{"id":8092,"date":"2022-01-31T13:54:05","date_gmt":"2022-01-31T13:54:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2022\/01\/31\/ip-warmup-why-you-need-it\/"},"modified":"2022-01-31T13:54:05","modified_gmt":"2022-01-31T13:54:05","slug":"ip-warmup-why-you-need-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2022\/01\/31\/ip-warmup-why-you-need-it\/","title":{"rendered":"IP Warmup: Why You Need It"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Let\u2019s talk about email deliverability. In a perfect world, every time we hit that \u201csend\u201d button, 100% of our recipients receive 100% of our content up until the day they consciously choose to unsubscribe from it. Then why do so many email marketing platforms take particular pride in having 99% or even 98% deliverability? Shouldn\u2019t 100% be the golden industry standard?\u00a0<\/p>\n

Enter sender reputation<\/strong>. Based on numerous factors such as the number of messages sent, your average bounce rate, or the quality of IP associated with your domain. In order to achieve the highest deliverability, you would want to have a positive sending reputation and keep your domain\u2019s IP in check. And that\u2019s where we start talking about IP warming.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Read more about email deliverability here<\/a><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re trying to make sense of IP warmup for your business, this guide is for you! We\u2019ll explain exactly what it is and why you would (or wouldn\u2019t) need it. We\u2019ll also go over 5 best practices to get you through the IP warming process<\/strong>. <\/p>\n

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As a result, you should expect to hit the best deliverability rate among your contacts and, thus, significantly improve the effectiveness of your entire email marketing strategy.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s start with the basics.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s an IP address?\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n

IP stands for Internet Protocol, which is the set of rules governing how data is sent online. These rules require all devices, routers, and websites to have their own unique address so that information can be sent between them \u2014 similarly to how the postal service requires street addresses and zip codes for mail delivery.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Specifically, an IP address<\/strong> is a string of four sets of numbers separated by periods (e.g., 32.156.74.201). An IP address can be public (internet-based) or private (in-house or local network).\u00a0<\/p>\n

Dedicated vs. shared IP addresses<\/strong><\/h3>\n

A new IP address can be exclusive to the sender, which is known as \u201cdedicated\u201d, or it can be shared with other users. Wondering which one is best<\/a>? We usually recommend shared IP addresses for low-volume senders<\/strong> who send a small number of emails to a modest list of subscribers.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Using a dedicated IP address<\/strong>, on the other hand, is a good idea for higher volume senders with more consistent sending frequency. With dedicated IPs, you can focus on building a strong reputation over time, making sure your emails reach customers\u2019 inboxes.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

What\u2019s IP warming?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

In a nutshell, new dedicated IP addresses have no sending history \u2014 they\u2019re cold. This makes them seem suspicious to receivers like ISPs (Internet Service Providers) and lands them in the dreaded spam folder.\u00a0<\/p>\n

So, IP warming refers to the warm-up process of a new IP address so that it is trusted by receivers. You can think of it as an extra step in building credibility with the ISPs the same way you use link building to build credibility for your domain rating for SEO.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Why would you need IP warming?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

If you\u2019re using a new, dedicated IP address for email marketing, such as newsletter.example.com,<\/em> you need an IP warm-up plan. Without it, your emails may look like spam to Internet Service Providers and won\u2019t stand a chance of making it to the recipient\u2019s inbox.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Image credit: Gmail<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Here\u2019s a quick glimpse behind the scenes of email marketing technicalities: An ISP detects a new email sent from the cold IP address. As it has never seen this domain\u2019s IP address before, the ISP automatically suspects spam. In order to protect the users, the brave ISP throttles email delivery.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As a result, if you send to 100,000 users right off the bat, the ISP might only deliver the email to 5,000 of those users over the first hour. The consequences could be disastrous for some of the time-sensitive marketing campaigns.\u00a0<\/p>\n

During this hour, the ISP monitors engagement metrics like open rates, click rates, unsubscribes, and spam reports for the emails it did allow sending. If the metrics are poor, the ISP might choose to relegate the remainder of emails to spam folders instead of inboxes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

What is more, if this pattern continues, the ISP could make a tough call and blacklist your IP address for good, meaning all of your emails will go directly to the spam folder of your users\u2018 inbox.<\/p>\n

The only time you <\/strong>don\u2019t<\/em><\/strong> need IP warming<\/strong> is if you\u2019re using a shared<\/em> IP address.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Not sure if you are ready to tackle the IP warmup process on your own? With GetResponse MAX<\/a> you get access to Assisted IP Warmup<\/strong> and a dedicated Account Manager! <\/p>\n

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Assisted IP Warmup<\/h4>\n
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Maximize the effectiveness of your email marketing campaigns with our real-data study! <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Download guide<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

IP warming best practices<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Now that we know what IP warming is and why you need it, let\u2019s take a look at some of the proven strategies that can get you off on the right foot if you choose to warm up your dedicated IP by yourself.\u00a0<\/p>\n

1. Start by choosing an IP warming strategy\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Assisted Warmup allows even up to 10x the amount of sends compared to a standard IP warmup<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

There are two main strategies you can use to approach IP warmup<\/strong>: standard IP warming or assisted IP warming<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Standard IP warmup\u00a0<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Standard IP warmup is essentially the DIY approach. With this strategy, you start by sending small volumes of emails, and gradually increase the amount you send each day. During this stage, it\u2019s critical that you demonstrate the real value of your content by only sending highly relevant and permission-based emails.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This approach helps you to slowly build your positive sending reputation with the ISP and must be done before they can trust you with bulk mailings. If you choose this approach, it\u2019s a good idea to create a schedule to follow for the first month, outlining exactly how many emails to send each day, to what audience, and with which purpose.<\/p>\n

Assisted IP warmup<\/strong><\/h4>\n

While standard IP warming is definitely an effective strategy, it\u2019s time-consuming. That\u2019s why many email service providers offer some type of automated or assisted IP warming to jumpstart the process.\u00a0<\/p>\n

For example, qualifying senders using GetResponse MAX<\/a> are eligible for our Assisted IP Warmup service. With it, we\u2019ll set up a threshold for your dedicated IP to send, automatically adjusting as it progressively builds up your sender reputation.\u00a0<\/p>\n

If you need to send more messages than the established threshold allows, we will make sure they are deployed automatically from our high-quality shared IP pool. This way, you\u2019ll be able to warm up your dedicated IP gradually for it to be ready to stand on its own.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Example use-case:<\/strong> You are sending 10,000 emails a day. Our Assisted IP Warmup would start by sending 1,000 from your new IP address and 9,000 from the shared IP pool. Then, it would gradually increase the amount sent from the new IP and decrease the amount sent from the pool until it\u2019s all being sent from your new dedicated address.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This speeds up the whole process and allows you to send millions of emails from day one without compromising your sending reputation.\u00a0<\/p>\n

2. Carefully maintain a good sender reputation\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Sender reputation is based on the relationship between a sender and a receiver (typically represented by ISPs). The better your reputation the higher your deliverability rate will be, and vice versa.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As you could\u2019ve guessed, the best way to boost your sender reputation is to actively monitor factors that affect deliverability<\/strong>. These include but are not limited to keeping an eye on the following metrics:\u00a0<\/p>\n