Setup checklist#
- ☐ Start with 20 to 50 messages per day per mailbox to your most engaged, opt-in contacts.
- ☐ Double volume every 2 to 3 days while complaint and bounce rates stay clean.
- ☐ Prioritize recipients likely to reply or click; positive engagement accelerates trust.
- ☐ Monitor Postmaster Tools daily and pause the ramp if reputation drops.
- ☐ Reach target volume over 4 to 6 weeks for a cold domain; faster if you have an established parent domain.
Audit checklist#
- ☐ Confirm you are not: warming with fake engagement networks that providers now detect and penalize.
- ☐ Confirm you are not: warming the IP but sending from an unauthenticated subdomain.
- ☐ Confirm you are not: treating warm-up as one-time; reputation decays after inactivity.
Ongoing monitoring#
- ☐ Weekly: review provider dashboards (Postmaster Tools, SNDS) and bounce logs
- ☐ Monthly: re-run the setup verification after any vendor or DNS change
- ☐ Quarterly: full audit against this checklist
Frequently asked questions#
How long does email warm-up take?
Two to six weeks depending on target volume and whether the domain is brand new.
Do I need to warm up a shared IP?
The IP is already warm, but your domain is not. Domain warm-up still applies.