I’m setting up a new SMTP server and want to avoid spam issues. What are the best practices for warming up a new SMTP server, improving sender reputation, and achieving better inbox delivery rates?
There are many warming-up services that slowly send/reply to emails ( automated ). They slowly increase the frequency of such emails so that the account gets warmed up. I use instantly for cold emailing, and it includes warming up.
If you are using any cold emailing tool .. most probably they must be providing this service
Hi, I have recently started my cold emailing setup, did a lot of research. Here is what I found:
- You can use all in services like instantly or smartlead. They have in-built warmup + leads + sending.
- Use a warmup service - I found Trulyinbox most pocket friendly as they don’t charge by number of inboxes. I am on trial with them. There is also warmup inbox charges flat $19 per inbox. In this case, you will have to source leads using zoominfo, hunter or apollo and build a email sending setup - Mandatorily using the warmed up inbox only.
- For inboxes, you can use Google workspace or zoho - lite plans are enough to start with.
Hi, I’m Vineet from Identixweb, a Shopify development company.
I’ve seen this happen a lot when a new SMTP server is set up, and emails are sent too aggressively from day one. The setup may be technically correct, but mailbox providers still need time to trust the new sender.
What usually works best is to first get the basics right: SPF, DKIM, DMARC, reverse DNS/PTR record, and a proper sending domain. Without these, even good emails can land in spam.
After that, warm it up slowly. Start with a small number of emails and send them to people who are most likely to open or engage. Then increase the volume gradually over a few weeks instead of jumping from 50 emails to thousands.
One thing I’d avoid is sending to old or cold lists during the warm-up phase. High bounce rates, low engagement, and spam complaints can damage the reputation very quickly.
Also, keep transactional and marketing emails separate if possible. This helps protect important emails like order confirmations, password resets, and invoices from being affected by marketing campaign performance.
Hello there @varunrastogi
Authenticate your domain with SPF, DKIM and DMARC prior to sending any volume. Start warm up with small batches to your most engaged subscribers, and increase gradually the daily voluume keeping the engagement. Watch for bursts in traffic, and keep-sending at a steady pace. Clean your list of emails to remove invalid and/or inactive addresses. Track reports of complaints, bounces and engagement in the first few weeks very closely. Send relevant, anticipated content early because you have delivered a positive experience, positive interactions contribute to the sender reputation and placement in the inbox over time.