What is the best approach for warming up a new IP address for a newsletter with high volume sends?
Summary
What email marketers say12Marketer opinions
Email marketer from Litmus shares that setting up proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) is crucial before starting IP warming. They explain that authentication helps verify your identity to mailbox providers, improving deliverability and preventing spoofing or phishing attempts.
Email marketer from Email Marketing Forum user EmailPro shares that you should plan and schedule your email sends during IP warming to ensure consistent volume and frequency. They suggest creating a detailed sending schedule that gradually increases the number of emails sent each day or week, while closely monitoring deliverability metrics.
Email marketer from Email Marketing Forum user EmailGuru states you should ensure your email list is clean and free of spam traps before starting the IP warming process. Sending to spam traps can severely damage your sender reputation and deliverability.
Email marketer from Mailchimp explains that when warming up a new IP, you should always begin by sending to your most engaged segment. This helps establish a positive sending reputation with ISPs.
Email marketer from Campaign Monitor shares the importance of sending relevant content consistently. Avoid sending irrelevant content or sending too frequently during the initial warm-up period.
Email marketer from EmailOnAcid responds that monitoring key metrics like open rates, click-through rates, bounce rates, and spam complaints is essential during IP warming. They emphasize the need to adjust your sending strategy based on these metrics to ensure optimal deliverability and sender reputation.
Marketer from Email Geeks suggests using every available sending day to maximize velocity when warming up an IP address, mentioning managing warmups exceeding 5 million per day using this approach.
Email marketer from HubSpot details that monitoring bounce rates closely is crucial during the IP warming process. High bounce rates can negatively impact your sender reputation, so it's important to address any issues promptly.
Email marketer from Validity shares that segmentation is crucial, starting with your most engaged subscribers and gradually expanding to less engaged segments. They stress monitoring engagement metrics closely to identify and address any deliverability issues early on.
Email marketer from Mailjet explains that a gradual IP warming strategy is key, starting with your most engaged subscribers and slowly increasing volume over time. They emphasize consistent sending and monitoring deliverability metrics to adjust the pace as needed.
Email marketer from Reddit user EmailGrows shares that on reddit they suggest segmenting your list by engagement level and starting with the most engaged subscribers for IP warming. They advise monitoring open and click rates to adjust sending volume accordingly. Also recommends avoiding sending to unengaged users during the initial warmup phase.
Marketer from Email Geeks suggests that unless the newsletter contains time-sensitive content like flash sales, it is better to set a throttle and distribute the sends over multiple days.
What the experts say5Expert opinions
Expert from Email Geeks recommends simplifying IP warming by setting MTA levels and allowing them to manage the sending rate.
Expert from Email Geeks shares an approach of distributing a monthly newsletter slowly over the course of the entire month to manage sending volume during IP warming, especially when the newsletter volume dwarfs other sends.
Expert from Word to the Wise responds that building a good sender reputation through careful IP warming involves more than just volume. Engagement, list quality and authentication are critical for establishing a positive reputation with ISPs.
Expert from Email Geeks shares their experience of informing AWS about the IP warmup when moving Big App to dedicated IPs, utilizing AWS's feature to send some traffic over the new dedicated IPs and some over the old shared IPs for seamless service.
Expert from SpamResource.com explains the importance of establishing consistent sending habits during the IP warming process. This includes consistent volume and frequency of sends to build a good reputation.
What the documentation says4Technical articles
Documentation from SendGrid emphasizes the importance of sending valuable content during the IP warming process. They explain that positive engagement (opens, clicks) signals to mailbox providers that your mail is wanted, improving your sender reputation and deliverability.
Documentation from Amazon SES explains that warming up an IP address involves gradually increasing the volume of email you send over that IP. They advise beginning with a small number of emails to your most engaged users, and slowly increasing the volume over time, while closely monitoring bounce rates and spam complaints.
Documentation from SparkPost explains that consistent sending volume is vital for successful IP warming. They advise against sending large spikes of email, as this can trigger spam filters and negatively impact your sender reputation. Instead, they recommend gradually increasing volume over time.
Documentation from Google Postmaster Tools shares that it is important to use Google Postmaster Tools to monitor your sender reputation, spam complaints, and other deliverability metrics during IP warming. They emphasize the importance of addressing any issues promptly to maintain a positive sender reputation and ensure optimal deliverability to Gmail users.