The new Google Spam update for Gmail classifies less than 0.1% of emails in an average Gmail inbox as spam. This update makes it crucial to ensure Gmail’s AI does not flag your emails. [1]
Your emails may be part of that exclusive 0.1% that never reaches the intended inbox. Therefore, taking proactive steps to warm up your accounts is essential for maximizing email deliverability and avoiding potential trouble.
Keep reading this article to gain comprehensive knowledge about email warm-ups. By delving into its contents, you will acquire valuable insights and a thorough understanding of this practice.
What Is an Email Warmup?
An email warm-up involves gradually sending many emails from a newly created email account to establish a favorable reputation with email providers and evade spam filters.
This process aids in building trust and credibility, allowing legitimate emails to reach recipients’ inboxes instead of sending them to the spam folder.
Importance of an Email Warmup
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Builds and Maintains Sender’s Reputation
Email service providers closely monitor the reputation of email senders to determine whether to deliver their emails to the inbox or route them to spam.
However, you establish a positive sender reputation by gradually increasing your email volume and engagement metrics during the warmup process. As a result, it increases the likelihood of your emails reaching the inbox.
Improves Email Deliverability
The main objective of an email warmup is to ensure that your emails are delivered directly to the recipient’s inbox. When you send an email, ESPs and internet service providers (ISPs) examine your email history and the engagement of previous recipients.
Therefore, if you’ve recently created a new email account or resumed using an old one, it is crucial to warm up the account correctly before initiating a large-scale cold email campaign. Doing so also ensures spam filters do not block your emails.
Boosts Open Rates
Email warmup can boost open rates by gradually establishing a positive sender reputation.
By starting with a small volume of emails and gradually increasing the sending frequency, warmup allows you to demonstrate consistent engagement and deliverability to email service providers (ESPs).
As your domain reputation improves, ESPs are more likely to trust your emails and deliver them to recipients’ inboxes instead of marking them as spam.
This increased inbox placement enhances visibility and increases the chances of recipients opening your emails, ultimately leading to higher open rates.
Monitors Your Sender Reputation
One of the many advantages of email warmup is the ability to track and evaluate your sender’s reputation and deliverability. Knowing where you stand is incredibly useful.
If your messages wind up in spam more often, your cold email campaigns aren’t working. Instead, you may also receive too many spam complaints from sending too many emails.
How Long Does It Take to Warm Up an Email Address?
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A standard warm-up process involves gradually increasing the volume of emails sent over time while monitoring the metrics closely. Doing so allows ESPs to gain trust in the sender and recognize it as a legitimate source of email communication.
Initially, you may experience a low volume. Still, you can gradually increase the sending volume by observing positive engagement metrics such as open rates, click-through rates, and low bounce rates.
Therefore, it’s important to note that warm-up periods vary on the specific circumstances. Some ESPs may require longer warm-up periods, especially for new or previously inactive email addresses.
It’s also essential to follow best practices, such as double opt-in methods, ensuring email content quality, and maintaining good list hygiene.
Furthermore, it is advisable to consult with email deliverability experts or refer to guidelines provided by ESPs. They may have specific recommendations based on their policies and algorithms. Doing so also lets you determine your email address’s optimal warm-up strategy.
8 Ways to Warm Up Your Email Account
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1. Warm Up Your Account Manually
Manually warming up your account is crucial in establishing a positive reputation and maintaining deliverability regarding email marketing or online activities.
To warm up your account, send a small volume of emails to engaged recipients and gradually increase the volume over time. This process allows internet service providers (ISPs) to recognize your sending patterns as legitimate and trustworthy, preventing your emails from being flagged as spam.
Manually warming up your account has several advantages. Firstly, it helps build a solid sender reputation, which enhances the chances of your emails reaching the recipients’ inboxes rather than being filtered into spam folders.
Secondly, it enables you to monitor your email deliverability closely, identify any issues early on, and make necessary adjustments to improve your campaign’s success.
By gradually increasing your sending volume, you establish a healthy relationship with ISPs, demonstrating consistent and responsible email practices.
Taking the time to warm up your account manually also sets a solid foundation for your email marketing efforts, increases the effectiveness of your campaigns, and ultimately improves your chances of engaging with your audience successfully.
2. Authenticate Your Account
When setting up a new email account, the first step is to authenticate the account. Account authentication is crucial as it safeguards your account from spam filters and ensures your emails are delivered directly to the recipient’s inbox.
There are four important email authentication methods to consider:
SPF (Sender Policy Framework): SPF involves creating a record in your DNS (Domain Name System) that lists all the authorized servers allowed to send emails on behalf of your domain. When the recipient’s email service provider (ESP) detects SPF authentication from the sender, it confirms the legitimacy of the sender’s domain.
DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail): DKIM adds a digital signature to your domain, which helps prevent email spoofing. It also ensures that your emails reach the intended destination securely.
DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance): DMARC utilizes SPF and DKIM records to assure the recipient’s ESP that the email is not associated with fraudulent activities. It also enhances the security and authenticity of the email.
Custom Domain: Adding a custom domain to your emails makes your links and documents appear more authentic by associating them with your domain. Doing so instills confidence in both the sender and the ESP, as they can verify that the links and documents originate from a trusted source.
Read also: SPF, DKIM, DMARC explained [Infographic]
3. Use a Good IP
A dedicated IP offers greater control over your IP reputation than a shared IP. Multiple people, including those with potentially malicious intentions, can use the latter.
When using a shared IP, the actions of other email accounts using it to send messages affects its reputation. As a result, even if you diligently warm up the shared IP address, anyone using the same IP can quickly tarnish its reputation.
However, you can overcome this issue by switching to a dedicated IP address. Doing so also gives you more flexibility in managing your IP reputation.
With a dedicated IP, you also exclusively use the address, reducing the risk of reputation damage caused by others. As a result, this gives you better control over the sender’s reputation associated with your IP.
4. Clean Your Email Lists Frequently
Remove contacts who haven’t opened or clicked on your emails in a while and those who have regularly unsubscribed or flagged your messages as spam.
Regularly cleaning your email lists removes inactive and invalid email addresses, reducing the likelihood of sending messages to non-existent or unengaged recipients. Doing so helps maintain a positive sender reputation, increasing the chances of your emails reaching the inbox.
In addition, a clean email list ensures your messages are directed to active and interested recipients. When you remove inactive or unresponsive email addresses, you focus on engaging with those genuinely interested in your content.
This improves your engagement rates, including open and click-through rates, which are crucial for email warm-ups.
5. Build Credibility
Ask yourself, Why should people choose you?
When it comes to answering this question in your email, there are two approaches you can take: 1) you can either provide a concise statement that establishes your credibility and importance or 2) leverage that credibility throughout the email.
The truth is that recipients of cold emails have no inherent motivation to listen unless you provide them with a compelling reason. But if you possess any notable achievements or credentials that can enhance the credibility of your email, it’s worth including them.
By doing this, you can capture the recipients’ attention more effectively, resulting in a higher likelihood of receiving warm responses from your cold emails.
6. Send Individual Emails
Use Google Workplace or O365 email accounts specifically created for prospecting to send emails individually and acquire the best open and reply rates. Avoid using a third-party delivery service or SMTP server for cold email.
Email providers check information from third-party SMTP servers more closely than from individual email accounts. This is because you’re sending emails through a server or service like AWS or SendGrid, designed for opt-in communications.
Since third-party servers can send emails to an unlimited number of recipients quickly, email providers are more likely to filter content heavily sent via third-party servers. Third-party servers can mass spam and phishing campaigns with more than one-to-one emails.
When you switch to one-to-one outreach, your volume is drastically reduced, and contacting each prospect takes longer. However, your long-term outcomes will be superior.
Read also: How to Send Bulk Emails in Gmail
7. Schedule Your Email Warm-up Campaign
Infrequently sending outbound marketing emails can hinder desired results. So, try to reach out at least once per day. If you value your time, you can do it manually with extreme care and attention to detail or email warm-up automation solutions.
8. Warm Up Automatically
Another way to warm up your email account is through automated methods, such as using a mail warm-up tool like InboxAlly. This tool generates genuine daily interactions within the user’s inbox. This method enables users to connect with a larger audience and potential customers more quickly and efficiently than manual efforts.
Moreover, the email warm-up tool sends a limited number of emails to individuals within the user’s network daily. This gradual process establishes trustworthiness with email service providers, enhancing the user’s email deliverability rate.
Marketers, sales specialists, recruiters, and professionals involved in lead generation can benefit significantly from incorporating an email warm-up tool into their strategies.
Final Thoughts
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We hope you know how to warm up emails and why they are important. Always keep in mind that customization is also essential. However, sending identical messages in bulk will surely get you blacklisted.
In addition, consider using a comprehensive platform beyond email warming to enhance your email deliverability significantly. InboxAlly is a powerful tool designed to optimize deliverability. It also offers a range of advanced features and seamlessly integrates with your email system.
Using this tool, you can instruct email providers to prioritize placing your emails directly into recipients’ inboxes from the beginning. With InboxAlly, you can take your email deliverability to new heights and ensure your messages reach the intended audience effectively.
FAQs
How does email warmup help improve deliverability?
Email warmup helps ISPs recognize your sending patterns as legitimate, allowing your emails to bypass spam filters and reach recipients’ inboxes more effectively.
What are the key steps involved in manually warming up an email account?
Start with a small volume of emails to engaged recipients. Secondly, gradually increasing the volume over time. Next, monitoring deliverability metrics. And lastly, make adjustments as needed.
Are there any risks or potential drawbacks associated with email warmup?
Risks are minimal if done correctly. However, sending too many emails too quickly during warmup can have negative consequences, such as being marked as spam.
Should I warm up a new email account or an existing one?
It’s recommended to warm up both new and existing email accounts to maintain or improve their deliverability.
Can I automate the email warmup process, or is it best done manually?
While some automation tools are available, manual warmup is generally more effective as it allows for better monitoring and adjustment based on real-time results.
What metrics should I monitor during the warmup period to gauge the effectiveness of my email campaigns?
Important metrics to monitor include delivery rates, open rates, click-through rates, spam complaints, and bounce rates.
Can I warm up multiple email accounts simultaneously?
Yes, you can warm up multiple accounts simultaneously. However, monitoring each account’s performance and closely adjusting is essential.
Is a warm-up duration recommended for different email accounts (e.g., ESPs, corporate domains)?
The recommended warmup duration varies depending on the email service provider and the sending domain. However, a typical warmup period ranges from two to six weeks. Therefore, monitoring deliverability metrics to determine when your account is fully warmed up is essential.
References:
[1] https://gmail.googleblog.com/2015/07/the-mail-you-want-not-spam-you-dont.html