Summary
When launching a campaign to an old email list, experts and marketers consistently recommend focusing on list hygiene, gradual warm-up, re-permission, and delivering valuable content. Begin by meticulously cleaning the list, removing invalid and inactive addresses to protect sender reputation and reduce bounce rates. Segment the list based on engagement, targeting active subscribers first. Gradually warm up the list to avoid spam flags, and strongly consider running a re-permission campaign. Authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) is essential, alongside monitoring sender reputation using tools like SRD. Personalization and preference centers are vital for better engagement. Also, important to remember that email verification services are not a one stop solution. Finally, A/B testing should be employed to find the most effective subject lines and content. The source of the leads is also a key consideration.
Key findings
- List Hygiene: Cleaning invalid and inactive addresses improves sender reputation and reduces bounce rates.
- Gradual Warm-Up: Gradually increasing volume avoids spam flags and builds trust with ISPs.
- Re-Permission Campaign: Re-permission ensures you're sending to subscribers who actively want to receive emails.
- Email Authentication: SPF, DKIM, and DMARC authentication prove legitimacy and improve deliverability.
- Engagement Focus: High open rates and click-through rates indicate valuable content, improving sender reputation.
- Segmentation Based On Engagement: Send to only engaged users at first to show mail providers you send wanted mail.
Key considerations
- 3-Month Rule: Consider not sending emails to anyone who hasn't requested them in over 3 months.
- Confirmation Process: Use a confirmation process for newly acquired emails to ensure consent.
- Value Proposition: Remind subscribers why they signed up and reiterate the value proposition.
- Monitoring Sender Reputation: Use tools to monitor and address any issues affecting deliverability (spam complaints, blacklisting).
- Preference Centers: Offering preference centers reduces unsubscribes and spam complaints.
- A/B Testing: A/B testing of subject lines, content, and send times can improve engagement.
- Email Validation: Utilize email validation services to eliminate fake or risky addresses. Also consider the lead source.
What email marketers say
13 marketer opinions
When sending a first email campaign to an old list, the prevailing advice centers on careful list hygiene, gradual warming, obtaining re-permission, and delivering personalized, relevant content. Starting with cleaning and segmenting the list is essential, focusing on removing inactive or invalid addresses to protect sender reputation. Experts recommend gradually warming up the list by sending to engaged segments first and closely monitoring deliverability metrics like bounce rates and spam complaints to adjust strategies. Re-permission campaigns are suggested to ensure recipients actively want to receive the emails. Personalizing email content and providing preference centers for customization can also improve engagement and reduce unsubscribes. Finally, employing email verification services and conducting A/B testing of email elements will help to optimize deliverability and engagement.
Key opinions
- List Hygiene: Cleaning old email lists by removing invalid and inactive addresses is crucial to reduce bounce rates and improve sender reputation.
- Segmentation: Segmenting lists based on engagement allows you to target active subscribers first and build a positive sender reputation.
- Gradual Warming: Warming up lists gradually by starting with a small, engaged segment helps avoid being flagged as spam.
- Re-Permission: Running a re-permission campaign ensures that you are only sending emails to subscribers who actively want to receive them.
- Personalization: Personalizing email content can greatly improve engagement by tailoring messaging and offering relevant content.
- Monitoring Metrics: Monitoring deliverability metrics helps identify issues and make necessary adjustments to email marketing strategy.
Key considerations
- Confirmation Emails: Implement a confirmation email process for newly acquired emails to ensure deliverability.
- Email Validation: Use email validation services to avoid invalid typos and remove risky email addresses.
- Value Proposition: Remind subscribers why they signed up and reiterate the value proposition in the first email.
- Engagement metrics: Engagement metrics are really important. Having high open and click-through rates help deliverability
- Preference Centers: Offering preference centers can reduce unsubscribes and spam complaints.
- A/B Testing: A/B testing different elements like subject lines and send times can improve engagement.
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks explains that a confirmation email process should be used, sent to each email address as it was acquired. Addresses that confirm should be the only ones sent the first mass mailing.
3 Jul 2023 - Email Geeks
Marketer view
Email marketer from Mailjet explains that you should begin by cleaning your old list. Remove any invalid or inactive email addresses to reduce bounce rates and improve your sender reputation.
24 Feb 2023 - Mailjet
What the experts say
5 expert opinions
Experts emphasize several key practices for ensuring deliverability when sending an initial campaign to an old email list. It's recommended to avoid sending to the entire list at once, gradually increasing volume starting with the newest or most trusted subscribers. List hygiene is crucial; cleaning the list by removing invalid and inactive addresses is vital. Confirming subscriber consent and engagement is also highly recommended. Finally, Email verification services can reduce bounces but are not a one stop solution to deliverability. Also, care needs to be taken with how the leads were acquired in the first place.
Key opinions
- Gradual Ramp-Up: Avoid sending to the entire list at once; gradually increase volume.
- List Hygiene: Cleaning the list by removing invalid and inactive addresses is crucial for improved deliverability.
- Consent and Engagement: Confirming subscriber consent and engagement is essential before sending a campaign.
- COI Rates: High COI rates mean that a lot of non confirmed subscribers are typos or bots.
- Email Verification: Email verification services can reduce bounces but are not a total solution.
- Lead Source: Care needs to be taken with how leads were acquired to make sure the leads are responsible leads.
Key considerations
- Trustworthiness: Begin sending to the newest and most trusted subscribers first.
- Cleaning Frequency: Regularly clean your list to maintain deliverability.
- Permission Practices: Implement permission-based email marketing practices.
Expert view
Expert from Spam Resource emphasizes the importance of list hygiene. They explain that cleaning your list by removing invalid and inactive email addresses is crucial for improving deliverability when sending to an old list.
5 Aug 2021 - Spam Resource
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks suggests not sending to an entire old list at once, and instead gradually ramp up the volume, starting with the newest/most trusted.
29 Jun 2021 - Email Geeks
What the documentation says
4 technical articles
Email deliverability best practices, as highlighted by documentation from Google, Microsoft, SparkPost, and RFC-Editor, emphasize authentication, reputation monitoring, and engagement. Authenticating emails with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC is crucial for proving legitimacy to email providers like Gmail. Monitoring sender reputation, using tools like SRD, helps identify and address deliverability issues such as spam complaints or blacklisting. Focusing on engagement metrics, like open rates and click-through rates, signals to ISPs that emails are valuable, improving sender reputation and deliverability. Proper SPF record setup indicates authorized IPs for sending emails from a domain.
Key findings
- Email Authentication: SPF, DKIM, and DMARC authentication are critical for proving email legitimacy.
- Reputation Monitoring: Monitoring sender reputation helps identify and address deliverability issues.
- Engagement Metrics: High open rates and click-through rates signal valuable emails and improve deliverability.
- Proper SPF Setup: Setting up a proper SPF record indicates authorized IPs for sending emails.
Key considerations
- Gmail Compliance: Authenticate emails to improve deliverability specifically to Gmail users.
- Tool Utilization: Use tools like Sender Reputation Data (SRD) to monitor and address deliverability issues.
- Value Signaling: Ensure emails are valuable and wanted to improve sender reputation with ISPs.
- Domain Authorization: Ensure a correct and up-to-date SPF record is in place.
Technical article
Documentation from Google explains that when sending bulk emails, authenticate your email with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. This helps prove that you are the legitimate sender of the email and improves deliverability to Gmail users.
30 Jul 2024 - Google Workspace Admin Help
Technical article
Documentation from SparkPost explains to focus on engagement metrics. High open rates and click-through rates signal to ISPs that your emails are valuable and wanted, improving your sender reputation and deliverability.
7 Jun 2025 - SparkPost
Are email list cleaning services useful for improving email deliverability, and how do they work?
How can I improve email deliverability and open rates for a client with a bad domain reputation, especially with Gmail, and what strategies should I use for unengaged users?
How can I improve email deliverability for a client with a poor sender reputation and questionable email acquisition practices?
How can I safely message inactive email addresses without damaging my sender reputation?
How do I start emailing a large list with no engagement history?
How to warm up an old email list that hasn't been used in a while?
