Why Warm-Up Matters (Even If You Bought “Clean” IPs)
Mailbox providers trust behaviour, not promises. A pristine IP that suddenly blasts 50 k casino promos looks compromised.
Pre-Flight Checklist
- Fresh .com domain with hidden WHOIS
- SPF
-all, 2048-bit DKIM, DMARCp=none - Seed list of real, engaged addresses (no catch-alls, no role accounts)
Day-by-Day Calendar
| Day | Sends/IP | Total Volume | Key Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 50 | 200 | Unique, text-heavy “hello” to seed list |
| 2 | 75 | 300 | First DKIM alignment check |
| 3 | 100 | 400 | Start Inbox/Spam monitoring |
| 4 | 150 | 600 | Add light HTML—no images |
| 5 | 225 | 900 | DMARC report review |
| 6 | 350 | 1 400 | Split casino vs forex subs |
| 7 | 500 | 2 000 | First small segment of live list |
| 8 | 750 | 3 000 | Rotate subject lines |
| 9 | 1 250 | 5 000 | Add minimal images; alt text required |
| 10 | 2 000 | 8 000 | Move DMARC to quarantine |
| 11 | 3 000 | 12 000 | Start click-tracking (redirect domain) |
| 12 | 5 000 | 20 000 | Introduce bulk senders (promo lists) |
| 13 | 9 000 | 36 000 | Check Postmaster “Spam %” < 0.3 |
| 14 | 12 500 | 50 000 | Scale list size by niche |
| 15 | 25 000 | 100 000 | Hold here 2–3 days before next jump |
(Assumes four dedicated IPs. Adjust proportionally.)
Smart Safeguards
- Auto-throttle: If spam complaints >0.2 %, drop volume 25 % next day.
- Randomised send windows: Avoid hour-one spikes that look automated.
- Content diffing: Ensure at least 30 % variance in body copy per batch.
Graduation Day
Once you’ve cruised at 100 k with inbox placement ≥ 85 % for 72 h, you’re cleared for normal campaign cadence. Scale in 25 % jumps, monitor like a hawk, and never skip “sleep days” (volume plateaus) every fortnight.
