Should I continue sending from my old ESP while warming up a new IP address?
Summary
What email marketers say10Marketer opinions
Email marketer from Iterable explains that you should segment your audience during IP warm-up. They say you should start by sending to your most engaged subscribers to establish a good reputation with ISPs.
Email marketer from Email Marketing Forum states that it is important to monitor the performance of both IPs, watching open rates and bounce rates of both sets of sends, and if things are going well, slowly ramp down the old IP as the new one increases
Email marketer from Email Marketing Forum suggests to continue using the old ESP, but reduce the volume of emails sent from it over time as the new IP warms up. This ensures a smooth transition and avoids deliverability issues.
Email marketer from SendGrid shares that you should continue sending emails from your old ESP while warming up a new IP address, to maintain your sending reputation. They suggest gradually increasing the volume of emails sent from the new IP over time, while decreasing the volume from the old IP.
Email marketer from Reddit suggests overlapping ESPs during migration is the best practice. They advise sending higher engagement emails from new IPs and sending less engaged emails from old IPs during the warm up phase.
Email marketer from Campaign Monitor advises against stopping sends from the old ESP entirely. They say you should gradually reduce sending volume on the old IP while increasing on the new IP to avoid any sudden negative impact on deliverability.
Email marketer from ActiveCampaign recommends focusing on engagement during the IP warm-up phase. They say you should send emails to your most engaged subscribers from the new IP to establish a positive sending reputation.
Email marketer from Mailjet Blog explains that you should send emails from both your old and new IP addresses during the warm-up process. Start by sending to your most engaged subscribers from the new IP and gradually increase the volume.
Email marketer from HubSpot shares that transitioning your email sending gradually is key. They suggest slowly moving subscribers from your old ESP to the new one, monitoring deliverability metrics closely during the process.
Email marketer from Email on Acid suggests that maintaining a consistent sending presence is important. Continue sending from your old ESP to avoid a sudden drop in email volume, which can negatively impact deliverability.
What the experts say6Expert opinions
Expert from Email Geeks suggests sending a notice saying "we are making changes to improve our services, and our [from address / other ] is changing be sure to look out for [new thing] here".
Expert from Email Geeks recommends starting with the most engaged subscribers on the new IPs and sending to less engaged subscribers from the old IPs, and not letting people forget you.
Expert from Email Geeks suggests keeping revenue emails on the old IPs until the warmup is done, then moving them over.
Expert from Email Geeks recommends overlapping migration whenever possible.
Expert from Word to the Wise explains that it is best practice to overlap sending from old and new systems when migrating ESPs and warming up new IPs. Don't stop sending completely from your old setup.
Expert from Spam Resource responds that during IP Warm up you can continue sending from your old ESP in a lower volume, focusing on your most active and engaged users.
What the documentation says4Technical articles
Documentation from Microsoft shares that you should avoid sudden changes in sending volume. Gradual increases and decreases are preferred to maintain a stable sending reputation and ensure deliverability.
Documentation from Google Postmaster Tools explains to gradually increase sending volume when starting to send email from a new IP address. Starting with small volumes allows you to monitor deliverability and address any issues that arise.
Documentation from SparkPost shares that it's crucial to gradually phase out the old ESP while warming up the new IP. This helps maintain a consistent sending reputation and prevents deliverability issues.
Documentation from Amazon SES explains that gradual increase in sending volume helps establish a positive sending reputation. Starting with a low volume and gradually increasing it over time demonstrates responsible sending practices to ISPs.