Why do new sender email addresses experience lower rates and what can be done about it?
Summary
What email marketers say11Marketer opinions
Marketer from Email Geeks explains that new sender addresses experience a greater degree of skepticism from filters. Filters test new messages based on address, content, IP, domain, DKIM signing domain, using a similar methodology. Rate limiting and testing messages in different folders helps determine user reaction. Skepticism now extends beyond the domain to the individual sender address's behavior due to automated SDR and warming services.
Email marketer from Deliverability Blog explains that new senders often trigger spam filters due to a lack of historical data. Focusing on sending to opted-in subscribers and maintaining clean lists is crucial.
Email marketer from Email Marketing Forum says that implementing a gradual IP warmup strategy is essential. Starting with small batches and slowly increasing volume gives ISPs time to assess your sending behavior.
Email marketer from Email Consultant Blog identifies that inbox providers test new senders with some emails landing in the inbox. These new senders should target these emails at highly engaged users, as negative engagement here will sink your reputation.
Email marketer from EmailGeeks Forum mentions that inconsistent sending volumes can harm deliverability for new senders. Establishing a regular sending schedule helps build a predictable sending pattern.
Email marketer from Mailchimp shares that new sending IPs need to be 'warmed up' by gradually increasing sending volume. This allows mailbox providers to learn about the sender and establish trust, preventing deliverability issues.
Email marketer from Reddit shares that new senders should focus on sending highly targeted content to engaged users initially. This generates positive engagement signals, improving deliverability.
Email marketer from SendGrid suggests new senders carefully monitor their sending reputation using tools like Google Postmaster Tools. Addressing any issues proactively helps build trust with mailbox providers.
Email marketer from Reddit finds that a high bounce rate damages sender reputation. Ensuring a clean list is imperative.
Marketer from Email Geeks explains that, assuming the domain/subdomain are the same, it sometimes takes a bit of volume before inbox providers figure out where to put the majority of email for a given username. It tends to settle down after sending consistently on that username for about a week, giving them enough data to analyze.
Email marketer from MailerQ finds that new senders should use a dedicated IP address to build a positive sending reputation. Sharing an IP address with other senders can negatively impact deliverability.
What the experts say3Expert opinions
Expert from Spamresource explains that deliverability issues for new senders can be caused due to the server automatically throttling and filtering unknown IPs. They recommend warming up IPs correctly and making sure all of your DNS entries are valid.
Expert from Email Geeks shares that sometimes inbox providers won't pre-fetch pixels for new senders. Mail is delivered the same, it just doesn't get the "great sender" treatment.
Expert from Word to the Wise finds that new senders should always implement an IP address warm up, particularly when using new dedicated IPs. By slowly increasing volume over time, you help build trust with inbox providers.
What the documentation says5Technical articles
Documentation from Microsoft highlights that new senders need to adhere to best practices, including proper authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), list hygiene, and providing clear unsubscribe options. Failure to do so can lead to filtering.
Documentation from SparkPost emphasizes the importance of proper authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) as a foundational step for new senders. It helps mailbox providers verify the sender's identity and legitimacy.
Documentation from RFC highlights the importance of a correctly formatted SPF record, as this helps the recipient know you are an authentic sender. It also recommends that an SPF record is always present.
Documentation from Google explains that new senders lack a sending history, leading to lower initial reputation. Google recommends consistently sending authenticated emails to build a positive reputation over time.
Documentation from DMARC.org explains that new senders should implement DMARC to protect their domain from spoofing and phishing attacks. This signals to mailbox providers that the sender is serious about security.