Starting with a new dedicated IP address for email sending is a critical step for any business looking to maintain strong email deliverability. The process of gradually increasing email volume on a new IP, known as IP warming, builds a positive sender reputation with internet service providers (ISPs).
Without proper IP warming, your legitimate emails could be flagged as spam, leading to low inbox placement rates, increased bounce rates, and potentially even getting your IP address added to an email blocklist or blacklist. Many email service providers (ESPs) offer built-in automation for this, but the approach varies widely, and it is not always a one-click solution.
When working with a platform like Iterable, the question of how to automate IP warmup often comes up. While Iterable is a powerful cross-channel marketing platform that empowers marketers to create, deploy, and optimize automated campaigns, its direct support for automated IP warming differs from some other providers. We will explore how to best navigate this process.
Understanding IP warming and its importance
What is IP warming?
IP warming is the practice of gradually increasing the volume of email sent from a new, cold IP address. This phased approach allows ISPs to evaluate your sending behavior, content, and recipient engagement over time. As you consistently send relevant emails to engaged recipients, your sender reputation improves, signaling to ISPs that you are a legitimate sender.
Trust building: ISPs monitor email traffic to identify spam. A sudden surge of email from a new IP can trigger spam filters.
Reputation establishment: A slow, steady increase in volume, coupled with good engagement metrics (opens, clicks), builds a positive reputation.
Deliverability improvement: A good reputation means your emails are more likely to reach the inbox rather than the spam folder.
Without adequate warming, even well-intentioned messages can face significant delivery challenges. ISPs may interpret high volumes from an unproven IP as suspicious, resulting in emails being blocked or routed to spam folders. This not only impacts your campaign performance but also damages your overall sender reputation, making future email delivery more difficult.
Risks of skipping or rushing IP warming
Low inbox placement: Emails sent from a cold IP are more likely to land in spam or junk folders.
IP blocklisting: Your IP address may be added to an email blacklist (or blocklist) by various anti-spam organizations, severely impacting deliverability. Understand what happens when your IP gets blocklisted.
Reputation damage: A poor sending history on a new IP can be hard to recover from, leading to long-term deliverability issues.
Campaign underperformance: Reduced reach means fewer opens, clicks, and conversions.
A robust IP warming strategy is a foundational element for achieving excellent email deliverability and maintaining a healthy sender reputation. It is a long-term investment that pays off in consistent inbox placement and strong engagement.
Iterable's approach to IP warming
Iterable, as a powerful customer engagement platform, focuses on flexibility and campaign orchestration. While it provides the tools to manage your sending, it typically doesn't offer a fully automated, one-click IP warming feature similar to what you might find in some dedicated email sending APIs like SendGrid. This means the onus is often on the user to design and execute their warming plan within the platform's capabilities.
Iterable does provide guidance on how to warm up your new, cold IPs over several weeks by gradually adding email volume. Their documentation often recommends a structured approach to ensure optimal performance. This typically involves manually segmenting your audience and carefully controlling daily send volumes.
For the most precise and tailored advice, I always recommend reaching out directly to your Iterable implementation consultant or Customer Success Manager (CSM). They have the full context of your account, infrastructure, and sending patterns. They can advise on specific strategies, discuss if a shared IP can temporarily handle overflow during the warming phase, or point you to their internal resources like their reputation warming courses.
Strategies for automating IP warmup in Iterable
Manual IP warming challenges
Time-consuming: Requires daily adjustments to audience segments and send volumes.
Prone to error: Manual oversight can lead to accidental over-sending, which can damage reputation.
Complexity: Managing multiple campaigns and segment criteria for warming can be intricate.
Towards automated efficiency
API integration: Use Iterable's API to programmatically adjust send volumes based on a predefined schedule.
Dynamic segmentation: Create dynamic lists or segments that automatically pull a certain number of the most engaged users for initial sends, gradually expanding.
Journey builder: Design custom journeys with delays and volume caps to control email flow during warming.
Since Iterable does not have a native auto-warming feature, automating the process involves creative use of its existing capabilities, often requiring some external scripting or careful campaign design. The core idea is to programmatically control the daily volume of emails sent, gradually increasing it over several weeks or months. This means setting up a series of campaigns targeting progressively larger, highly engaged segments of your audience. For example, you might choose to warm up your IP address for email sending by starting with your most active subscribers.
Example Iterable API logic for controlled sending (Pseudo-code)javascript
/* This is conceptual pseudo-code, not runnable Iterable API code */
function getWarmupAudience(day, totalAudienceSize, warmupSchedule) {
let targetVolume = warmupSchedule[day];
// Logic to select 'targetVolume' most engaged users from 'totalAudienceSize'
// This might involve filtering by last_open_date, last_click_date, etc.
// and ensuring unique users for each day.
return selectedUserIDs;
}
function sendCampaign(campaignId, userIDs) {
// Iterable API call to trigger campaign for specific user IDs
// Example: iterable.sendEmail(campaignId, { recipientIds: userIDs });
}
// Daily warming routine
const currentDay = calculateCurrentWarmupDay();
const warmupSchedule = {
1: 1000, // Day 1: 1,000 emails
2: 2000, // Day 2: 2,000 emails
// ... up to full volume
};
const audience = getWarmupAudience(currentDay, fullListSize, warmupSchedule);
sendCampaign('your_campaign_id', audience);
You could use best practices for dedicated IP warm-up to create a schedule, then implement it using Iterable's segmentation and campaign scheduling features. This might involve creating a series of static or dynamic lists, each representing a segment for a specific day or week's send volume. The goal is to consistently increase volume while monitoring engagement and bounce rates closely. For instance, if you are sending transactional emails, you might begin by segmenting your most active users who trigger these messages frequently.
Day
Volume
Audience
Notes
1-3
1,000-5,000
Most engaged
Focus on high open/click rates
4-7
5,000-15,000
Recently engaged
Expand to slightly less active users
8-14
15,000-50,000
Active segments
Continue expanding, monitor for issues
15+
Gradual increase
Broader audience
Monitor Iterable deliverability metrics.
This process isn't strictly automated in the sense of a button you click, but it automates the sending based on your predefined rules and segments. It requires initial setup but significantly reduces daily manual intervention once configured.
Maintaining IP reputation post-warmup
Achieving a warm IP is only the first step. Long-term email deliverability relies on consistent positive sending practices. This includes maintaining a clean and engaged subscriber list, sending relevant content, and actively monitoring your sender reputation. For more detail, see 10 post-warmup strategies for lasting deliverability.
Regularly clean your email lists to remove inactive subscribers, hard bounces, and spam traps. Engagement is a key factor for ISPs. Sending emails to recipients who actively open and click helps reinforce a positive sender reputation. Conversely, sending to disengaged users can lead to low open rates, high complaints, and ultimately, poor deliverability.
Monitoring your IP address and domain for appearances on blacklists (or blocklists) is also crucial. A listing can significantly hinder your email delivery. Regular checks allow you to detect issues early and take corrective action. Understanding how email blocklists work is key to proactive management.
Views from the trenches
Best practices
Consult your Iterable CSM or implementation consultant for tailored advice on IP warming specific to your account setup and MTA.
Design your warmup strategy by creating dynamic segments within Iterable based on user engagement to gradually increase sending volume.
Leverage Iterable's API to programmatically manage and adjust send volumes for different segments if a fully automated solution is desired.
Continuously monitor email deliverability metrics like open rates, click-through rates, and bounce rates throughout the warmup period.
Common pitfalls
Assuming Iterable has a fully automated IP warmup feature, which it typically does not, leading to manual effort surprises.
Over-complicating manual audience segmentation, which can be streamlined with dynamic lists or external scripting.
Not engaging with Iterable's support or resources, missing out on valuable platform-specific warming strategies.
Failing to adapt the warmup schedule based on real-time engagement and reputation data, risking deliverability issues.
Expert tips
Consider integrating a shared IP into your dedicated IP pool to handle fallover traffic during the initial warming phase, as some ESPs offer this.
Explore creating separate audiences for each day of the warmup schedule to manage volume effectively.
For optimal results, ensure your first IP also undergoes a manual warmup process, even if subsequent IPs can be automated by some providers.
If building an in-house automation, focus on API calls that can dynamically select and send to segments based on predefined volume tiers.
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks says that they wondered if Iterable offers automated IP warming, considering that they might use SendGrid as an upstream vendor.
2023-12-01 - Email Geeks
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks says they are unsure about Iterable's direct offerings for automated warming, noting that integration with SendGrid is possible but not currently used by their company.
2023-12-01 - Email Geeks
Key takeaways for IP warmup in Iterable
Automating IP warmup in Iterable might not be as straightforward as a single toggle switch, but it is achievable through strategic use of the platform's features and potentially some external scripting. The key is to replicate the gradual increase in sending volume that is fundamental to building a strong sender reputation.
By understanding Iterable's capabilities, planning your warm-up schedule carefully, utilizing audience segmentation, and consistently monitoring your performance metrics, you can effectively warm up your IP. Remember that IP warming is an ongoing commitment to email deliverability, setting the foundation for your future email success.
Use Iterable's API to programmatically adjust send volumes based on a predefined schedule.
