Does IP warming have to be done every day?

While daily sending can be part of a warm-up, it's not strictly required. The key is to consistently increase your sending volume over time, adapting to your future sending patterns. Consistency in your sending frequency, even if it's weekly or bi-weekly, is more important than sending every single day.

What happens if I miss days during IP warming?

Missing too many consecutive days, especially in the early stages, can hinder the warming process. ISPs build reputation based on consistent patterns. Long gaps might lead them to perceive your sending as sporadic or suspicious, potentially delaying your warm-up or impacting your sender reputation negatively.

How long does IP warming usually take?

The duration varies based on your target volume and list engagement, typically ranging from a few weeks to several months. Smaller volumes or highly engaged lists might warm up faster, while larger volumes or less engaged lists may take longer. Monitor your email deliverability issues closely.

What are the best practices for a gradual warm-up?

Begin by sending to your most engaged subscribers with a small volume. Gradually increase this volume by 10-20% per send, spreading it across multiple sends per week if you don't send daily. Always monitor metrics like opens, clicks, and complaints, adjusting your strategy as needed. The best approach for warming up an IP address is a consistent, gradual increase.

Should my warm-up schedule match my future sending frequency?

Yes, it is important. If you plan to send emails weekly after warming up, your warm-up schedule should aim to establish a weekly sending pattern. This trains ISPs to expect your email on that cadence, improving your long-term inbox placement and avoiding issues like your domain being on an email blacklist .

Does IP warming require consecutive days of sending or can it be gradual? - Sender reputation - Email deliverability - Knowledge base

When launching a new email program or migrating to a new IP address, a critical step is IP warming. This process helps establish a positive sender reputation with mailbox providers. A common question that arises is whether this warming period requires emails to be sent on consecutive days or if a more gradual approach, allowing for days without sends, is acceptable. The answer leans heavily towards the latter, emphasizing consistency and a gradual ramp-up over strict daily adherence.

IP warming is fundamentally about building trust with internet service providers (ISPs) and mailbox providers (MBPs). It signals that you are a legitimate sender sending desired email, not a spammer. This trust is built through a slow and steady increase in email volume, allowing these providers to observe your sending behavior and recipient engagement.

The goal is to demonstrate a consistent, positive sending pattern, not necessarily a daily one. Therefore, while daily sending can be part of a warming strategy, it is not a strict requirement for success. What matters most is that you consistently send mail and gradually increase your volume, allowing mailbox providers to learn your sending habits over time.

The essence of IP warming

The core principle of IP warming is to incrementally increase email volume from a new or dormant IP address. This helps to cultivate a positive sender reputation by proving to mailbox providers that the email originates from a legitimate source and is desired by recipients. It is a process of methodically adding email volume to a new IP address gradually over several days and weeks to establish a positive reputation.

Mailbox providers, such as

Gmail and

Yahoo, assess various factors beyond just daily send volume, including engagement rates (opens, clicks), spam complaint rates, and bounces. A consistent sending pattern, even if not daily, allows these metrics to be accumulated steadily, which is crucial for building a healthy sender reputation. This is why IP warm-up for email deliverability emphasizes a gradual approach.

Conversely, sending large, inconsistent bursts of email, even if you previously warmed your IP, can be detrimental. Spikes in volume outside of an established pattern can trigger spam filters and lead to deliverability issues, including being added to a blocklist (or blacklist). Mailbox providers prefer a predictable sending cadence, so your warm-up should ideally reflect your long-term sending frequency.

Understanding the core purpose

IP warming is about demonstrating consistent, positive sending behavior to establish trust with mailbox providers. It’s not simply about hitting a daily quota but about showing a reliable pattern that mirrors your future sending volume and frequency. This helps improve domain reputation.

Consistency over consecutive days

While daily sending isn't strictly necessary, consistency is paramount. Sporadic sending with long gaps can be as problematic as sending too much too soon. If you miss too many consecutive days, especially in the early stages, it can make it difficult for ISPs to understand your sending patterns and build a reliable profile for your IP.

For senders who don't plan to send daily post-warm-up, a gradual warm-up schedule that mirrors the eventual sending cadence is more effective. For example, if you plan to send emails three times a week, your warm-up should also ideally follow a similar three-times-a-week incremental increase. This approach trains mailbox providers on your actual sending behavior, helping to set appropriate expectations.

If you have a daily warm-up plan but only send a few times a week, you can adapt by taking the weekly volume targets and distributing them across your actual sending days. For instance, if a plan suggests 10,000 emails on day 7, and you send three times a week, you could aim for approximately 3,300 emails per send, gradually increasing over the weeks. This ensures that the overall volume increase is still met consistently.

IP warm-up strategies often highlight flexibility. The key is to avoid large, sudden increases in volume, as this can negatively impact your sender reputation and lead to messages being flagged as spam or outright blocked. Even small volume sends (e.g., for low volume email senders) benefit from this gradual approach.

Crafting your warm-up schedule

Developing a robust IP warm-up strategy requires careful planning and a clear understanding of your long-term sending goals. The duration of the warm-up can vary significantly, typically ranging from a few weeks to several months, depending on your target email volume and the engagement levels of your recipients. For example, best practices and schedules for warming vary based on these factors.

A general guideline involves increasing your daily or per-send volume by a small percentage each time, often between 10-20%. It is advisable to prioritize sending to your most engaged subscribers first, as positive engagement signals (opens, clicks, replies) are crucial for building a strong reputation. Avoid sending to unengaged lists or known spam traps during the warming period, as this can quickly land your IP on a blocklist or blacklist.

Monitoring your deliverability metrics, such as inbox placement rates, open rates, and complaint rates, is essential throughout the warm-up period. Adjust your sending volume and cadence as needed based on these metrics. If you notice a dip in deliverability or an increase in complaints, it may be necessary to reduce your sending volume temporarily and re-evaluate your strategy. This continuous monitoring is part of the best IP warmup strategy.

Week	Daily Volume (Example)	Key Focus
Week 1	500-1,000	Highly engaged subscribers, minimal volume.
Week 2	1,000-2,500	Increase volume slightly, maintain engagement.
Week 3	2,500-5,000	Expand to broader engaged segments, monitor closely.
Week 4+	5,000+ (Gradual Increase)	Continue incremental increases, align with target volume.

Views from the trenches

Best practices

Always align your warm-up schedule with your typical sending frequency, whether it is daily, weekly, or monthly, to train ISPs effectively.

Prioritize sending emails to your most active and engaged subscribers first during the initial warm-up phases to build a positive sender reputation quickly.

Monitor your deliverability metrics, such as open rates, click-through rates, and spam complaints, daily to catch and address any issues early.

Slowly increase your sending volume gradually, typically by 10-20% per send, allowing mailbox providers to adapt to your traffic patterns.

If your normal send volume is high but infrequent (e.g., monthly newsletters), spread that monthly volume over several days during the warm-up to build reputation more quickly.

Common pitfalls

Sending large, inconsistent bursts of emails after the initial warm-up can damage your established sender reputation and trigger spam filters.

Having extended periods with no sending activity during the warm-up phase can make it harder for ISPs to understand and trust your sending patterns.

Failing to segment your audience and sending to unengaged or problematic email addresses early in the warm-up process can lead to high bounce and complaint rates.

Ignoring real-time feedback from mailbox providers via bounce messages or spam trap hits can allow deliverability issues to escalate.

Attempting to warm up too quickly by drastically increasing send volumes can result in your IP address being blocklisted or throttled.

Expert tips

If you receive a daily warm-up plan but only send a few times a week, divide the weekly target volume by your actual sending days to maintain consistency.

Adjust your warm-up speed based on recipient engagement; positive engagement can allow for faster ramp-up, while low engagement might require slowing down.

For monthly senders, distributing the total monthly volume over several days during the initial warm-up period can accelerate the reputation-building process.

Remember that IP warming is about setting predictable expectations for ISPs, so your warm-up should gradually mimic your desired ongoing sending cadence.

Continuously cleaning your email list to remove inactive or invalid addresses helps maintain a healthy sending environment even after warming is complete.

Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks says that IP warming is more about consistency than frequency; you do not have to send every day for the IP to be warmed up.

2021-07-15 - Email Geeks

Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks says that warm-ups with no traffic for seven days, especially in the first few weeks, are riskier than daily traffic.

2021-07-15 - Email Geeks

The path to lasting deliverability

Ultimately, IP warming is not about rigidly adhering to consecutive daily sends but about establishing a consistent, predictable, and gradual sending pattern. The goal is to build a solid sender reputation with mailbox providers by demonstrating good sending habits and positive engagement from your recipients. This strategic approach helps ensure long-term deliverability and inbox placement.

Whether you send daily, a few times a week, or even monthly, your warm-up schedule should be tailored to match your anticipated post-warm-up sending cadence. This ensures that ISPs learn your true sending behavior, reducing the risk of your emails being flagged as spam or encountering throttling issues. Focusing on quality sends to engaged users and closely monitoring your metrics will guide you through the process, rather than simply ticking off consecutive days.

Remember that IP warming is an ongoing effort in maintaining good sender reputation. Even after the initial warm-up, consistent sending practices and regular list hygiene are essential for sustained email deliverability and to avoid future issues, such as being placed on a blacklist or blocklist. Proper IP warming sets the foundation for successful email campaigns.