Glossary Term
Email Warmup
The process of gradually increasing email volume from a new domain to build sender reputation before full-scale sending.
What is Email Warmup?
Email warmup is the process of slowly ramping up email sending from a new domain (or IP) to establish a positive sender reputation before attempting high-volume outreach.
Why warmup matters:
- New domains have no reputation - they're inherently suspicious
- Email providers flag sudden high volume from new senders as spam behavior
- Enterprise security (Barracuda, Proofpoint) specifically flags domains under 30 days old
A typical warmup schedule:
- Days 1-7: 5-10 emails/day, mostly engagement emails
- Days 8-14: 10-15 emails/day, mix in some cold emails
- Days 15-21: 15-20 emails/day, monitor bounce rates
- Days 22-30: 20-25 emails/day, full capacity
Warmup cannot be skipped or rushed. Attempting to bypass warmup is one of the fastest ways to damage a domain.
Why It Matters
- 1Essential for building domain reputation
- 2Skipping warmup often results in immediate spam folder placement
- 3Enterprise email security flags new domains without warmup
- 4Protects your long-term sending capacity
Related Tools
Related Guides
Related Terms
Domain Reputation
The reputation score assigned specifically to your sending domain, affecting all mailboxes on that domain.
Sender Reputation
A score assigned to your email-sending identity based on your historical sending behavior and recipient engagement.
Email Deliverability
The ability of your emails to successfully reach recipients' inboxes rather than being blocked or sent to spam.
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