One of the most common questions during email platform migration is: How can we warm up faster?
Here are the most effective, safe ways to speed up warm-up without damaging reputation:
🛠️ Preparation
-
Build your ramp-up plan early
Set out a daily/weekly volume plan based on audience quality, domain/IP reputation, and timeline. Consider sending multiple times per day (see below)
→ [Coming soon: How to build a warm-up volume calculator] -
Get your suppression and bounce handling in order
Review existing data and the current platform suppression lists. To avoid accidental re-mailing, ensure invalid and suppressed contacts are identified, and only upload valid and subscribed contacts into the new platform -
Create an Engagement ID
While preparing contact data, add a column to your contact list with a simple ID showing most-to-least engaged. Having this simple ID in your old and new marketing platform enables easy engagement-based segmentation and allows coordination of included/excluded contacts while sending campaigns from both old and new platforms -
Segment your audience by value and engagement
Divide contacts into groups like:- 0–90 day click/web engagement (high value, high engagement)
- 90–365 day click/web engagement (low engagement)
- Long-term inactives (no engagement - and split into Prospects vs. Customers)
-
Decide what “migration complete” means
Does that include long-term inactive data or just engaged customers? Define it up front — and get stakeholder sign-off. You can shorten a migration by taking away some of the work! -
Inform Microsoft?
Microsoft sending can be challenging. This is listed last, as it does not always work, but you may consider a “Pre-emptive Mitigation” support request, explaining exactly what volumes you intend to send to MS domains https://olcsupport.office.com/
✉️ Sending Tactics
-
Send multiple times per day (first 1-2 weeks)
In the first weeks (while using high engagement data), send 2–3 campaigns daily to your most active contacts. This helps build reputation and volume more quickly than one large daily campaign -
Start with highly engaged contacts (0-90 day clickers)
These users are most likely to open and click - giving you strong positive signals to mailbox providers. Don’t risk your warm-up with risky or cold data. -
Send every day (including weekends if appropriate)
Consistency is key. Avoid gaps unless performance signals tell you otherwise. -
Control ramp-up by performance, not just the calendar
If response rates drop, bounces increase or complaint rates spike: pause and investigate. It's better to delay than to damage your new reputation. However, if everything is going well you can test volume increases larger than initially planned