Summary
Warming up a new domain for email marketing and transactional emails involves a strategic and gradual process to establish a positive sending reputation with ISPs and email providers. This includes planning email campaigns, setting realistic goals, and deeply understanding your target audience. Key strategies involve: Starting with a small, highly-engaged segment of subscribers (those who have recently opened or clicked on emails), gradually increasing email volume over time, and segmenting email lists to prioritize active users. It’s important to separate transactional emails from marketing emails, potentially using different subdomains, and to authenticate emails using SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to improve deliverability. You should monitor engagement metrics like open rates, click-through rates, bounce rates, and spam complaints, setting up feedback loops to monitor issues and adjusting your strategy accordingly. Regulatory compliance with CAN-SPAM and CASL, particularly regarding unsubscribe links, is also essential. Pre-warning subscribers about the domain change and offering a re-opt-in opportunity can help reduce complaints. Domain warm-up duration can vary, but approximately 30 days is a common timeframe, contingent on subscriber behavior and engagement.
Key findings
- Gradual Warm-up: A gradual increase in email volume is crucial for establishing a positive sending reputation.
- Engagement Focus: Start with highly engaged subscribers to build positive engagement metrics early on.
- Segmentation: Segment email lists to prioritize active subscribers during the warm-up process.
- Email Authentication: Authenticating emails with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC is essential for deliverability.
- Separation of Emails: Separating transactional and marketing emails, often on different subdomains, aids in reputation management.
- Monitoring and Adjustment: Monitoring key metrics and adjusting the warm-up strategy based on performance is necessary.
- Proactive Communication: Pre-warning subscribers about the domain change helps manage expectations and reduce complaints.
Key considerations
- Subscriber Engagement: Subscriber behavior significantly impacts the success and duration of the domain warm-up.
- Regulatory Compliance: Compliance with regulations like CAN-SPAM and CASL is vital for avoiding legal issues and maintaining trust.
- IP and Domain Reputation: Building a strong IP and domain reputation is fundamental for ensuring emails land in inboxes.
- Feedback Loops: Actively monitoring feedback loops and taking action based on feedback is important to maintaining a good reputation.
- Email Content and Personalization: Creating high-quality, personalized content and ensuring a valid reason for reaching out can improve engagement.
- Consistent Sending Volume: Maintaining a consistent sending volume helps in building a predictable and reliable sending reputation.
- Planning: Careful planning and strategizing are important before starting the domain warm-up process.
What email marketers say
15 marketer opinions
Warming up a new domain involves gradually increasing email volume to build a positive sender reputation with ISPs. Key strategies include starting with highly engaged subscribers, segmenting email lists, using double opt-ins, and separating transactional and marketing emails to different subdomains. Monitoring engagement metrics and maintaining consistent sending habits are crucial, as is ensuring email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC). Pre-warning subscribers about the domain change and providing a re-opt-in option helps manage expectations and minimize complaints. The warm-up duration can vary but typically takes around 30 days, depending on subscriber behavior and engagement.
Key opinions
- Gradual Increase: Gradually increase email volume to build a positive reputation.
- Engaged Subscribers: Start with highly engaged subscribers who have recently opened or clicked emails.
- Segmentation: Segment email lists and prioritize active subscribers during the warm-up.
- Separation of Emails: Separate transactional and marketing emails onto different subdomains for better reputation management.
- Monitoring Engagement: Monitor open rates, click-through rates, and complaints to adjust the warm-up strategy.
- Consistency: Maintain consistent sending habits to avoid being flagged as spam.
- Double Opt-in: Implement a double opt-in process to ensure genuine subscriber interest.
- Transactional Exemption: Transactional emails may not require a warm-up if they are truly transactional.
Key considerations
- Subscriber Behavior: Subscriber engagement heavily influences the warm-up duration and success.
- Authentication: Ensure proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) to improve deliverability.
- Pre-Warning: Inform subscribers about the domain change to reduce complaints and manage expectations.
- IP Reputation: Building a good IP reputation helps avoid being flagged as spam by email providers.
- List Hygiene: Regularly clean the email list to remove inactive or invalid addresses.
- Content Quality: Ensure your emails are personalized, high-quality, and provide value to the recipient.
- Warm-up Duration: Expect the warm-up to take about 30 days, but adjust based on performance.
- Complaint Rate: Aim for a low complaint rate to maintain a good sending reputation.
Marketer view
Email marketer from Reddit user email_pro emphasizes the importance of separating transactional and marketing emails during the warm-up process. They suggest focusing on warming up the marketing domain first and gradually introducing transactional emails after the marketing domain has established a good reputation.
16 Mar 2023 - Reddit
Marketer view
Email marketer from Mailjet recommends starting with a small batch of your most engaged subscribers, then gradually increasing the volume daily. Segment the email list and start sending to the most active subscribers first, people who have opened or clicked on an email in the past 30 days.
26 Mar 2024 - Mailjet
What the experts say
4 expert opinions
Warming up a new domain involves careful planning, understanding your audience, and progressively increasing email volume to establish a positive reputation with ISPs. Focusing on highly engaged subscribers initially is crucial. Compliance with regulations like CAN-SPAM and CASL, particularly regarding unsubscribe links, is essential. Monitoring feedback loops and analyzing deliverability data are key to adjusting the warm-up strategy.
Key opinions
- Strategic Planning: Plan email campaigns, set realistic goals, and understand the target audience before starting.
- Gradual Volume Increase: Gradually increase email volume to build a sending reputation.
- High Engagement Focus: Prioritize subscribers who are likely to engage positively with emails initially.
- Regulatory Compliance: Comply with regulations such as CAN-SPAM and CASL.
Key considerations
- IP Warm-up Necessity: IP warm-up is crucial to establish a sending reputation with ISPs.
- Feedback Loop Monitoring: Monitor feedback loops and deliverability data to adjust the warm-up strategy.
- Low Complaint Rates: Maintain low complaint rates to protect your sending reputation.
- Unsubscribe Compliance: Ensure unsubscribe links work for the legally required period (30 days for CAN-SPAM, 60 days for CASL).
Expert view
Expert from Word to the Wise emphasizes starting with low volume and high engagement, focusing on subscribers who are most likely to interact positively with your emails. She also shares that it is important to monitor feedback loops and analyze deliverability data to adjust the warm-up strategy as needed.
8 Nov 2021 - Word to the Wise
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks reminds that CAN-SPAM requires unsubscribe links to work for 30 days post send, and CASL requires them for 60 days.
24 May 2024 - Email Geeks
What the documentation says
4 technical articles
Warming up a new domain requires a strategic approach involving gradually increasing email volume to establish a positive sending reputation with email providers. Key elements include planning the warm-up, authenticating email using SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, sending to engaged users, monitoring deliverability metrics, and setting up feedback loops. Avoid sending email blasts and focus on consistent volume.
Key findings
- Gradual Volume Increase: Gradually increase email volume to build a positive reputation.
- Engaged Users: Start by sending emails to highly engaged users.
- Email Authentication: Authenticate email with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC.
- Monitoring: Monitor deliverability metrics closely.
- Feedback Loops: Set up feedback loops to monitor issues.
Key considerations
- Planning: Plan the warm-up process strategically.
- Consistency: Send a consistent volume of emails.
- Avoid Email Blasts: Avoid sending large email blasts, gradually increasing volume instead.
- Reputation: Establish a positive sending reputation.
- Bounce and Complaints: Monitor bounce rates and spam complaints.
Technical article
Documentation from Google Workspace Admin Help explains that warming up a new domain involves gradually increasing the volume of emails sent from the new domain to build a positive reputation with email providers. Start with sending emails to highly engaged users and monitor deliverability metrics closely.
11 Nov 2021 - Google Workspace Admin Help
Technical article
Documentation from AWS SES explains a solid IP warming strategy should involve: Planning the warm-up, Gradually increasing sending volumes, and Monitoring and adjusting the process. This is important to ensure you establish a strong reputation as a legitimate email sender and ensure that your emails reach the recipients' inboxes.
5 Jun 2024 - AWS SES Documentation
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