Why is quarterly sending hard for email reputation?

Quarterly sending makes it difficult to maintain a consistent sender reputation. Mailbox providers expect a regular sending cadence to build trust. Long periods of inactivity between sends can cause your IP and domain reputation to degrade, making subsequent large sends appear suspicious and increasing the likelihood of emails landing in the spam folder.

How can I keep my IP and domain "warm" between quarterly sends?

To keep your IP and domain 'warm,' implement a low-volume 'heartbeat' sending strategy. This can include sending small batches of transactional emails, short nurture campaigns, or engagement-focused messages (e.g., surveys, quick tips) a few times a week or month. This consistent, low-volume activity signals to mailbox providers that your sending infrastructure is active and legitimate.

What role does list hygiene play in low-volume sending?

List hygiene is critical, especially for infrequent senders. Between quarterly sends, email addresses can become inactive, change, or turn into spam traps. Regularly cleaning your list by removing unengaged subscribers and invalid addresses prevents hitting spam traps or high bounce rates, which can severely damage your sender reputation and lead to blacklisting (or blocklisting).

Should I use a dedicated IP for low-volume quarterly newsletters?

For low-volume quarterly newsletters, a dedicated IP might not be necessary and can even be detrimental if not properly warmed. You might be better off on a reputable shared IP, where your infrequent sends blend with other legitimate traffic. However, if your volume grows or your needs become more complex, a dedicated IP could be considered with a robust IP warming plan.

How important are email authentication protocols for infrequent senders?

Email authentication protocols like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are crucial for all senders, but especially for infrequent ones. They help mailbox providers verify your identity, proving that your emails are not spoofed or malicious. Proper authentication builds trust and is a fundamental requirement for good deliverability, helping to ensure your newsletters reach the inbox despite the gaps in sending volume.

How to maintain email reputation with low volume quarterly newsletter sends? - Sender reputation - Email deliverability - Knowledge base

Sending a quarterly newsletter can feel like you're walking a tightrope. On one hand, you want to share valuable content with your audience, but on the other, you're acutely aware of how easily email deliverability can be impacted by inconsistent sending patterns. I’ve seen this challenge repeatedly, and it’s a valid concern for anyone managing a low-volume sending schedule.

The common wisdom in email deliverability often emphasizes consistent volume and frequency to build a strong sender reputation. When you only send a few emails a day for general operations and then suddenly push out 3,000 newsletters every three months, it can look suspicious to mailbox providers (MBPs). This erratic behavior can trigger spam filters, leading to throttling or even outright blocking of your messages.

The good news is that it’s not an insurmountable problem. With careful planning and adherence to best practices, you can maintain a healthy sender reputation, even with infrequent, higher-volume sends. It requires a nuanced approach that considers both the technical aspects of email sending and the behavioral patterns of your subscribers.

In this guide, I will share strategies to help you navigate the complexities of low-volume, quarterly newsletter sends, ensuring your important updates consistently land in the inbox.

The unique challenge of infrequent sending

Mailbox providers rely on consistent sending patterns to build a profile of your sending behavior. When there are long gaps between sends, they have less recent data to evaluate your reputation. This can lead them to treat your sudden quarterly burst of emails with caution, often resulting in them being flagged or sent to the spam folder. It’s like a known, but rarely seen, person suddenly showing up with a large crowd; it raises questions.

Furthermore, the lifespan of sender reputation can be surprisingly short. Many providers will essentially reset your IP or domain reputation after a period of inactivity, typically around three months. This means that by the time your next quarterly newsletter rolls around, your hard-earned reputation from the previous send might have diminished. This is particularly true for mailbox providers such as

Microsoft services, where a dormant IP or domain can quickly be moved to a "not an IP in use" category, making it harder to establish trust again.

The challenge is amplified if your daily sending volume is extremely low, perhaps only one or two emails. When a list of 3,000 people receives a newsletter after such a prolonged low period, MBPs might perceive it as an attempt to bypass their systems, leading to throttling or blocking. Understanding how infrequent sending impacts deliverability is the first step to mitigating these effects. It’s a delicate balance that requires proactive management to ensure consistent inbox placement.

The sender reputation challenge

Maintaining a strong sender reputation is difficult with only quarterly sends. Mailbox providers see long gaps as inactivity, which can degrade your sender score. When a large send happens after a quiet period, it can appear anomalous, increasing the likelihood of emails landing in spam or being rejected. Domain and IP reputation fades over time without a regular sending cadence, making it harder to establish trust for your next large broadcast.

Strategies for maintaining a sending heartbeat

To counteract the fading reputation, you need to establish a consistent "heartbeat" of email activity. This doesn’t mean sending thousands of emails every week, but rather a small, regular volume that keeps your domain and IP active and recognized by mailbox providers. For example, instead of sending only one or two individual emails a day, aim for a few hundred per week.

When your quarterly newsletter send approaches, consider spreading the deployment over several days. Instead of sending all 3,000 emails at once, you could break it into smaller batches, perhaps 250 or 500 emails per day. This gradual increase in volume mimics natural sending patterns and is less likely to trigger spam filters. This approach is often recommended by major mailbox providers, including Google's email sender guidelines.

Transactional emails: If you send any automated receipts, confirmations, or password resets, ensure these are routed through your main sending infrastructure. Even a small number of these can provide a consistent signal.
Nurture campaigns: Develop a simple nurture sequence for new subscribers or engaged users. This could be a short series of emails spread over a few weeks, providing helpful content or product information.
Engagement prompts: Occasionally send short, valuable emails that encourage interaction, such as a quick poll, a link to a new blog post, or an exclusive tip. The goal is to get opens, clicks, and replies to demonstrate engagement.

By maintaining this heartbeat of activity, even with low volume, you signal to mailbox providers that your sending domain and IP are actively used for legitimate purposes, building a baseline of trust that supports your larger quarterly sends. You can further boost this by focusing on engagement. Prioritize sending to your most engaged subscribers first, and design your emails to encourage responses or clicks. This positive interaction history reinforces your sender reputation.

Technical foundations and list hygiene

Robust email authentication is non-negotiable for any sender, but it’s even more critical for those with low and infrequent volume. Setting up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records correctly helps mailbox providers verify that you are who you say you are, reducing the likelihood of your emails being treated as spam. These protocols are foundational for building and maintaining a practical understanding of your email domain reputation.

For low-volume senders, list hygiene is paramount. Given the quarterly sending schedule, there's a higher chance of email addresses becoming inactive or turning into spam traps between sends. Regularly cleaning your list to remove unengaged subscribers, bounces, and potential spam traps will prevent negative signals that can quickly tank your reputation. Especially for B2B lists, employee turnover means email addresses go bad quickly, so quarterly cleaning might not even be enough. Consider more frequent, perhaps monthly, validation for critical segments.

Spam complaint rate

Aim to keep your spam complaint rate below 0.1%. Anything above 0.3% is considered critical and will significantly damage your sender reputation. Monitor this metric closely after each newsletter send, especially from providers like

Mailgunwhich emphasize this threshold.

Engagement metrics

High open and click-through rates, coupled with low unsubscribe rates, indicate positive engagement. Mailbox providers interpret these signals positively, which helps offset the infrequency of your sends. Focus on creating compelling content that your subscribers genuinely want to open and interact with, even if it's only quarterly.

Monitoring and adapting for long-term success

Even with quarterly sending, your email marketing can thrive. The key is to understand that email reputation isn't built solely on volume, but on consistent signals of legitimate and engaging activity. By proactively managing your sending patterns, authentication, and list hygiene, you can overcome the challenges of infrequent sends.

Always prioritize delivering value and maintaining a healthy relationship with your subscribers. This means providing an easy way to unsubscribe and responding quickly to any feedback. Ultimately, a positive user experience is the strongest long-term driver of good deliverability, regardless of your sending frequency. Don’t forget to regularly run email deliverability tests to catch issues early.

Remember that a poor email deliverability rate can severely impact your reach. By implementing these strategies, you’re not just sending emails, you’re nurturing your sender reputation and ensuring your message consistently arrives where it needs to be.

Views from the trenches

Best practices

Maintain a consistent low-volume 'heartbeat' of email sends, such as transactional emails or short nurture sequences, to keep your IP and domain warm.

Split your quarterly newsletter sends into smaller daily batches (e.g., 250-500 emails per day) to avoid sudden volume spikes.

Prioritize sending to your most engaged subscribers first, especially after a period of low activity, to generate positive engagement signals.

Implement strong email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) to verify your sender identity.

Regularly clean your email list, ideally more frequently than quarterly, to remove inactive addresses and reduce spam trap hits.

Common pitfalls

Assuming that low volume means immunity from reputation issues, as infrequent sending can still lead to reputation degradation.

Sending the entire quarterly newsletter list at once, causing sudden spikes that alert spam filters.

Neglecting email list hygiene between quarterly sends, which can lead to hitting spam traps or sending to inactive addresses.

Failing to monitor deliverability metrics (opens, clicks, spam complaints) after each send, missing crucial red flags.

Not having any email activity between quarterly newsletters, allowing sender reputation to reset or fade completely.

Expert tips

Consider engaging subscribers with a quick poll or survey in between newsletters to generate positive interaction data.

For B2B lists, implement real-time email validation for new sign-ups to combat high turnover rates.

Use email deliverability testing tools to preview how your emails might perform with different mailbox providers.

If using a shared IP, understand that its reputation is influenced by other senders, making your internal practices even more crucial.

Analyze your audience behavior and tailor your 'heartbeat' content to keep them actively anticipating your next newsletter.

Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks says that quarterly sending is tough for maintaining a stable reputation because most IP or domain reputations fade out within four months.

2025-01-12 - Email Geeks

Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks recommends doing list hygiene between each send, especially for B2B lists, due to likely turnover.

2025-01-12 - Email Geeks