If you just changed your IP address or domain for your sendings, your reputation will be considered cold. You must prove to email providers that you are trustworthy by performing a warming (gradual increase of your sendings). The email providers will analyze the results of your sendings, including recipients' behavior in order to build your reputation. If you use a dedicated or a shared IP (like the one provided by DI during domain delegation), you must, in both cases, warm up your reputation.
Did you know that spammers regularly use a new IP address to send messages? The IP address used by spammers, after their first sending, becomes invalid, and email providers will block any further attempts from this address. This is why it is important to create a positive reputation before sending big volumes. Dialog Insight recommends that you create a warm-up plan. |
Step 1: Target Engaged Contacts
The reaction of your contacts to your sendings is an excellent indicator to the email providers about the legitimacy of your messages. First, target contacts who engaged with your brand in the last 30 days (clicks in an email, visits to your website or purchases). Be careful with opening statistics since the message may have been opened by the app used and not by the contact. Inactive contacts in the last six months should be excluded completely. You could also add a segmentation based on a criterion that reflects the engagement, such as attendances to an activity or a recent opt-in.
Step 2: Create a Calendar
Your calendar will vary according to your infrastructure (number of IPs and IP type). If you have a shared IP, your risk tolerance will generally be higher than with a dedicated IP. Your past reputation is a determining factor. A good past reputation will help you increase your volume of sendings faster. On the other hand, if you had deliverability problems with your IP, the increase should be slower. Each case is different. If your situation is complex, you could need assistance from your account director.
The warm-up can take several weeks or months, depending on the volume of contacts targeted, your contact base, the context and your goals (delays, performance). In the beginning, send messages frequently (every day, if possible). Be careful: an important volume followed by a stop and then a restart can cool down your reputation. After each sending, see your results. If you have less than 10% error and 0.1% complaint rates, you can then double the volume.
Below, you will find 2 cases presented as examples, which should you not follow by the book. You must adapt these numbers proportionally to your situation.
Example 1: Large volume with 1 shared IP - High-risk tolerance
If you have more than 200,000 subscribers, your increase could last 15 days. If you send every day, your warm-up will be done in 15 sendings.
| DAYS | DAILY SENDINGS | TOTAL |
| 1 to 3 | 10,000 | 30,000 |
| 4 to 7 | 20,000 | 80,000 |
| 8 to 10 | 40,000 | 120,000 |
| 11 and 12 | 80,000 | 160,000 |
| 13 and 14 | 100,000 | 200,000 |
| 15 | 200,000 | 200,000 |
Example 2: Medium volume with 2 dedicated IPs - Cautious approach
If you have a base of 18,000 subscribers, your warm-up could be done on 7 days in 7 sendings per IP.
| DAYS | DAILY SENDINGS/IP | TOTAL |
| 1 | 1000 | 2000 |
| 2 | 1500 | 3000 |
| 3 | 2500 | 5000 |
| 4 | 3500 | 7000 |
| 5 | 5000 | 10,000 |
| 6 | 7500 | 15,000 |
| 7 | 9000 | 18,000 |
Results
Once your reputation is warmed up, it is recommended to regularly monitor your reputation (an article on the topic is coming). To conclude, keep in mind that you have to offer relevant and personalized content to keep your contacts engaged.