Sending large volumes of emails isn’t just about hitting “send” and hoping for the best. Without a strategic warm-up, your sender reputation could take a hit, leading to low open-rates, spam filtering and delivery failures. But fear not! This guide will walk you through the best practices to ramp up your email volume the right way!
Why a High-Volume Warmup Strategy Matters
Imagine blasting out thousands of emails overnight – email providers will see it as suspicious. A sudden spike in volume can trigger spam filters, making it harder for future emails to reach inboxes. The key? Gradually increasing volume so your domain and IP build trust with email providers such as Gmail and Outlook.
A strong sender reputation is crucial for high deliverability. If you’re flagged as spam, your emails will struggle to get engagement, leading to lower open and click rates. Controlled scaling helps you test recipient engagement and make data-driven adjustments along the way.
The Week-by-Week Warmup Plan
If you’re aiming to send 50,000–100,000 emails per day, follow this gradual ramp-up:
🔹 Week 1: Start small—send 500–1,000 emails per day. Break this into batches of 100–200 emails per hour to prevent suspicious spikes. Target your most engaged recipients—recent opt-ins or frequent openers.
🔹 Week 2: Increase volume to 2,000–5,000 emails per day, spread out over 8–12 hours with small batch sizes (500 emails/hour).
🔹 Week 3: Scale up to 10,000–15,000 emails daily, in hourly batches of 1,000–2,000 emails. Start including less active recipients while prioritizing engagement.
🔹 Week 4: Expand to 20,000–30,000 emails daily, with 3,000–5,000 emails per hour. Closely monitor engagement rates.
🔹 Week 5+: Gradually scale to your target volume (50k–100k emails/day). At this stage, sending at higher rates is safer – just keep an eye on your reputation.
Best Practices for a Successful High-Volume Warmup
✅ Engagement First – Start with your most engaged subscribers (recent openers/clickers). High engagement signals to email providers that your emails are valuable.
✅ Authenticate Your Emails – Configure SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to verify your domain and improve legitimacy.
✅ Monitor Reputation – Use tools such as Google’s Postmaster Tools to track domain and IP health.
✅ Maintain List Hygiene – Regularly remove invalid, bounced, and unengaged recipients to prevent spam complaints. Keep bounce rates below 2% – remove hard bounces immediately and soft bounces after repeated failures.
✅ Limit Spam Triggers – Avoid excessive promotional language and ensure your emails remain clear and professional.
✅ Adjust Based on Feedback – If bounce rates or spam complaints increase, slow down and troubleshoot issues before scaling further.
✅ Send at Optimal Times – Avoid bulk sending during off-hours: Yahoo and Outlook may flag unnatural patterns. Morning or mid-afternoon sends tend to get better engagement.
Ready to Maximize Deliverability?
By following this structured high-volume warmup plan, you’ll keep spam filters at bay, boost engagement and establish a strong sender reputation. If you need expert guidance on high-volume sending or your SMTP2GO account, reach out to our friendly support team, available in all time zones.
Time to warm up your email game – let’s make sure your messages land where they belong: the inbox!
