Email warmup - make it count!

Kostas_K · ‎02-14-2023

"Ask 100 Deliverability professionals and you will get 100 warmup plans!"
Old Indian saying (sic)

I am confident that the above fictional proverb would be true if existed. But why is it so complex with warmups? Instead of getting into very specific plans, which would be always different, I will try to cover the matter from a more generic approach and give you the knowledge you need to make your customized warmup plan and turn it into a successful one.

But first things first. What is the warmup:
Warmup is a process of gradually increasing the sending volume of a new or dormant IP address or domain over a period of time in order to establish a positive sending reputation with internet service providers (ISPs) and to minimize the risk of being identified as a potential spammer.

During that process, there are of course several factors that can go wrong. The key to overcoming most (if not all) of the possible issues is one, engagement.

Email providers need to see that you are a legitimate sender and that the audience you target is interested and wants your emails.

How to introduce your brand to the email providers and ISPs

Regardless of the choice of IPs (dedicated or shared) the logic and technique are the same:

1. Upon your contacts' onboarding mark them with an engagement field to show the most engaged vs the least.

Spoiler

For engagement criteria use multiple entry points such as clicks, website visits, purchases etc and do not rely solely on “opens”

2. Segment your email list and prioritize sending to the most engaged and active subscribers first.

3. Start with a small volume of emails and gradually increase it over a period of several days.

Spoiler

Tip: During that period, be consistent, ie send daily if possibly

4. After each sends check your campaign results for any potential issues. Specifically, during this phase your hard & soft bounces should be minimal -if any- and certainly below 4%

5. If there are no issues, proceed with adding more volume the next day/send and repeat as you gradually introduce your least active audience.

Spoiler

Tip: We recommend starting with a volume of engaged contacts of ca. 30k and add up a factor of 1.5x on each send.

Do	Don’t
Send daily if possible	Think that not following the Do’s would be ok!
Avoid sudden spikes on sending	Get alarmed if your open rates are lower during warmup. It is normal!
Start slow and go faster later on

When is the warmup completed?

Normally, a newly introduced sender would need full 4 weeks to establish a reputation with the email providers.

Spoiler

Tip: Your target volume to stop adding more volume should be your average (non-special/non-holiday season) send

Learn more

You can read more on how to successfully conclude your email migration (and many more!) on our articles’ home page.

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