Here’s what email warm-up can do for you:
- Boost Deliverability: Increase inbox placement to over 90%.
- Improve Engagement: Open rates can jump by 10–20%.
- Reduce Spam Complaints: Lower spam rates by 2–3%.
- Strengthen Reputation: Build trust with ISPs and ESPs.
Key Steps to Warm-Up Emails
- Start Small: Send 5–10 emails daily to trusted contacts.
- Gradually Scale: Increase volume weekly (e.g., 20–30 emails/day by Week 2).
- Focus on Engagement: Aim for open rates above 30% and reply rates of 8–10%.
- Set Up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC: Authenticate your domain to avoid deliverability issues.
- Track Metrics: Monitor bounce rates (<2%) and spam complaints (<0.1%).
Quick Warm-Up Timeline
Week | Daily Volume | Target Metrics |
1–2 | 20–30 emails | Open rate: 30–50%, Replies: 8–10% |
3–4 | 30–50 emails | Bounce rate: <2%, Spam: <0.1% |
5–8 | 50–150 emails | Maintain high engagement rates |
By following these steps and using tools like AI-driven platforms for monitoring and optimization, you can ensure your cold outreach campaigns are effective and avoid common pitfalls. Skip the warm-up, and you risk losing months of effort to recover your sender reputation.
Cold Email Warm Up Strategy for Outreach Success
Email Warm-Up Basics
Getting your email campaigns off to a strong start means properly warming up your sender reputation. This process helps build trust with ISPs and improves email deliverability over time.
Gradual Volume Increase
Follow this progression to safely increase your daily email volume:
Week | Daily Email Volume | Increase Rate |
1-2 | 20-30 | Add 10-15% every 2-3 days |
3-4 | 30-50 | Add 15% every 3-4 days |
5-6 | 50-100 | Add 20% every 4-5 days |
7-8 | 100-150 | Reach target volume |
Begin by sending emails to contacts who are most likely to engage with your messages. This creates positive engagement signals that ISPs look for when determining your sender reputation.
Key Metrics to Track
Keeping an eye on the right metrics is critical during the warm-up phase. These benchmarks help maintain a good sender reputation:
Metric | Target Range | Influence on Reputation |
Open Rate | 30-50%+ | High |
Reply Rate | 8-10%+ | Very High |
Bounce Rate | Less than 2% | Critical |
Spam Rate | Less than 0.1% | Critical |
Inbox Placement | Over 90% | High |
For instance, a B2B SaaS company increased its deliverability from 62% to 98% in just six weeks by focusing on these metrics .
In addition to tracking these numbers, setting up proper email authentication protocols further strengthens your sender reputation.
Implementing SPF, DKIM, and DMARC
To safeguard your domain and improve deliverability, set up these email authentication protocols:
- SPF (Sender Policy Framework)Add a TXT record to your DNS with the following format:
- DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail)Generate a public-private key pair and add the public key to your DNS records. This ensures your emails carry a verified digital signature.
- DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication)Add a DMARC policy to your DNS with this structure:
These tools work together to protect your domain from spoofing and improve email performance. Regularly review your authentication reports to ensure everything is functioning as expected and to maintain a strong sender reputation.
2025 Email Warm-Up Methods
AI-powered tools are reshaping the way email warm-up is handled. Platforms like ReputationAI and EmailSentinel now track sending patterns and recipient behavior, offering actionable insights to improve performance.
Take EmailAI Pro, for example. Their system highlights its effectiveness:
"Clients using our fully integrated AI system saw an average 40% reduction in warm-up time and a 25% improvement in overall deliverability rates compared to traditional methods"
AI tools monitor key metrics such as:
Metric | Target Range | AI Monitoring Feature |
Sender Score | 90–100 | Real-time reputation tracking |
AI Reputation Index | 800+ | Predictive trend analysis |
Authentication Pass Rate | 100% | Automated compliance checks |
Warm-up Velocity | N/A | Dynamic volume adjustment |
These metrics help ensure compliance with evolving ISP standards.
Meeting ISP Requirements
Using AI insights is just the beginning. Adapting to stricter ISP rules is now a must. Key steps include:
- Implement advanced authentication protocols like DMARC and BIMI.
- Keep engagement rates high to meet ISP benchmarks.
- Leverage AI for content optimization to avoid spam filters.
- Adjust sending patterns based on ISP feedback.
SendGrid's "SmartWarm" tool showcases the benefits of such strategies:
"Over a 90-day period, Airbnb saw their average inbox placement rate increase from 82% to 96%, resulting in a 22% boost in booking conversions from email campaigns."
Partner Networks for Better Reputation
Beyond AI monitoring and ISP compliance, partner networks verified through blockchain technology are proving to be game-changers for sender reputation. The TrustMail Alliance shares:
"Members saw an average 35% improvement in inbox placement rates within the first month of joining"
These networks operate by:
- Forming alliances tailored to specific industries
- Building AI-driven partnerships
- Using blockchain for verification
- Sharing reputation data in real time
Blockchain-backed partner networks have shown a 15% increase in deliverability rates , making them an important tool for modern email warm-up strategies.
Combining Warm-Up with Cold Outreach
Aligning Warm-Up with Campaign Messaging
To make your outreach efforts more effective, ensure your warm-up emails align seamlessly with your campaign messaging. A SalesLoft case study highlights this strategy:
"In Q2 2023, SalesLoft client TechCorp increased their email deliverability from 76% to 94% over 6 weeks by implementing a gradual warm-up strategy that mirrored their cold outreach campaign structure. This resulted in a 28% increase in open rates and a 15% boost in reply rates for their subsequent cold outreach campaign."
Here’s how you can structure your messaging across both phases:
Content Element | Warm-Up Phase | Campaign Phase |
Subject Lines | Industry trends | Solution-focused |
Email Body | General discussions | Specific value props |
Call-to-Action | Soft engagement | Direct response |
Personalization | Basic industry insights | Company-specific info |
This gradual approach ensures consistency while building interest, preparing recipients for your main cold outreach efforts. Up next, let’s explore how LinkedIn outreach can complement this strategy.
Combining Email and LinkedIn Outreach
Pairing email warm-up with LinkedIn outreach can supercharge your lead generation efforts. For example, Artemis Leads (https://artemisleads.com) uses this integrated approach to cover their entire ideal customer profile (ICP).
"Integrated email and LinkedIn campaigns have shown a 37% higher conversion rate compared to email-only outreach."
By combining these platforms, you can engage prospects through multiple channels, creating a more comprehensive and effective outreach strategy. Next, we’ll dive into the tools that make managing warm-ups and integrations easier.
Tools to Streamline Warm-Up Efforts
Modern tools have made the process of transitioning from warm-up to active outreach much simpler and more efficient. For example:
"For instance, Warmy users report an average 30% increase in deliverability rates after using its warm-up features before launching campaigns."
Key features of these tools include:
- Real-time reputation monitoring to track sender scores.
- Automatic volume adjustments to gradually scale email sending.
- Cross-platform engagement tracking for email and LinkedIn.
- Detailed analytics to fine-tune your outreach strategy.
- AI-driven insights, like those from Seventh Sense, which analyzes recipient behavior to optimize send times, boosting open rates by up to 35% .
When you combine these tools with consistent messaging and a phased approach, you’ll create a stronger foundation for your cold outreach campaigns. This method not only improves deliverability but also increases response rates, helping you achieve better overall results.
Artemis Leads Email Services
Artemis Leads combines proven email warm-up techniques with multi-channel outreach to help businesses connect with their ideal audience.
Artemis Leads Key Features
Artemis Leads specializes in providing high-quality B2B leads by blending personalized email outreach with LinkedIn engagement, ensuring full audience coverage.
Here’s what their email warm-up service offers:
Feature | Description | Benefit |
Infrastructure Setup | Complete email and LinkedIn setup | Builds a strong technical foundation |
Inbox Warm-up | Gradual volume increase with engagement | Boosts email deliverability rates |
Multi-channel Integration | Combined email and LinkedIn outreach | Reaches the entire target audience |
Prospect Qualification | Thorough vetting process | Provides leads ready for meetings |
Dedicated Management | Account manager and regular check-ins | Ensures campaigns stay optimized |
With multilingual support in English, Italian, German, Dutch, and Spanish, Artemis Leads makes it easy to connect with international markets. Their pricing is designed to accommodate businesses of different sizes and goals.
Plans and Pricing Options
Artemis Leads offers three service tiers, all including email warm-up and outreach strategies:
Plan | Monthly Cost | Setup Fee | Lead Volume |
Light | €950 | €1,900 | 4-5 positive leads |
Essential | €1,800 | €1,900 | 8-10 positive leads |
Scale | €3,400 | €1,900 | 16-20 positive leads |
All plans include the following features:
- Personalized outbound lead generation: Tailored strategies for each client
- Email infrastructure setup: Full authentication for smooth operations
- Inbox warm-up sequences: Gradual progression to build sender reputation
- LinkedIn DMs integration: Seamless social outreach setup
- Audience list building: Identifying and targeting the right prospects
- 1-on-1 onboarding workshop: Customized strategy sessions
The Scale plan is ideal for companies aiming to expand into new markets, offering the highest lead volume and extensive support. Each plan is built around performance-based pricing, ensuring measurable outcomes.
Conclusion
Main Warm-Up Steps
Warming up your email account takes a structured, data-focused approach to gradually build your sender reputation. Here's how the process typically unfolds:
- Weeks 1–2:Start small with 5–10 emails daily. Aim for open rates above 50% and reply rates over 10%. Make sure your SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records are correctly configured (as outlined earlier).
- Weeks 3–4:Increase volume to 15–20 emails per day. Begin including cold contacts, but limit them to 20–30% of your total sends. Keep open rates above 40%.
- Weeks 7–8:Scale up to your full campaign volume, sending 100–150 emails daily. Keep bounce rates under 2% and spam complaints below 0.1%. Adjust your sending strategy based on engagement metrics.
These steps lay the groundwork for a successful B2B outreach campaign.
Starting Your B2B Outreach
The email landscape continues to evolve, and staying ahead requires smart strategies. Here's a breakdown of some key focus areas:
Focus Area | Strategy | Expected Results |
Authentication | BIMI and standard protocols | Over 90% inbox placement |
Content Strategy | AI-based content optimization | 30–50% open rates |
Channel Integration | Combine email with LinkedIn | Broader ICP (Ideal Customer Profile) coverage |
Monitoring | Use real-time analytics | Bounce rates below 2% |
For those needing extra support, professional services like Artemis Leads can simplify the process. They combine email warm-up with LinkedIn outreach to help you reach your target audience while maintaining excellent deliverability.
Email warm-up is not a one-time task - it demands ongoing attention and fine-tuning. By sticking to these steps and leveraging modern tools, you'll build a strong foundation for outreach campaigns that drive real results. Keep refining and scaling your efforts for continued success.
FAQs
How do you warm up an email for a cold email?
Warming up an email involves gradually building trust with email providers to improve deliverability. Here’s how it’s done:
- Set Up Authentication: Ensure SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records are correctly configured before sending any emails.
- Start Small: Begin by sending 5–10 emails daily to known contacts.
- Use Varied Content: Avoid sales-heavy language; mix up your content to seem more natural.
- Focus on Engagement: Aim for replies to create two-way conversations.
- Increase Gradually: Add 1–2 emails daily during the first two weeks, then 2–3 emails daily in weeks three and four.
Warm-up Phase | Daily Volume | Target Metrics |
Weeks 1–2 | 5–10 emails | Open rate: 30–50%+ |
Weeks 3–4 | 15–20 emails | Open rate: 30–50%+ |
Weeks 5–8 | 50–100 emails | Bounce rate: below 2% |
Does email warm-up actually work?
Yes, when done properly, email warm-up significantly improves email deliverability. Studies show it can boost deliverability rates by up to 90% .
"84% of marketers report improved inbox placement after implementing email warm-up strategies"
Here’s why it works:
- Better Deliverability: Emails are less likely to end up in spam, and bounce rates decrease.
- Higher Engagement: Warmed-up accounts often see open rates improve by 20–40% .
- Improved Sender Reputation: Consistent warm-up practices help maintain a good domain reputation.
- Stronger Campaign Results: Campaigns benefit from more reliable inbox placement.
For B2B outreach, following a structured warm-up process is essential for long-term success. Tools can further streamline and enhance this process.