When do email senders need more dedicated IPs?

Summary

The decision to acquire more dedicated IPs hinges on a combination of factors, most notably email volume, reputation management, and infrastructure requirements. Experts and marketers agree that high-volume senders (generally exceeding 50,000-100,000 emails per month) benefit from dedicated IPs to control their reputation and avoid the negative impact of shared IP environments. Consistency in sending patterns, the types of mailbox providers (with Gmail being less sensitive), and infrastructure limitations (such as failover concerns) also play a significant role. However, experts caution against using dedicated IPs for low-volume sending, as they lack an established reputation and require careful warming up. Before adding IPs, it is important to understand the root cause of deliverability issues, such as rate limiting or content-related problems.

Key findings

  • High Volume Threshold: Sending over 50,000-100,000 emails per month is a common threshold for needing dedicated IPs.
  • Reputation Control: Dedicated IPs provide greater control over sender reputation and deliverability.
  • Isolation Benefits: Dedicated IPs isolate senders from reputation issues caused by other senders on shared IPs.
  • Mailbox Provider Sensitivity: The types of mailbox providers in your audience influence the need for dedicated IPs (Gmail is less sensitive).
  • Low Volume Inappropriateness: Dedicated IPs are not recommended for low-volume senders due to lack of IP reputation.
  • Infrastructure Concerns: ESPs allocating only one IP for large volumes raise failover concerns.

Key considerations

  • Underlying Issues: Identify the underlying cause of deliverability issues (e.g., content, rate limiting) before adding IPs.
  • Sending Volume Analysis: Accurately assess current and projected sending volume to determine necessity.
  • Mailbox Provider Mix: Consider the distribution of mailbox providers within your recipient list.
  • Warming Up Strategy: If using new dedicated IPs, implement a gradual warm-up strategy to build reputation.
  • Infrastructure Limitations: Assess ESP infrastructure limitations and failover capabilities.
  • Alternative Solutions: Explore if improving sending practices or reputation can address the issues instead of adding IPs.

What email marketers say
14Marketer opinions

Email marketers generally agree that dedicated IPs become necessary when senders reach high email volumes and want more control over their sender reputation and deliverability. The specific volume threshold varies, but often cited figures range from 50,000 to 100,000 emails per month, or over 1 million per day. The type of mailbox providers, consistency of sending patterns, and the need for failover capabilities also influence the decision. Isolating your email traffic to protect your reputation from the negative impacts of shared IPs is a key driver. Infrastructure concerns from allocating only one IP for high volume are also frequently raised.

Key opinions

  • High Volume: Dedicated IPs are recommended when sending high email volumes (50k-100k+ per month).
  • Reputation Control: Dedicated IPs allow senders to control their reputation, isolating them from shared IP issues.
  • Deliverability: Dedicated IPs can improve deliverability, especially when encountering issues on shared IPs.
  • Mailbox Provider Impact: The need for dedicated IPs depends on the mix of mailbox providers (e.g., Gmail vs. smaller providers).
  • Infrastructure: Single IP infrastructures are more exposed to issues with failover when sending high volumes.

Key considerations

  • Volume Consistency: Consistent sending patterns benefit more from dedicated IPs.
  • Mailbox Provider Types: Consider the types of mailbox providers your audience uses, as some are more sensitive than others.
  • Reputation Issues: Assess if deliverability issues are related to your sender reputation before adding dedicated IPs.
  • Infrastructure Needs: Evaluate if your current infrastructure adequately handles failover and high-volume sending.
  • Control vs. Convenience: Balance the need for control over reputation with the convenience of shared IPs.
Marketer view

Email marketer from Quora suggests that a dedicated IP address becomes important when your email volume reaches a point where you want more control over your sender reputation and deliverability. It's a good idea once you are sending significant volume or want to ensure consistent deliverability for critical communications.

December 2021 - Quora
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Geeks expresses infrastructure concerns about the ESP allocating only one IP for such a high volume, especially regarding failover scenarios. He also raises questions about campaign size and volume consistency.

August 2021 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from Reddit shares that senders should consider dedicated IPs when sending significant email volumes (100k+ per month) to manage reputation, especially if encountering deliverability issues with shared IPs.

May 2024 - Reddit
Marketer view

Email marketer from HubSpot shares that dedicated IPs are useful for senders needing control and isolation of their sending reputation. Senders who send large volumes of email should consider dedicated IPs.

July 2021 - HubSpot
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Geeks shares experience with clients sending high volumes on one IP with a consistent, high-quality list, without significant throttling. He also suggests that the delays sometimes are not IP related, but database/HTML generation and suggests a pool of dedicated IPs.

April 2021 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email on Acid explains that dedicated IP addresses are for senders that send large volumes of emails. It is beneficial to senders so that they can isolate their reputation.

December 2024 - Email on Acid
Marketer view

Email marketer from ActiveCampaign indicates that a dedicated IP is beneficial when you have consistent, high-volume sending habits, and desire greater control over your sender reputation.

February 2023 - ActiveCampaign
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Geeks explains that the need for dedicated IPs depends on the mix of mailbox providers, with Gmail being less sensitive and smaller providers benefiting more. Also recommends checking for reputation issues related to deliverability.

June 2024 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from Mailjet shares that dedicated IP addresses are necessary when you want to control your sender reputation and avoid being impacted by the sending practices of others on a shared IP. It's especially relevant for businesses sending large volumes of email.

January 2022 - Mailjet
Marketer view

Email marketer from StackExchange advises that if you're sending a lot of emails through an ESP, it's worth considering a dedicated IP for reputation management. If you are sending more than 50,000 emails per month, you should consider a dedicated IP.

December 2021 - StackExchange
Marketer view

Email marketer from Litmus explains that dedicated IPs are useful for senders to manage their own reputation and gives more control over the email program's deliverability. Senders who are sending high volume, or have a great domain reputation should consider dedicated IPs.

August 2021 - Litmus
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Geeks explains that the need for more IPs depends on the mailbox providers, with some being slower than others. He suggests that at over 1M emails per day, another dedicated IP would likely be beneficial.

April 2021 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from Campaign Monitor shares that Dedicated IPs are important for businesses sending email at a high volume, maintain a positive sending reputation, and need maximum control over email deliverability.

July 2022 - Campaign Monitor
Marketer view

Email marketer from SuperOffice explains that a dedicated IP is important for building and maintaining your sender reputation by isolating your email traffic. This allows you to have control over your deliverability.

November 2022 - SuperOffice

What the experts say
4Expert opinions

Experts emphasize that simply adding more dedicated IPs is not always the solution for email deliverability issues. One expert notes it could help but questions why the ESP isn't preventing rate limiting. Another suggests that more IPs may not solve the problem if rate limiting is content-related and instead recommends investigating the root cause and improving email practices. Furthermore, experts caution against using dedicated IPs for low-volume sending due to the lack of an established IP reputation, and emphasize the importance of warming up new IPs gradually to build a positive sending reputation.

Key opinions

  • More IPs Not Always the Answer: Adding IPs might not solve rate limiting problems, particularly if the issue is content-related.
  • Investigate Rate Limiting: It's important to understand the underlying cause of rate limiting before adding more IPs.
  • Low Volume Issues: Dedicated IPs can be detrimental for low-volume senders due to lack of reputation.
  • Importance of Warming Up: New IPs require a warm-up period to establish a positive sending reputation.

Key considerations

  • ESP Rate Limiting: Understand why your ESP isn't preventing rate limiting issues.
  • Content Quality: Ensure email content is not triggering rate limiting.
  • Sending Volume: Assess your sending volume to determine if dedicated IPs are appropriate.
  • IP Reputation: Plan for warming up new IPs to build a positive sending reputation gradually.
Expert view

Expert from Spam Resource explains that dedicated IPs can be a bad option if the volume being sent is low. The IP address will have no sending reputation and deliverability rates will be low as a result.

May 2024 - Spam Resource
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks suggests investigating the cause of rate limiting and improving email practices and reputation. She explains more IPs might not solve the problem if rate limiting is related to content.

October 2022 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Word to the Wise explains that if you are just starting out, IP addresses have no established reputation, so getting email delivered is an uphill battle. It's important to warm up your IP address by first sending a small volume, before sending at scale.

December 2023 - Word to the Wise
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks shares that more IPs would likely help based on past experiences, while also questioning why the ESP isn't preventing the rate limiting in the first place.

August 2022 - Email Geeks

What the documentation says
5Technical articles

Email service provider documentation consistently suggests that dedicated IPs are beneficial for senders aiming to manage their own reputation, maintain control over their sending activities, and isolate themselves from other users. A high sending volume, often cited as over 50,000 emails per month, and consistent sending patterns are key indicators for needing a dedicated IP. These IPs allow senders to establish and maintain their reputation independently with ISPs, and tools like Google Postmaster Tools can be used to monitor sending reputation.

Key findings

  • Reputation Management: Dedicated IPs offer senders greater control over their sending reputation.
  • Isolation: Dedicated IPs isolate senders from the activities of other users on shared IPs.
  • High Volume: Dedicated IPs are recommended for senders with high email volumes (e.g., over 50,000 per month).
  • Consistent Sending: Consistent sending patterns benefit from dedicated IPs.

Key considerations

  • Reputation Goals: Consider your need for control over your sending reputation.
  • Sending Volume: Assess your monthly sending volume against recommended thresholds.
  • Sending Consistency: Evaluate the consistency of your sending patterns.
  • Monitoring Tools: Use tools like Google Postmaster Tools to monitor your sending reputation.
Technical article

Documentation from SendGrid explains that a dedicated IP address is beneficial for senders wanting to manage their own reputation and is recommended for senders sending over 50,000 emails per month. They also say it is beneficial when sending consistent volume.

June 2023 - SendGrid
Technical article

Documentation from AWS explains that dedicated IPs are useful for senders who require a high degree of control over their sending reputation and need to isolate their sending activities from other users.

September 2022 - AWS
Technical article

Documentation from Oracle explains that dedicated IPs give control over sender reputation which leads to better deliverability. A high sending volume is a good indication you need a dedicated IP.

May 2022 - Oracle
Technical article

Documentation from Google explains that a dedicated IP address allows senders to build and maintain their reputation independently. Senders can use Google Postmaster Tools to monitor their sending reputation.

December 2022 - Google Postmaster Tools
Technical article

Documentation from SparkPost explains that using dedicated IPs allows senders to establish and maintain their own reputation with ISPs. It is beneficial for senders with consistent sending patterns and high email volumes.

April 2023 - SparkPost