Summary
Warming up a new client's email list in Klaviyo involves a multifaceted approach to build a positive sender reputation and improve deliverability. It starts with ensuring the list is properly sourced, cleaned of invalid addresses, and segmented based on engagement levels. Gradually increase sending volume, focusing initially on the most engaged subscribers with valuable content and a clear welcome message. Implement explicit opt-in processes and provide easy-to-find unsubscribe options to respect recipient preferences. Domain authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) is crucial. Avoid sending to old or cold lists, and consistently monitor deliverability metrics to adjust your strategy. Proper IP warming is essential, especially with new accounts.
Key findings
- List Hygiene & Sourcing: Properly sourcing, cleaning, and segmenting your email list are fundamental steps to prevent deliverability issues and improve engagement.
- Gradual Volume Increase: Gradually increasing sending volume, particularly with a new account or IP address, is crucial for building a positive sender reputation and avoiding spam filters.
- Engagement-Focused Approach: Start with your most engaged subscribers, deliver valuable content, and focus on building a relationship through a welcome series.
- Explicit Opt-In and Unsubscribe: Gaining explicit opt-in consent and providing easy unsubscribe options are essential for respecting recipients' preferences and avoiding complaints.
- Authentication Matters: Domain authentication using SPF, DKIM, and DMARC is critical for verifying your sender identity and improving email deliverability.
- Avoid Old Lists: Using old or cold lists will likely result in low engagement, spam trap hits, and a damaged sender reputation.
Key considerations
- List Age and Quality: Assess the age and quality of the list. If it's old (over a year), consider starting fresh.
- IP Warming Strategy: Develop a specific IP warming strategy, gradually increasing volume over time, especially with a new Klaviyo account.
- Content Value and Relevance: Ensure your content is valuable, relevant, and tailored to your audience to maximize engagement.
- Continuous Monitoring: Continuously monitor key metrics such as open rates, click-through rates, bounce rates, and spam complaints to identify and address any issues proactively.
- Compliance and Best Practices: Adhere to email marketing best practices and comply with relevant regulations (e.g., GDPR, CAN-SPAM) to maintain a healthy sender reputation and avoid legal issues.
- Segmentation and Personalization: Use data and segmentation to personalize email campaigns and deliver relevant content, increasing engagement and reducing the likelihood of unsubscribes or spam reports.
What email marketers say
13 marketer opinions
Warming up a new client's email list in Klaviyo requires a strategic approach focused on building a positive sender reputation and ensuring high engagement. Key steps include verifying list origin and age, cleaning the list to remove inactive or invalid addresses, and segmenting based on engagement levels. The initial focus should be on sending valuable content to the most engaged subscribers, gradually increasing volume and broadening the target audience. Implementing a welcome series, offering clear opt-in options, and monitoring deliverability metrics are essential for success.
Key opinions
- List Quality: Ensure the email list is properly sourced, relatively recent, and cleaned of invalid or inactive addresses to avoid deliverability issues.
- Segmentation: Segment your list based on engagement levels and target the most active subscribers first to build a positive sender reputation.
- Gradual Increase: Gradually increase sending volume to avoid triggering spam filters and establish a consistent sending pattern.
- Valuable Content: Focus on delivering valuable and engaging content, especially in the initial stages, to encourage opens, clicks, and replies.
- Opt-in Practices: Implement clear opt-in options (like double opt-in) to ensure subscribers want to receive emails, reducing complaints and improving engagement.
- Welcome Series: Prioritize a welcome email to introduce the brand.
Key considerations
- List Age: If the list is old (over a year), consider starting fresh due to potential deliverability risks associated with outdated or unengaged contacts.
- IP Warming: Consider the need for IP warming, especially when using a new Klaviyo account or IP address, by gradually increasing sending volume.
- Engagement Metrics: Monitor key metrics such as open rates, click-through rates, and bounce rates to adjust your warming strategy and maintain a healthy sender reputation.
- Unsubscribe Options: Always ensure emails have clear unsubscribe options to respect recipients' preferences and avoid being marked as spam.
- List Hygiene: Maintain ongoing list hygiene by regularly removing inactive users and invalid email addresses to improve deliverability.
- Authentication: Implement email authentication methods (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) to verify your sending domain and improve deliverability.
Marketer view
Email marketer from Campaign Monitor Blog explains to start with a welcome email. Don't assume they know you - explain the relationship and how they were added to your list. Make sure you deliver on what you promised to increase engagement.
21 Apr 2024 - Campaign Monitor Blog
Marketer view
Email marketer from Email Geeks shares options for implementing opt-in, including creating a form in Klaviyo, leveraging e-commerce platform integrations (like Shopify), or using Klaviyo's Subscribe to List API.
7 Sep 2021 - Email Geeks
What the experts say
4 expert opinions
Warming up a new email list involves obtaining explicit consent, avoiding old lists to prevent spam trap hits, gradually increasing sending volume from a new IP, and maintaining a clean, engaged list by removing inactive subscribers.
Key opinions
- Explicit Opt-in: Gaining explicit consent to receive emails is crucial for avoiding complaints and building a positive sender reputation.
- Avoid Old Lists: Using old email lists can lead to deliverability issues and spam trap hits, emphasizing the importance of good data handling practices.
- Gradual IP Warming: Gradually increasing email volume from a new IP address is necessary to establish a positive reputation with ISPs.
- List Hygiene: Maintaining a clean and engaged list by removing inactive subscribers is essential for optimal deliverability.
Key considerations
- Consent Options: If explicit opt-in is not possible, providing an easy-to-find unsubscribe link is crucial for respecting recipients' preferences.
- Data Handling: Implement best practices in data handling from the outset to avoid using old or improperly sourced lists.
- Volume Control: Monitor and control the sending volume during IP warming to avoid being flagged as spam.
- Sunset Policies: Implement sunset policies to identify and remove inactive subscribers from your mailing list to improve engagement rates.
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks advises to invite recipients to join the newsletter or marketing program, emphasizing the importance of obtaining explicit opt-in to avoid complaints. If opt-in is not possible, introduce the mail and provide a very easy-to-find unsubscribe link.
25 Aug 2021 - Email Geeks
Expert view
Expert from Spam Resource explains that using old lists will get you into trouble with spam traps. She advises how important it is to follow best practices in data handling from the very beginning, to not end up in the situation of sending to old lists.
4 May 2025 - Spam Resource
What the documentation says
4 technical articles
Warming up a new client's email list involves gradually increasing sending volume, starting with engaged segments or transactional emails, and consistently monitoring deliverability. Authenticating your domain using SPF, DKIM, and DMARC is also crucial for building and maintaining a healthy sender reputation. Avoid sudden spikes in sending volume.
Key findings
- Gradual Volume Increase: All sources emphasize the importance of gradually increasing sending volume, especially when starting with a new account or IP address.
- Engaged Segments First: Start by sending emails to your most engaged segments to establish a positive sender reputation.
- Domain Authentication: Authenticating your sending domain using SPF, DKIM, and DMARC is critical for improving deliverability and sender reputation.
- Consistent Volume: Establishing a consistent sending volume and avoiding sudden spikes helps prevent being flagged as spam.
Key considerations
- Deliverability Monitoring: Continuously monitor your deliverability metrics to identify and address any issues promptly.
- Start with Transactional: Consider starting with transactional emails or targeted campaigns rather than mass bulk emails.
- Reputation Monitoring: Monitor your sending IP address for blacklisting and address any issues immediately.
- Volume Increase Pace: Increase email volume gradually, such as by 10-20% per day, to establish a positive sending reputation.
Technical article
Documentation from Microsoft 365 Documentation advises authenticating your domain using SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records to improve email deliverability and sender reputation. They also recommend monitoring your sending IP address for blacklisting and promptly addressing any issues.
5 Jan 2023 - Microsoft 365 Documentation
Technical article
Documentation from SparkPost advises starting with transactional emails, or targeted campaigns rather than mass bulk emails and gradually increase email volume by 10-20% per day. This helps establish a positive sending reputation.
26 Jan 2023 - SparkPost Documentation
How do I warm up new IP addresses for email sending?
How do you warm up a new dedicated sending domain for automated email flows with a welcome series?
How can I improve email deliverability for a client with a poor sender reputation and questionable email acquisition practices?
Do I need to warm up my email list of 100k contacts?
How to warm up a small email list when migrating from Mailchimp to Klaviyo?
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?
