Is a dedicated IP address needed for sending 150K-200K emails per month?
Summary
What email marketers say10Marketer opinions
Email marketer from Sendinblue shares that a dedicated IP address offers greater control over your sender reputation, which is especially beneficial for businesses sending large volumes of email. It helps avoid being impacted by the negative reputation of other senders on a shared IP.
Email marketer from Litmus shares that with shared IPs, your sending reputation is tied to others. If they send spam or have poor practices, it can hurt your deliverability. A dedicated IP avoids this risk. At 150K+ emails a month, it's worth considering.
Email marketer from Email Geeks mentions that migrating from a shared IP space to a dedicated one, warming up may be a tad painful with such low numbers.
Email marketer from SparkPost advises that even with a dedicated IP, it's crucial to warm it up properly. This involves gradually increasing sending volume to build a positive reputation with ISPs. Jumping straight to sending 150K-200K emails could damage your deliverability.
Email marketer from StackOverflow mentions that while dedicated IPs are great for reputation, low volume can be a problem. At the volume of 150K-200K you have some flexibility.
Email marketer from Email Geeks shares that lower sending volume can result in a poorer economy of scale, where bad events have a big impact and IP reputation fluctuates more.
Email marketer from Mailjet explains that whether you need a dedicated IP address largely depends on your sending volume. Generally, if you're sending a high volume of emails (e.g., more than 50,000 emails per month), a dedicated IP address is recommended. With 150k-200k, it is more likely to be needed.
Email marketer from Reddit user u/EmailGuru42 shares that at 150k-200k emails per month, a dedicated IP is probably a good idea, but it depends on list quality and engagement. If you have a clean, engaged list, you might be okay on a shared IP, but a dedicated IP offers more control.
Email marketer from EmailOnAcid explains that a dedicated IP address gives you more control over your sender reputation. This is especially important if you're sending a significant volume of emails because you won't be affected by the actions of other senders.
Email marketer from Quora user Jane Doe answers that if your open rates and click-through rates are high, you might be able to get away with a shared IP. But if you notice deliverability issues, switching to a dedicated IP is a good move. With 150K, a dedicated IP is probably better
What the experts say5Expert opinions
Expert from Email Geeks explains that with lower volumes, creating and maintaining a good IP reputation will be harder, but IP reputation is a minor piece of delivery these days.
Expert from Word to the Wise answers that IP address warm-up is essential and describes the volume and engagement to build that IP address. If you plan to send 150-200k messages, then you have to plan this warm-up in advance.
Expert from Email Geeks shares that these days, shared IPs are fine for most senders outside some special circumstances. Most filters will start with domain-based filtering/blocking rather than IP blocks. So if your ESP is competent shared is fine.
Expert from Spam Resource explains that smaller senders get a bigger bang for the buck by using a shared IP pool rather than trying to manage their own IP reputation, especially if they aren't sending enough volume. However, this advice was from 2008, and more recent data suggests a lower limit. The sending volume of 150K-200K may well mean you should use a dedicated IP.
Expert from Email Geeks recommends dedicated IPs for companies sending more than 1 million emails a day, noting that shared IPs are generally fine for most senders.
What the documentation says5Technical articles
Documentation from RFC explains SMTP server requirements, they do not specifically say dedicated IP's are needed. It is the responsibility of those using the servers to control their IP and domain reputation. Reputation is key to ensuring deliverability of emails, so you might want a dedicated IP to help control this.
Documentation from DigitalOcean explains the process of setting up a mail server, and describes various aspects of sending email. This does not specifically require a dedicated IP but does explain the reasons to control the servers IP addresses, which will have significant impact on sending volume. This can be achieved by using a dedicated IP address.
Documentation from Microsoft details that sender reputation, including IP reputation, is a crucial factor for Outlook.com and other Microsoft email services. Senders need to maintain a good reputation to ensure their emails reach the inbox.
Documentation from Amazon Web Services explains that a dedicated IP address allows senders to manage their reputation independently. If you send high volumes of email, a dedicated IP address can help you build and maintain a positive sending reputation.
Documentation from Google Postmaster Tools explains that IP reputation is a key factor in email deliverability. Senders with a poor IP reputation are more likely to have their emails filtered as spam, regardless of content.