Marketing Cloud Next - Domain Warming 30 Day Plan

Authentication Guidance

Before you begin warming your IP or sending domain, make sure that your domain meets email best practices enforced by major MBPs. Then, test that your emails follow DMARC, SPF, and DKIM through a service such as aboutmy.email.

We recommend sending to your most active and engaged subscribers during this critical period. MBPs use these initial sends to assess your sending reputation. The more opens and clicks your messages get, the quicker your sender reputation is established.

Reputation Scoring

The process of warming an IP address or domain is contingent on its reputation with MBPs. Your reputation score is based on the number of opens, clicks, bounces, and complaints an IP address or domain receives. A higher reputation influences how quickly you can increase your send volume.

To improve your reputation, make sure that you have a clear double-opt-in process and follow good list data hygiene practices. Give recipients a say in the kinds of content that they receive and how often they receive them. Remove unengaged recipients from your mailing lists, and limit email sends to only those recipients who have engaged in the last six months.

High bounce rates, especially hard bounces, hint at a low-quality mailing list. A high complaint rate signals that your recipients don’t want your emails or think that the emails are spam. In general, aim to keep bounce rates under 2% and complaint rates under 0.1%.

Increasing Send Volume - 30 Day Example

To build a strong sender reputation, gradually expand your audience based on email interactions. For your first week, slowly increase your send volume. Send emails to only your most engaged recipients, including new sign-ups and anyone who’s engaged in the past month.

Increase your sending volume by 20% each day. After you reach a daily send volume of around 70% of your total audience, you can begin sending to your full audience. If you have millions of records, this could take time. If engagement rates drop or your sends are throttled or blocked during the warming period, pause sends at the current volume. Resume your warming plan once your metrics stabilize.

Here’s an example of how you can break down 30 days of high-volume email sending into a warming plan. However, every audience group is different, so remember to monitor engagement frequently.