30-Day Email Warm-Up Execution Guide

Context

Why a brand new domain

Inbox providers have zero history with a new domain. No reputation carries over from an old one. If the old domain had broken authentication or a damaged reputation, that is good news. A clean start beats repairing a wrecked one.

How to use this guide. Fill in the fields above, then work top to bottom. Every checkbox saves in this browser, so the team can close the page and come back. The progress bar at the top shows how far along the warm-up is.

Before Day 1

Pre-Day 1 setup

Complete every item below before sending a single email from the new domain. This is not optional. Sending on a domain with broken authentication damages your reputation before you have one.

1. Choose and register the new sending domain

Pick a domain clearly related to the brand. A subdomain of the main site (mail.brand.com, updates.brand.com) or a close-variant root domain both work. Register the domain, or create the subdomain on the existing root domain. Do NOT reuse a domain with broken authentication or a damaged reputation. Point the domain records to whatever the sending platform requires. Check the platform docs for the current setup. Let DNS propagate for 24 to 48 hours before proceeding.

A subdomain of an established root domain inherits a slight head start from the root domain's reputation. A brand new root domain starts at absolute zero, which makes the warm-up even more important.

2. Set up authentication on the new domain

SPF record

Log into the DNS provider for the new domain. Create a TXT record on the root domain with the sending platform's SPF include value. Only ONE SPF record per domain. If one already exists for other services, merge the platform's include into it. Never create a second record. Validate at mxtoolbox.com/spf.aspx. Should show PASS with one record only.

DKIM record

In your platform, open the sending domain or dedicated domain settings. Add the new sending domain. Copy the DKIM record the platform provides, usually a TXT or CNAME record. Add that record to the new domain's DNS, then wait 15 to 30 minutes for propagation. Return to the platform and click Verify to confirm DKIM is active.

DMARC record

Create ONE TXT record on _dmarc.yournewdomain.com with the value v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:dmarc-reports@yournewdomain.com p=none is monitoring mode. You tighten this after warm-up is complete. Only ONE DMARC record. Two conflicting records break authentication silently. Validate at mxtoolbox.com/dmarc.aspx. Should show exactly ONE record.

Verify everything passes

Go to mail-tester.com and send a test from the platform using the new domain to the address it gives you. Score should be 8 out of 10 or higher. If not, fix whatever it flags before moving on.

3. Set up Google Postmaster Tools

Go to postmaster.google.com and click Add Domain. Enter the NEW domain. Add the DNS verification TXT record Google provides, then click Verify. Bookmark the page. You check it weekly during warm-up.

4. Import suppressions

Critical when moving to a new domain. Every unsubscribe, bounce, and complaint from the old domain must be suppressed on the new one. Skip this and you email people who already opted out, which produces instant spam complaints that kill the new domain before it starts.

Export every contact tagged as unsubscribed, hard bounced, or complained from all previous sending. Import that list into the platform and apply the platform's suppression flag. Import suppression lists from every other platform or tool the brand has used. Suppress anyone who has not engaged in 365 or more days. These never get contacted again. Verify: search a known unsubscribed contact and confirm the suppression flag is set. Double check: anyone who filed a spam complaint on the old domain must NEVER receive email from the new domain.

5. Update sender identity

Update the default From address to the new domain. Update the sender name to the approved name. Stop sending from the old domain. Running both at once splits engagement signals and confuses inbox providers.

6. Verify unsubscribe link and footer

Send yourself a test email from the platform using the new domain. Click the unsubscribe link. Confirm it works and actually removes you. Confirm the physical mailing address is in the footer. Confirm the sender name and From address are correct. Confirm the email does NOT show a "via [platform domain]" disclaimer. If it does, the dedicated sending domain is not configured correctly. Go back to step 2.

Segmentation

Build four tiers before Day 1

These segments control who gets email and when. Nothing sends until all four exist and the counts are recorded.

Tier 1: Most engaged

Create a segment named "Warm-Up Tier 1" Filter: clicked in the last 30 days OR subscribed in the last 15 days Target on first sends: 30% or better open rate Count:

Tier 2: Engaged, add in Week 2

Create a segment named "Warm-Up Tier 2" Filter: opened in the last 90 days AND not clicked in the last 30 days Count:

Tier 3: Less engaged, post warm-up only

Create a segment named "Warm-Up Tier 3" Filter: opened in the last 180 days AND not opened in the last 90 days Do NOT send to this group during the 30 days. They come in after Day 30. Count:

Tier 4: Unengaged and at risk, do not send

Create a segment named "Inactive: Do Not Send" Filter: everyone not in Tier 1, Tier 2, or Tier 3. No opens in 180 or more days. Do NOT email this group during or immediately after warm-up. They get a re-engagement series after Day 60. Count:

Hard rule. Anyone who has not engaged in 365 or more days is suppressed permanently. They never enter any tier.

Set the engagement window by send frequency

Your engagement window is not a fixed number. It scales with how often you send. The more often you send, the tighter the window has to be.

Send frequency	Max engagement window	Max attempts without engagement
Daily	30 days	30
3x per week	60 days	28
2x per week	90 days	24
1x per week	180 days	24
1x per month	275 days	9

A subscriber who last opened six months ago is reasonably engaged for a monthly sender and dead weight for a daily sender. Use the actual planned cadence to set the tier windows above, not a generic rule.

Planned send frequency during warm-up: Engagement window this sets:

Validate the list

If the list is older than 6 months, run it through a validation tool (ZeroBounce, NeverBounce, MillionVerifier) before Day 1. Remove invalid syntax, role addresses (info@, support@, sales@), high-risk catch-all domains, and known spam traps. Set suppression to trigger automatically after 2 to 3 soft bounces. Target: under 0.3% hard bounce rate on every campaign during warming.

Volume

The ramp

Inbox providers build reputation by observing consistent, predictable volume. Sudden spikes look like spam. Gradual, steady increases look legitimate.

Standard ramp, large lists

Week	Daily volume	Segment
Week 1, days 1 to 2	200 to 500	Tier 1 only
Week 1, days 3 to 5	500 to 1,000	Tier 1 only
Week 1, days 6 to 7	1,000 to 2,000	Tier 1 only
Week 2	2,000 to 5,000	Tier 1 plus begin Tier 2
Week 3	5,000 to 15,000	Tier 1 plus Tier 2
Week 4	15,000 to 50,000 plus	Tier 1 plus Tier 2 plus Tier 3

Scaling down for smaller lists

If the full active list (Tier 1 plus Tier 2) is smaller than the Week 1 numbers, do not stretch to hit them. Use this instead.

Week	Daily volume	Segment
Week 1	Start at 200, or 25% of Tier 1, whichever is smaller. Build toward full Tier 1 by day 5.	Tier 1 only
Week 2	Ramp from Tier 1 size toward full Tier 1 plus Tier 2	Tier 1 plus Tier 2
Week 3	Full active list	Tier 1 plus Tier 2
Week 4	Full active list	Tier 1 plus Tier 2

Ramp rules that never change

Never double volume in a single day.
Bounce rate over 1% means pause, re-audit, do not continue the ramp.
Spam rate over 0.08% means stop immediately and diagnose before resuming.
Open rate under 10% is a real warning, not noise. Narrow the segment before the next send.
Steady daily sending builds reputation faster than sending every 3 or 4 days.

Days 1 to 7

Week 1: Tier 1 only

Establish a clean sending pattern with the best contacts. Target 30% or better open rate on every send.

Day	Action	Segment
Day 1, Mon	Send first campaign. Short, valuable, no hard sell.	Tier 1, partial
Day 2, Tue	Check Day 1 metrics. If safe zone, send campaign 2.	Tier 1, partial
Day 3, Wed	Send campaign 3. Different subject line style than days 1 and 2.	Tier 1, partial
Day 4, Thu	Review days 1 to 3. If everything is in safe zone, increase volume.	Tier 1
Day 5, Fri	Send campaign. Warm and brief.	Tier 1
Day 6, Sat	Rest day. No send.	None
Day 7, Sun	Rest day. No send.	None

Week 1 content rules

No hard sells. No event pitches. No high-ticket offers.
What works: quick tips, short stories, one useful observation, reply-bait questions.
Every email under 150 words with a reason to click or reply.
Replies count as engagement and help the warm-up. Ask questions that invite them.

End of Week 1 checkpoint

Open rate above 30%, proceed to Week 2 Open rate 20% to 30%, repeat the Week 1 pattern 2 more days before expanding Open rate below 20%, STOP. Check content, subject lines, authentication. Do not expand. Bounce rate below 0.3% Spam complaints below 0.01%

Days 8 to 14

Week 2: add Tier 2

Expand to engaged openers while holding every metric in the safe zone.

Day	Action	Segment
Day 8, Mon	First send to combined Tier 1 plus Tier 2.	Tier 1 plus Tier 2
Day 9, Tue	Check Day 8 metrics. If safe, continue and increase.	Tier 1 plus Tier 2
Day 10, Wed	Send campaign.	Tier 1 plus Tier 2
Day 11, Thu	Metrics check. Increase if safe.	Tier 1 plus Tier 2
Day 12, Fri	Send campaign.	Tier 1 plus Tier 2
Day 13, Sat	Rest day.	None
Day 14, Sun	Rest day.	None

Week 2 content rules

Soft CTAs are fine now: a useful link, a training or webinar invite, a free resource.
Still no hard sells or high-ticket offers.
Keep encouraging replies.
Vary subject line styles. Do not use the same pattern every day.

End of Week 2 checkpoint

Open rate still above 20% Bounce rate still below 0.3% Spam complaints still below 0.01% Google Postmaster Tools shows no reputation warnings. If it does, hold volume.

Days 15 to 21

Week 3: full active list

Send to the full active list. Hold cadence and hold metrics.

Day	Action	Segment
Day 15, Mon	Send to the full active list.	Tier 1 plus Tier 2
Day 16, Tue	Send campaign.	Tier 1 plus Tier 2
Day 17, Wed	Send campaign.	Tier 1 plus Tier 2
Day 18, Thu	Metrics review day. Send if safe.	Tier 1 plus Tier 2
Day 19, Fri	Send campaign.	Tier 1 plus Tier 2
Day 20, Sat	Rest day.	None
Day 21, Sun	Rest day.	None

Week 3 content rules

Regular content mix is fine now. Value emails, invites, soft CTAs all work.
Still hold the biggest promotional push. Save it for after Day 30.
Minimum 3 sends this week. Never go dark for more than 2 days in a row.

End of Week 3 checkpoint

All metrics still in the safe zone Google Postmaster domain reputation reads High or Medium Blacklist check at mxtoolbox.com/blacklists.aspx comes back clean

Days 22 to 30

Week 4: stabilize and lock in

Prove consistency. Four weeks of clean sending history is what inbox providers need before they trust a domain.

Days	Action	Segment
22 to 26	Send 3 to 5 campaigns at full active list volume.	Tier 1 plus Tier 2
27 to 28	Weekend rest.	None
29 to 30	Final 1 to 2 sends of the warm-up period.	Tier 1 plus Tier 2

Week 4 content rules

Full content mix. Regular promotional CTAs are fine.
Keep any high-ticket push light. One mention per week maximum until Day 60.

Day 30 checkpoint

30 straight days of sending with no Stop Zone metrics, warm-up is complete Open rate consistently above 20%, reputation is established Google Postmaster reputation stable Zero blacklist flags

Every send

Daily send checklist

Run this before and after every single send during the 30 days. Reset the boxes each morning.

Before sending

Correct segment selected for the current week Subject line different from yesterday's Unsubscribe link present and working Test email sent to yourself, looks right on mobile and desktop No broken links Send time consistent. Pick a time and hold it, for example 10am local, every day.

After sending, check 2 to 4 hours later

Metric	Safe	Warning	Stop
Open rate	Above 20%	10% to 20%	Below 10%
Click rate	Above 1%	0.3% to 1%	Below 0.3%
Hard bounce	Below 0.3%	0.3% to 1%	Above 1%
Spam complaints	Below 0.01%	0.01% to 0.05%	Above 0.08%
Unsubscribes	Below 0.3%	0.3% to 0.5%	Above 0.5%

Log every send

One row per send, in a simple spreadsheet. This is how you catch a trend before it becomes a problem.

Date	Campaign	Segment	Volume	Open	Click	Bounce	Spam	Unsub	Notes

Reference

Metrics card

Print this or keep it open during every send. Gmail blocks senders who exceed 0.3% spam rate. That is the cliff. Everything above it is early warning.

Metric	Safe zone	Warning zone	Stop zone
Open rate	Above 20%	10% to 20%	Below 10%
Click rate	Above 1%	0.3% to 1%	Below 0.3%
Hard bounce rate	Below 0.3%	0.3% to 1%	Above 1%
Soft bounce rate	Below 2%	2% to 5%	Above 5%
Unsubscribe rate	Below 0.3%	0.3% to 0.5%	Above 0.5%
Spam complaint rate	Below 0.01%	0.01% to 0.05%	Above 0.08%

Warning zone

Hold

Do not increase volume. Narrow the segment back to a tighter engagement window. Review content for spam triggers. Hold until two straight sends return to the safe zone.

Stop zone

Pause

Pause all campaign sends. Keep transactional email running. Diagnose the root cause before resuming anything.

If something breaks

Troubleshooting

The worst thing anyone can do during warm-up is push through a problem instead of pausing to diagnose it.

Bounce rate spikes above 1%

Stop sending immediately.
Check which contacts bounced. Are they from one source or one import?
Remove all hard bounces from the segment.
If there are more than 50 bounces in a single send, run the remaining contacts through a verification tool before the next send.
Resume the next day to verified contacts only.

Open rate drops below 10%

Stop sending for 24 hours.
Check whether the email landed in spam. Send a test to a Gmail account and look in the spam folder.
Check Google Postmaster Tools. Has domain reputation dropped?
If it is landing in spam, re-check SPF, DKIM, and DMARC with MXToolbox.
If authentication is clean, the problem is content or subject lines. Simplify the next email: plain text, short, one reply-bait question.
Narrow back to Tier 1 only for the next 3 sends before expanding again.

Spam complaint rate above 0.08%

Stop all sends.
This is serious. Gmail throttles or blocks above 0.3%.
Check whether the unsubscribe link is working. A broken unsubscribe sends people straight to the spam button.
Check whether you are sending to contacts who never opted in.
Wait 48 hours before resuming. When you resume, send to Tier 1 only with a low-key, value-first email.
If complaints continue, escalate. There is a list quality problem underneath.

Unsubscribe rate above 0.5%

Hold volume. Do not increase.
Check for a mismatch between subject line and content. Clickbait subject plus unrelated content drives unsubscribes.
Check whether the send frequency is too high for this segment.
Shift the next 3 sends toward more value and less promotion.

You missed 3 or more days of sending

Do not panic, do not ignore it.
Scale volume back to Week 1 levels for the next 2 days.
Send to Tier 1 only for those 2 days.
Then resume the ramp from where you left off.
This may extend the warm-up by a few days. That is fine.

If sending stops for 14 or more days at any point, restart with Tier 1 only before resuming full volume.

Day 31 and beyond

What happens after warm-up

Days 31 to 60: add Tier 3

Add Tier 3 contacts gradually, roughly 25% of Tier 3 per week Monitor the same metrics. If anything enters the warning zone, pull Tier 3 back out. Keep sending 3 to 5 times per week to hold momentum Full promotional content, event invites, and offers are all fine now

Day 60 and beyond: re-engagement for Tier 4

Tier 4 gets a 3-email re-engagement series, sent only to that segment, never blended into regular campaigns.

Email	Angle
Email 1	"Still interested?" Remind them who you are and what they signed up for.
Email 2	"Here is what you are missing." One piece of high-value content, soft CTA.
Email 3	"Last chance." You are cleaning the list, click to stay subscribed.

Anyone who does not open or click any of the three gets suppressed permanently. They are a deliverability liability. Do not re-add them.

Tighten DMARC

Move DMARC from p=none to p=quarantine, then wait 2 weeks and monitor Then move from p=quarantine to p=reject for full protection

Retire the old domain

Stop all sends from the old domain the same day the new domain starts Do NOT run both domains in parallel. It splits engagement signals and confuses inbox providers. Keep the old domain's DNS records in place for 90 days so replies and forwarded mail still authenticate After 90 days of stable metrics on the new domain, clean up the old domain's sending records

Cheat sheet

Platform navigation

Fill this in for the platform in use before handing this guide to the team. Everything saves in this browser.

Task	Where to find it
Campaign stats and metrics
Create a segment or list
Suppress or unsubscribe a contact
Send a campaign
Sending domain and authentication
DKIM setup
Bounce and unsubscribe lists
Deliverability reporting

At a glance

Summary timeline

When	What	Who gets it
Pre-Day 1	Register the domain. Set up SPF, DKIM, DMARC. Set up Postmaster Tools. Import all suppressions. Build the four tiers. Stop sending from the old domain.	Nobody yet
Days 1 to 7	Ramp per the volume table. Value-only content, no hard sells.	Tier 1 only
Days 8 to 14	Continue the ramp. Soft CTAs allowed.	Tier 1 plus Tier 2
Days 15 to 21	Full active list. Regular content mix.	Tier 1 plus Tier 2
Days 22 to 30	Full active list. Hold consistency.	Tier 1 plus Tier 2
Days 31 to 60	Add Tier 3 gradually, 25% per week.	Tier 1 plus Tier 2 plus Tier 3
Day 60 plus	Re-engagement series, then permanent suppression of non-responders.	Tier 4

Email Warm-Up 30-Day Execution Guide