What is the best approach to IP warming for QQ.com?
Matthew Whittaker
Co-founder & CTO, Suped
Published 2 Jul 2025
Updated 18 Aug 2025
10 min read
Warming an IP address is a critical step for any sender, but when it comes to QQ.com, the strategy requires particular attention. Unlike many Western ISPs, QQ.com operates with a distinct set of rules and a much stricter filtering system. This means a standard IP warming approach might not yield the desired results, potentially leading to deliverability issues and even IP blacklisting (or blocklisting).
The core principle of IP warming is to gradually build a positive sender reputation with Internet Service Providers (ISPs) by slowly increasing your email volume. As SendGrid explains, it’s about establishing trust and showing that you are a legitimate sender with engaged subscribers. However, QQ.com places a very high emphasis on user engagement and the relevancy of your content. If you don't tailor your warming strategy specifically for this environment, you risk hitting their filters hard and seeing your emails land in the spam folder, or worse, being rejected outright.
IP warming is the practice of increasing mail volume over time. A successful warming strategy for QQ.com involves more than just escalating volume. It demands a deep understanding of their specific deliverability factors, including adherence to strict content policies, maintaining high engagement rates, and being mindful of sending frequencies. Ignoring these nuances can result in significant deliverability challenges, making it crucial to have a well-thought-out plan. It is a very different beast than warming for Gmail and Microsoft.
This guide will walk you through the best approach to IP warming for QQ.com, focusing on strategies that acknowledge its unique ecosystem and help you establish a strong sender reputation.
Understanding QQ.com's unique requirements
QQ.com has specific characteristics that set it apart from other major global ISPs. Its filtering mechanisms are heavily influenced by local regulations and user feedback, making engagement a paramount factor in deliverability. Understanding these unique aspects is the first step toward a successful IP warming strategy.
One of the most crucial elements is sender accuracy. QQ.com closely monitors metrics such as read rates, delete rates, and complaint rates. A low read rate or a high delete/complaint rate can quickly damage your sender reputation, leading to emails being sent to the spam folder or blocked entirely. This means you must send to your most engaged subscribers during the warming phase.
QQ.com also has a dynamic daily emailing limit that is determined by your average volume and IP reputation over the last 60 days. This means there isn't a fixed threshold, but rather a limit that adapts to your performance. Consistently sending low volumes of highly engaging emails will gradually increase your daily allowance. It's recommended not to exceed 4,000 emails per hour per IP according to some experts in the field of email deliverability. This can be challenging if your Email Service Provider (ESP) does not offer advanced throttling controls, potentially requiring manual segmentation.
The importance of local provider engagement cannot be overstated. While not directly part of IP warming, partnering with a local provider can significantly improve your overall deliverability to QQ.com. They often have direct relationships and insights into the nuances of Chinese email infrastructure, which can be invaluable when dealing with challenging scenarios or IP block issues. If you are having issues with your emails being rejected, you may need to learn how to resolve QQ.com IP block issues. You can also learn more about email deliverability best practices for QQ.com in general.
Crafting your QQ.com IP warming schedule
The structure of your warming schedule is paramount for QQ.com. While general IP warming principles suggest a gradual increase in volume, QQ.com's stringent rules lean towards consistent, daily sending rather than intermittent sends.
For QQ.com, consecutive daily sending is often recommended, especially in the initial stages. This helps establish a consistent sending pattern and builds trust more rapidly. If you send on Monday (Day 1), then wait until Wednesday (Day 2), and Friday (Day 3), these gaps can signal an inconsistent sending pattern, which QQ.com might interpret negatively. The goal is to show QQ.com that you are a regular, predictable sender.
You should begin by sending to your most engaged subscribers. These are individuals who consistently open and click your emails. Starting with a highly engaged segment helps generate positive interaction signals, which are crucial for building a good sender reputation. As your reputation improves, you can gradually expand your sending to less active segments of your list.
While a precise universal schedule is difficult to provide due to the dynamic nature of QQ.com's filtering, the principle of not doubling your volume week-over-week is a solid rule of thumb. This conservative approach helps prevent sudden spikes that can trigger spam filters and potentially lead to your IP being added to a blocklist (or blacklist). CloudKettle and SpamResource offer insights into general IP warming strategies that emphasize steady volume increases. For more general advice on IP warming, you can consult our guide on dedicated IP warm-up best practices.
Consecutive daily sending
Consistency: Helps QQ.com recognize your IP as a reliable and predictable sender.
Faster trust: Can accelerate the reputation-building process due to continuous positive signals.
Engagement: Allows for consistent interaction with your most active subscribers daily.
This approach is generally advised for QQ.com to mitigate the risk of being flagged by their strict filters, particularly in the early stages of warming.
Ideal approach for QQ.com
Schedule: Consistent daily sends during the initial warming phase.
Volume scaling: Small, incremental increases each day, especially for transactional emails.
Engagement focus: Prioritize sending to highly engaged subscribers.
This method establishes steady sending behavior, which QQ.com favors for building positive sender reputation.
Suboptimal approach
Schedule: Large gaps between sending days or infrequent sends.
Volume scaling: Sudden spikes in volume, even after successful initial warming.
Engagement focus: Sending to unengaged or questionable segments early on.
Inconsistent or aggressive sending patterns can trigger QQ.com's spam filters and lead to deliverability issues, including IP blocklisting (or blacklisting).
Content and engagement strategies for QQ.com
The type of content you send during IP warming plays a significant role in building trust with QQ.com. Their systems prioritize highly relevant and engaging emails, making transactional emails the ideal choice for initial warming phases.
Transactional emails, such as order confirmations, shipping updates, password resets, and account notifications, typically have higher open and click-through rates because they are expected by the recipient. This high engagement sends strong positive signals to QQ.com's filters, proving that your IP is sending desired content. Rejoiner highlights the importance of starting with low volumes of high engagement emails for new IP addresses.
Once your IP has established a solid reputation with transactional sends, you can gradually introduce marketing or promotional emails. However, even with marketing emails, maintaining high engagement is vital. Ensure your lists are clean, segmented, and only include opted-in subscribers. Irrelevant or unwanted content can quickly lead to spam complaints and damage your sender reputation, undoing your warming efforts.
Remember, the goal is to consistently demonstrate positive sending behavior. Focus on personalized content and clear calls to action to maximize engagement. It's often a good idea to perform IP warming strategies for transactional emails separately from marketing emails to optimize the process.
Monitoring and troubleshooting for QQ.com
Even with the best IP warming strategy, monitoring and quick troubleshooting are essential, especially when dealing with a finicky ISP like QQ.com. Proactive monitoring can help you identify and address issues before they escalate into major deliverability problems or a full IP blocklist (or blacklist).
Regularly check your IP status on common public blocklists. While QQ.com has its internal filtering, being listed on major global blocklists can negatively impact your overall sender reputation, including your standing with QQ.com. Monitor your engagement metrics closely – open rates, click-through rates, and especially complaint rates and bounce rates. A sudden dip in opens or an increase in complaints is an early warning sign that your warming strategy might need adjustment.
If you encounter deliverability issues, such as emails landing in spam or rejections, revisit your sending volume and content. Consider temporarily reducing your send volume and re-focusing on your most engaged segment with highly relevant, transactional-like content. Analyze any bounce messages for specific error codes, as these can provide clues about the reason for delivery failures. You can learn more about what happens when your IP gets blocklisted.
It is also crucial to ensure your email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) is correctly configured. While IP warming focuses on volume and engagement, proper authentication is a foundational element of deliverability for all ISPs, including QQ.com. Any misconfiguration can severely hinder your warming efforts and lead to rejections. You can read more about SPF, DKIM, and DMARC in our guides. In some cases, if your ESP does not provide enough granular control over throttling, it may be necessary to manually segment your sending lists to maintain the desired volume for QQ.com specifically, as many large ESPs do not offer ISP-based throttling.
Views from the trenches
Best practices
Start with extremely low volumes of transactional emails to highly engaged QQ.com users to build initial trust and positive engagement signals.
Maintain a consistent, daily sending schedule during the initial warming period to demonstrate reliability to QQ.com's filtering systems.
Segment your list to send only to the most active and engaged QQ.com recipients first, gradually expanding as your reputation improves.
Monitor your QQ.com deliverability and engagement metrics closely, looking for early signs of issues like low read rates or increased complaints.
Ensure all email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) is correctly set up before starting any warming efforts.
Common pitfalls
Sending inconsistent volumes or having large gaps between sending days, which can negatively impact your sender reputation with QQ.com.
Immediately sending high volumes or marketing emails before establishing a strong foundation with transactional emails.
Ignoring engagement metrics specific to QQ.com, leading to a false sense of security about your IP's warming progress.
Not having a strategy to segment QQ.com users from your general list, especially if your ESP lacks granular throttling.
Failing to monitor public blocklists or internal deliverability reports for signs of issues, leading to prolonged IP block (or blacklist) problems.
Expert tips
For QQ.com, strict adherence to consecutive daily sending, even with very low volumes, is often more effective than an intermittent schedule.
If your ESP doesn't support specific throttling for Chinese ISPs, manual segmentation and controlled sending is a necessary workaround.
Prioritize sender accuracy - read rate, delete rate, and complaint rate are critical indicators for QQ.com's reputation assessment.
Consider engaging with a local email service provider in China for deeper insights and support, especially for large volumes.
Always be prepared to scale back volume immediately if you notice any drop in engagement or deliverability to QQ.com.
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks says they are curious about how to warm to QQ when senders only send weekly or bi-weekly. They believe that in a perfect world it would be very low volume day after day after day, maybe with no breaks.
2023-05-18 - Email Geeks
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks says some domains are best served with shared IPs if consistent volume cannot be maintained.
2023-05-18 - Email Geeks
Final considerations for your QQ.com IP warming
Warming an IP for QQ.com is undeniably one of the more challenging aspects of email deliverability. It requires a focused, disciplined, and adaptable approach that goes beyond standard IP warming practices. The key lies in recognizing QQ.com's unique sensitivity to consistent sending, high engagement, and relevant content.
By prioritizing daily, consecutive sends of transactional or highly engaged content, and carefully monitoring your performance metrics, you can systematically build a strong sender reputation. While frustrating at times, the rewards of successful deliverability into the QQ.com inbox are worth the effort, enabling you to reach a significant audience in the Chinese market.
Staying vigilant, adapting your strategy based on feedback, and maintaining robust email authentication practices will ensure your warming efforts translate into long-term deliverability success with QQ.com and beyond.
QQ.com, the strategy requires particular attention. Unlike many Western ISPs, QQ.com operates with a distinct set of rules and a much stricter filtering system. This means a standard IP warming approach might not yield the desired results, potentially leading to deliverability issues and even IP blacklisting (or blocklisting).
