Is a warm-up required for a "private domain" in Salesforce Marketing Cloud?

Yes, a warm-up process is absolutely required. While Salesforce Marketing Cloud's Sender Authentication Package (SAP) handles technical authentication like DKIM, SPF, and DMARC, it doesn't instantly establish a positive sending reputation for your new domain or subdomain with ISPs. ISPs (Internet Service Providers) like Google and Yahoo need to see consistent, positive sending behavior from a new domain or subdomain before fully trusting it. Without warming, your emails are likely to face increased filtering, leading to lower inbox placement and higher spam classifications.

How do domain and subdomain reputations interact?

Domain and subdomain reputations are interconnected but also somewhat distinct. Each subdomain, like email.yourdomain.com , builds its own sending history and reputation. However, the reputation of the root domain ( yourdomain.com ) can influence the subdomains, and poor performance on a subdomain can negatively affect the root domain's standing. It's best to manage them as part of a connected ecosystem.

How long does a domain warm-up take in Salesforce Marketing Cloud?

The duration of a domain warm-up typically ranges from 4 to 6 weeks, but it can vary based on your sending volume, list quality, and audience engagement. It's a gradual process, starting with small volumes to your most engaged subscribers and slowly increasing over time. Patience and consistent monitoring of your deliverability metrics are key to a successful warm-up.

What should I do if my deliverability gets worse after switching domains?

If deliverability significantly drops after switching, consider a temporary return to your old, established domain for critical communications. This provides a buffer while you meticulously plan and execute a proper warm-up strategy for your new domain. During this time, focus on sending to your most engaged subscribers from the new domain, gradually increasing volume. Continuously monitor performance and be prepared to adjust your sending pace as needed.

How do I warm up a new subdomain and domain after switching domains in Salesforce Marketing Cloud? - Sender reputation - Email deliverability - Knowledge base

Moving email sending to a new domain or subdomain in Salesforce Marketing Cloud, especially after Google and Yahoo's recent authentication changes, can sometimes lead to unexpected deliverability issues. It is a common misconception that simply having a "private domain" (a Salesforce term referring to a domain configured with their Sender Authentication Package) negates the need for a warm-up process.

The reality is that any new sending entity, whether it is an IP address or a domain (or subdomain), requires a careful warming strategy to build trust with internet service providers (ISPs). When you switch, even if your underlying IP remains shared, the new domain or subdomain has no established sending history, leading to potential inbox placement challenges. This guide explains how to approach warming up your new subdomain and domain to restore and build strong sender reputation within Salesforce Marketing Cloud.

Understanding domain and subdomain reputation

When you introduce a new domain or subdomain for email sending, ISPs view it as a fresh sender with no prior reputation. This lack of history often triggers stricter filtering, leading to emails landing in spam folders or being blocked entirely. Your sender reputation is primarily tied to the specific domain or subdomain you are sending from, as well as the underlying IP address.

In Salesforce Marketing Cloud, the Sender Authentication Package (SAP) typically assigns a private domain to your account, which handles aspects like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC authentication. While this is crucial for compliance with modern email standards, the domain itself still needs to build its own reputation. A subdomain, such as email.yourdomain.com, maintains a reputation somewhat independent of your root domain (yourdomain.com), but reputation can still bleed between them.

Understanding how domain and subdomain reputations interact is key to a successful warm-up. While a subdomain has its own specific reputation, the overall reputation of the top-level domain can influence it. Likewise, a subdomain's poor performance can negatively impact the root domain's standing. This interconnectedness means a holistic approach to reputation management is always beneficial.

Entity	Reputation behavior	Warming requirement
Root domain	Influences and is influenced by all subdomains.	No direct warming, but reputation is built via subdomain activity.
Subdomain	Maintains its own reputation, which also flows up to the root.	Essential to warm up, as it's the primary sending entity.
IP address	Has its own reputation based on sending volume and quality.	Needs warming, whether dedicated or shared with specific domains.

The necessity of domain warming in Marketing Cloud

Many marketers are under the impression that using a private domain or a Sender Authentication Package (SAP) in Salesforce Marketing Cloud eliminates the need for an IP or domain warm-up. This is a critical misunderstanding. While SAP handles the technical authentication, it does not instantly grant your new sending domain or subdomain a positive reputation.

ISPs evaluate sender reputation based on sending patterns, recipient engagement, complaint rates, and whether the domain has been used for spam in the past. When you switch domains or subdomains, even if it is part of a Salesforce setup, you are essentially introducing a new identity to the receiving mail servers. This new identity must build trust through consistent, positive sending behavior over time. Skipping this step can lead to a drastic drop in deliverability, as ISPs (like

Gmail and

Yahoo) will treat your new sender as potentially suspicious.

Even if your new domain uses a shared IP address, the domain itself needs to be warmed. This is because ISPs track reputation at multiple levels, including the IP, the domain, and the combination of the domain on that specific IP. Each new element introduced requires a warm-up. For more details, refer to a comprehensive guide on domain warming.

The warming misconception

Salesforce's "private domain" (part of SAP) provides technical authentication like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. However, it does not inherently establish sender reputation. Reputation is built through consistent, positive sending activity over time, regardless of whether the domain is "private" or if the IP is shared.

Why it's necessary to warm up

ISP trust: New domains lack established trust, leading to increased scrutiny and filtering by ISPs.
Deliverability impact: Poor reputation can result in emails landing in spam folders, or being rejected outright, affecting open rates and revenue.
Multi-level reputation: ISPs monitor reputation at the IP, domain, and IP-domain combination level. All new components require a proper warm-up.

Crafting your Marketing Cloud warming strategy

To effectively warm up your new domain or subdomain, you need a structured approach. The primary goal is to gradually increase your sending volume to engaged recipients, allowing ISPs to observe positive interactions and build trust in your new sending identity. The process typically spans several weeks, with volume increasing incrementally.

Start by sending to your most engaged segments. These are recipients who consistently open, click, and interact with your emails. Their positive engagement signals to ISPs that your emails are desired, which is crucial for building a strong reputation. As your reputation improves, you can gradually expand your sending to less engaged segments, following a defined warming schedule.

A common strategy involves segmenting your audience by ISP (e.g., Gmail, Yahoo,

Outlook) and warming each independently. This allows you to manage any issues that arise with specific ISPs without affecting your overall warming progress. The Salesforce Marketing Cloud IP address warming guidance provides a framework that can be adapted for domain warming, typically lasting 4-6 weeks.

Reverting temporarily to old domain

If deliverability has severely tanked, consider temporarily reverting to your old, established domain for a week or two for critical sends. This can buy you time to implement a proper warm-up for the new domain without immediate impact on urgent communications. However, this should only be a short-term stop-gap.

Audience segmentation

Most engaged users: Start by sending to your most active subscribers. Their positive interactions help build initial trust.
ISP-specific warming: Segment your list by email provider to warm up gradually for each. Warming an IP address or subdomain correctly requires a strategic approach.

Committing to the new domain warm-up

A full commitment to the new domain's warm-up is often the most straightforward path. This means sticking with your new subdomain and diligently following a warming schedule. This also helps in establishing DKIM alignment, which is critical for new Gmail and Yahoo sender requirements.

Sending strategies

Gradual increase: Start with low volumes and gradually increase over weeks. Do not suddenly jump to large volumes.
Positive engagement: Encourage opens, clicks, and replies to signal good sender behavior. Users marking emails as not spam is a strong positive signal.
Stealth warming (if possible): If SFMC supports it, consider DKIM double-signing your old emails with the new domain for a period. This creates an association without immediate full migration.

Monitoring and maintaining your new domain's reputation

Once your warming strategy is in motion, continuous monitoring is paramount. Keep a close eye on your deliverability metrics within Salesforce Marketing Cloud, paying attention to open rates, click-through rates, bounce rates, and spam complaints. Significant drops or spikes in these metrics can indicate issues with your warming process or other underlying deliverability problems.

Regularly check your domain's reputation using tools like Google Postmaster Tools and

Microsoft SNDS. These tools provide invaluable insights into your domain's health and any potential issues with major ISPs. Also, ensure you are not listed on any email blocklists or blacklists, as this can severely impede your deliverability.

Beyond warming, maintaining a clean and engaged email list is fundamental to long-term deliverability success. Regularly sunsetting (removing) unengaged subscribers, segmenting your audience effectively, and providing valuable content will contribute to a positive sender reputation and ensure your emails reach the inbox. Continuous adherence to these best practices will help you avoid falling back into deliverability issues after your warm-up is complete.

Views from the trenches

Best practices

Start domain warming with your most engaged segments to build initial positive reputation signals with ISPs.

Segment your audience by major ISPs (e.g., Gmail, Yahoo) and warm up each segment independently for better control.

Gradually increase sending volumes over a period of 4-6 weeks, adhering to a consistent schedule.

Monitor key deliverability metrics closely: open rates, click-through rates, bounce rates, and spam complaints.

Regularly check your domain reputation using Google Postmaster Tools and other ISP-specific feedback loops.

Implement DMARC with a monitoring policy to gain insights into your email authentication status.

Common pitfalls

Assuming a "private domain" or SAP in Salesforce Marketing Cloud eliminates the need for any domain warming.

Abruptly switching to a new domain and sending high volumes immediately without a warm-up strategy.

Sending to unengaged or old segments during the initial phases of domain warming, leading to high complaints.

Failing to monitor deliverability metrics and ISP feedback loops, missing early signs of reputation issues.

Not understanding that reputation is built at the IP, domain, and IP-domain combination levels.

Reverting to non-authenticated sending as a long-term solution, which contradicts modern email requirements.

Expert tips

Consider a temporary return to your old, warmed domain for critical communications if current deliverability is poor, then restart a proper warm-up for the new one.

Explore the possibility of DKIM double-signing (if supported by SFMC) to introduce your new domain's signature alongside the old one, gradually building association.

Treat deliverability issues broadly, not just as a 'domain changed problem,' by reviewing overall sending practices and data.

Be aware that Google may temporarily stop pre-fetching emails after authentication changes, which can skew open rate metrics, so confirm actual inbox placement.

Remember that domain reputation and IP reputation are interconnected, with subdomain reputation flowing up to the root domain and vice-versa.

Focus on positive user engagement during warming; users marking emails as 'not spam' helps train machine learning engines positively.

Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks says they recently switched to private domains in Salesforce Marketing Cloud for better authentication but observed worse deliverability, including a 40% drop in open rates and increased spam reports.

March 29, 2024 - Email Geeks

Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks says they suspect that the observed deliverability issues are related to standard warmup challenges common with newly-seen domains.

March 29, 2024 - Email Geeks

Navigating your domain transition

Switching domains or subdomains in Salesforce Marketing Cloud, while essential for authentication and compliance with new sender requirements, necessitates a deliberate warming process. Ignoring this crucial step can lead to significant deliverability setbacks, impacting your open rates, revenue, and overall sender reputation.

By understanding the nuances of domain and IP reputation, carefully planning your sending strategy, and diligently monitoring your performance, you can successfully warm up your new sending entities. This ensures your emails consistently reach the inbox, maintaining strong engagement and protecting your brand's sending integrity.