Agencies frequently use a single Email Service Provider (ESP) to manage multiple client accounts, primarily for operational efficiency and economies of scale. Within this centralized setup, it is a widespread and critically important practice to provision separate, dedicated IP addresses for each client. This strategic approach ensures that each client's email sending reputation is isolated and independently controlled. Consequently, any deliverability issues or negative sending practices from one client are prevented from adversely affecting the deliverability of other clients managed by the agency, thereby protecting the agency's overall reputation and ensuring consistent email performance for each distinct brand.
15 marketer opinions
It is a widespread and effective strategy for marketing agencies to centralize their email operations through a single Email Service Provider (ESP), gaining efficiencies while managing multiple clients. Crucially, this setup typically involves provisioning separate, dedicated IP addresses for each client. This approach is paramount for deliverability, as it ensures that each client builds and maintains a distinct sender reputation. By isolating IP addresses, agencies can prevent the sending practices of one client, such as high bounce rates or spam complaints, from negatively impacting the email deliverability and overall sender reputation of other clients within their portfolio. This meticulous segmentation provides consistent, predictable deliverability for each unique brand and safeguards the agency's overarching reputation.
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks explains that it is fairly common for agencies to whitelabel ESPs and that ESPs typically isolate each client within the interface using different subaccounts, profiles, or views, despite using a single platform.
1 Feb 2025 - Email Geeks
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks explains that white label ESP systems often allow agencies to assign sub-accounts either shared or dedicated IPs, but warns that assigning dedicated IPs to many low-volume senders may not be optimal for deliverability.
26 Jun 2023 - Email Geeks
2 expert opinions
Agencies frequently use a single Email Service Provider (ESP) to manage multiple clients, a strategy that often incorporates the crucial step of assigning separate IP addresses to each client. This approach is widely considered beneficial for email deliverability. It enables each client to cultivate and control their unique sending reputation independently, which is vital because it isolates deliverability performance. Consequently, a single client's poor sending behavior, such as high bounce rates or spam complaints, is contained and does not negatively impact the reputation or deliverability of other clients managed by the agency. This isolation ensures that good senders maintain optimal deliverability, while potential issues are effectively quarantined.
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks explains that as long as there are robust controls to prevent data mixing between clients, using a single ESP for multiple clients is simply a tool to get the job done.
2 Apr 2025 - Email Geeks
Expert view
Expert from Word to the Wise explains that agencies using one ESP with separate IPs per client is a beneficial strategy for email deliverability. This approach, similar to using dedicated IPs, allows each client to cultivate and control their unique sending reputation. It is crucial because it isolates the deliverability performance of individual clients, preventing a single client's poor sending behavior from negatively impacting the reputation and deliverability of other clients managed by the agency. This ensures that good senders maintain high deliverability, while potential issues are contained.
9 Aug 2024 - Word to the Wise
4 technical articles
For marketing agencies managing diverse client portfolios, utilizing a single Email Service Provider (ESP) while allocating separate IP addresses to each client is a widely endorsed and effective approach. This method directly addresses email deliverability concerns by establishing distinct sending reputations for every client. By ensuring that each client's sending performance is isolated, agencies can prevent the negative impact of one client's poor email practices, such as high bounce rates or spam reports, from affecting the deliverability or overall sender reputation of other clients. This strategic separation allows for precise control over each client's email outcomes, ensuring their deliverability is solely dependent on their own sending quality.
Technical article
Documentation from SendGrid Documentation indicates that agencies can effectively manage multiple clients via subusers within their platform. Assigning dedicated IP addresses to these subusers is a common and recommended practice, as it gives each client independent control over their sending reputation and ensures their email deliverability is not affected by other clients' sending patterns.
8 Aug 2023 - SendGrid Documentation
Technical article
Documentation from Mailgun Documentation on dedicated IP addresses explains that they offer full control over an organization's sender reputation. For agencies managing multiple distinct clients, this translates directly into the crucial ability to isolate and manage the deliverability performance of each client independently, significantly mitigating the inherent risks associated with shared IP addresses.
14 Oct 2022 - Mailgun Documentation
How do ESPs impact deliverability on dedicated IPs?
How do ESPs manage internal vs client deliverability responsibilities?
How do ESPs manage IP pools and how does it affect deliverability?
How do SPF, DKIM, DMARC, and dedicated IPs affect email deliverability when using a third-party ESP?
How does sharing IP ranges affect email deliverability and how can I manage IP reputation for different clients?
When to consider multiple dedicated IPs for large email lists and what causes deliverability degradation?