In this article, we will discuss the potential impact of starting with MailBlue. Moving to a new email provider is similar to changing your domain name and losing Google ranking for SEO. It doesn't always happen, but you may experience a decrease in email deliverability. There are steps you can take to ease this transition with redirects, but the reputation you had built with the old domain needs to be rebuilt. Follow the suggestions in the article to restore the sender's reputation, and engagement should quickly return to normal. In this article, we cover:
What to expect?
Temporary lower open rates
It is natural to see a temporary decrease in deliverability, which can result in lower open rates for your emails. This is because new senders cannot yet be trusted, leading more messages to end up in the Spam folder. This occurs when you move to a new email provider. You should not expect to see the same open rates you had earned with your previous provider. It takes at least 30 days of regular sending for your engagement statistics such as opens and clicks to reach a level - sometimes even longer if you do not send frequently.
What are the most common mistakes?
Reactivating disengaged contacts
The most common mistake is improperly transferring your data, causing opt-outs to be reactivated or disengaged contacts to suddenly be reconnected to your lists. Be extra careful to ensure all your data is transferred accurately and seamlessly from your old provider to MailBlue. We have migration guides to help you through this process.
Sending too quickly
The second most common mistake is sending too many emails too quickly. As a new sender, ISPs like Outlook have strict limits on the number of messages that can be sent per day. Initially, they only allow a few thousand per day from a 'new sender'. If you start sending 10,000 messages per day to Outlook, you will unfortunately crush your sending reputation. It is crucial to ease into sending to establish your reputation as a good sender.
How do I warm up my sending?
Determine the size of your contact list
If the list is smaller than 50,000 contacts, the rest of the plan is very straightforward. Send to only the most engaged contacts in the first 1-2 weeks with MailBlue. After this, you can start sending to everyone.
If the list is larger than 50,000, you need to be much more cautious, especially if the list is heavily weighted with addresses at one ISP such as Outlook.
This is a 30-day warm-up plan that most senders can follow, but our support staff can help you create a custom plan if needed:
- Week 1: 25,000 per day
- Week 2: 50,000 per day
- Week 3: 75,000 per day
- Week 4: 100,000 messages per day
- Week 5: full list
Sending to your most engaged contacts
It's best to initially send only to your most engaged contacts - those who have recently opened emails or purchased articles in the last 30, 60, or 90 days. This means you may send fewer emails at the beginning, but it's crucial for building a long-term good sending reputation.
Starting with only the best lists can increase your open rate and truly demonstrate that the email is desired. This also ensures that you're not sending emails to cold, inactive contacts that could harm your reputation.
Extra tips
If you want to take all necessary precautions, here are some additional tips:
- Use the same domain name as before for the 'sent from' email address.
- Set up DKIM and SPF. This ensures a smoother transition to a new email provider. You can check if your filters are set up correctly here.
- Maintain a consistent brand (design, name, etc.). Avoid confusing recipients, which can lead to complaints.
- Do not introduce new lists.
Conclusion: transitioning to a new provider can cause a lot of uncertainty. It's important to realise that a performance dip is quite normal. This corrects itself if you follow the above tips and send good content to good lists.