It all starts with deliverability. Email deliverability is the ability of your email to reach your intended recipient's inbox. Without it, your beautiful campaigns will fall on deaf ears - or, blind eyes. So how do you make sure your emails are being delivered? The answer is: IP warming.
Why Should I Warm My IP?
IP warming means gradually increasing the volume of emails sent from a new or "cold" IP address over time to “warm it up”. By doing so, you can establish a positive reputation for your IP address and improve your email deliverability rates. If you’re just launching your campaign, IP warming is a crucial process to get started out on the right foot and will benefit you in more than one way.
Avoid being marked as spam
Email providers have spam filters algorithms in place to detect spam emails and send them to the junk folder. If you send a large volume of emails from a new IP address, it can trigger these algorithms or lead you to fall into a spam trap, resulting in your emails being marked as spam. IP warming allows you to gradually increase your email volume and avoid being flagged as a spammer.
Build a positive reputation
As you gradually increase your email volume, you're also building a positive reputation for your IP address. Email providers track the behavior of IP addresses and assign them a sender score based on factors such as the volume of emails sent, engagement rates, and complaint rates. By starting with a low volume of emails and gradually increasing over time, you're demonstrating to email providers that you're a legitimate sender who is following best practices.
Improve deliverability rates
When your IP address has a positive reputation, email providers are more likely to deliver your emails to the inbox rather than the spam folder. This, in turn, can improve your overall deliverability rates and increase the likelihood that your emails will be seen by your target audience.
How to Warm Your IP Address
If you’re not sure how to go about IP warming, lucky for you, it is quite simple! Here’s three steps to warm your IP address:
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Start with a small volume of emails and gradually increase the volume over time.
(Try starting with 4 campaigns over the span of 2 weeks, only sending out each new campaign when the previous reaches an open rate of 35-40%)
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Send high-quality and engaging content that's relevant to your subscribers, but keep it evergreen (“About Us” content, product highlights, testimonials, press) and avoid promotion-specific campaigns. As you will be avoiding promo at this time, aim to IP warm during slow months.
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Monitor your email metrics, such as open rates and click-through rates, and adjust your strategy accordingly.
Several factors can impact your IP warming process, including the size of your email list, the frequency of your emails, and the engagement level of your subscribers. Other technical factors, such as proper email authentication, can also affect your IP warming process. By following best practices and monitoring your results, you can successfully warm up your IP address and maximize your email deliverability.
IP Warming Best Practices for Email Marketers
While IP warming is not a complicated process, there are some dos and don’ts to keep in mind.
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Do gradually increase your email volume, use a dedicated IP address, and maintain a clean email list.
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Do authenticate your email.
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Do monitor your email metrics.
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Don't send to purchased or rented email lists, send too many emails too quickly, or ignore engagement metrics.
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Don’t send to inactive or unengaged subscribers.
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Don’t use spammy words or phrases.
To maintain a good sender reputation, it's important to regularly clean your email list and remove inactive subscribers, and ensure that your email frequency is appropriate for your audience.
By following these tips and best practices, you can successfully warm up your IP address and maintain a positive sender reputation!
Final Thoughts on IP Warming
In a nutshell, IP warming is a must-have process for any email marketer who wants to take their deliverability rates to the next level! By slowly ramping up your email volume from a fresh IP address, you'll be able to build trust and avoid the dreaded spam folder. The end result? A stronger, more successful email campaign that's sure to captivate your audience!
Got questions about email marketing best practices? Check out our latest tips or reach out to us directly at info@arcticleaf.io.
Arctic Leaf is a digital agency with over 10 years of e-commerce experience serving clients of all industries. Our entire team is Baymard UX certified and our amazing developers can build everything from simple Shopify themes to fully custom headless experiences.
