"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.
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 several days.
| During that period, be consistent, ie. send daily if possible. |
4. After each send 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.
| We recommend starting with a volume of engaged contacts of ca. 30k and adding 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 a full 4 weeks to establish a reputation with the email providers.
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Your end target volume should be at your average (non-special/non-holiday season) send out |