deliverability problems for new IPs. Their documentation advocates a carefully planned ramp-up, starting with very low volumes and gradually increasing sending based on positive engagement.
Documentation from SparkPost emphasizes the importance of a gradual and consistent sending schedule during IP warming. Avoid sudden spikes in volume, and slowly increase the number of emails sent each day or week. The exact numbers depend on the overall size of your sending but must be gradual.
Documentation from Amazon Web Services states that it's essential to gradually ramp up your sending volume during IP warming. Avoid sending large amounts of email all at once. Instead, start with a small number of emails and gradually increase the volume over time.