Reputation
IP warm-up: a practical schedule for dedicated sending IPs
Sending too much from a brand-new IP triggers rate limits and spam folder placement. Warm-up is about establishing a positive baseline before scaling.
Per-mailbox-provider schedule
Start at 50/day per major provider (Gmail, Microsoft, Yahoo, Apple). Double every 1-2 days until you reach your target daily volume. Treat each provider's schedule independently — Microsoft is the strictest and warms up slowest.
Send your most engaged contacts first
Use the highest-engagement segment (opened in last 30 days, recent purchasers, recent sign-ups) for warm-up. Engagement signals during the first weeks shape the IP's long-term reputation.
Watch the signals
Monitor Microsoft SNDS, Google Postmaster Tools, and per-provider bounce/complaint rates daily. If you see a spike in 4xx deferrals at one provider, pause that provider for 24-48 hours before continuing.
Frequently asked questions
- Do I need to warm up a shared IP pool?
- No — shared IPs already have established reputation. You only warm up dedicated IPs.