Email warmup solutions: In-House vs. Third-Party services

An email warmup process is essential to ensure that your emails land in the inbox rather than the spam folder. You have two main options for email warmup: doing it yourself (in-house) or using a third-party service.

In-house warmup means you manage the process yourself, which can be cost-effective but requires a lot of time, resources and expertise. On the other hand, third-party services offer a more hands-off approach, often with automated tools that streamline the process and can be easier to manage.

➡️ How does an email warmup process work?

➡️ What are the differences between In-House and Third-Party services?

➡️ How to make the right choice?

Here is what you need to know!

What is email warmup ?

Email warmup is a fundamental process for anyone looking to improve their email deliverability rates. It involves gradually increasing the volume of emails sent and generating a lot of engagement on your email activity to establish a positive sender reputation with the major mailbox providers and Internet Service Providers (ISPs). Here's a detailed, clear, and direct explanation of what email warmup is and why it's important.

Mailbox providers such as Google and Microsoft check the engagement you receive on your emails to know if you’re a trustworthy sender who deserves to land in inbox

If you send emails but receive very few positive interactions such as openings, replies, emails marked as important, removed from spam, then your sender reputation will decrease. However, if when you send emails, you get a high engagement rate (in other words, you have a lot of positive interactions), then your sender reputation increases.

Email warmup helps making a new mailbox or domain ready to send campaign by sending a small number of emails at first, and then slowly increasing the volume over time. In fact, this gradual increase allows ISPs / mailbox providers  to see that you’re a legitimate sender, not a spammer, and helps build your sender reputation.

One of the key benefits of email warming is improved deliverability. By establishing a good reputation with mailbox providers and spam filters, your emails are more likely to reach the inbox rather than being blocked or marked as spam. This is especially important for businesses that rely on cold emailing, as higher deliverability rates lead to more revenue and growth.

Regarding the ways to conduct email warmup, you have two options: manually or using automated tools. Manual warmup requires careful planning and monitoring to ensure you’re gradually increasing your send volume and receive engagement, but this method can be time-consuming, even if it's giving you full control over the process. Alternatively, automated tools can streamline the warmup process and maximize its efficiency by handling the gradual increase and automatically generate enough engagement to build and maintain your sender reputation over time.

Discover the best email warmup tool for a perfect deliverability

In-House email warmup

Advantages of In-House warmup

Here are the main advantages of In-House warmup: 

✅ Full control over the process: Managing the email warmup in-house gives you complete oversight and control over every step. You can monitor progress closely, make real-time adjustments, and quickly respond to any issues, which ensures that the warmup process aligns with your email marketing strategy and business goals;

✅ Lower initial costs (but still not really cost effective): Conducting email warmup in-house can also be more cost-effective initially compared to using third-party services. When you use existing resources and avoid external fees, you can save money in the short term, a cost-efficiency that is extremely beneficial for startups or small businesses with limited budgets. 

Challenges of In-House warmup

While in-house email warmup offers several advantages, it also presents notable challenges, such as:  

❌ It requires significant expertise to execute effectively: This is why understanding the nuances of email deliverability, mailbox providers behaviors, and engagement metrics is essential to avoid missteps that could harm your sender reputation;

❌ The setup and ongoing management of the warmup process is very time-consuming and requires people for maintenance: Carefully planning the warmup schedule, monitoring results, and making necessary adjustments demand a considerable time investment, which might strain resources, especially for small teams; 

❌ There is a risk of ineffective implementation: Keep in mind that without the right knowledge and vigilance, it’s easy to make errors that could lead to poor deliverability rates or even get your emails flagged as spam.

Best practices for In-House warmup

In order to ensure a successful in-house email warmup, it's important to follow best practices that enhance deliverability and build a solid sender reputation at the same time. Here are some of our tips:

➡️ Gradually increase your sending volume: Start by sending a small number of emails and gradually increase the volume over time, the goal being to build trust with ISPs and avoid triggering spam filters, while maintaining a good Spam Score;

➡️ Generating meaningful engagement from other mailboxes: To build a positive sender reputation, you need to have positive interactions with your emails. That means you need to control thousands of mailboxes and make them interact with the emails of a given address you’d like to warm. 

➡️ Regularly monitor your metrics and make the required adjustments: Continuously monitor your email metrics, such as open rates, bounce rates, and spam complaints, and then use this data to make the right adjustments to your warmup strategy;

➡️ Make sure to have a balanced network: You need to warm the email address with the right distribution of providers. Most professional mailboxes today are using Google Workspace, Office365, Zoho. You need to get positive interactions from Google Workspace, Office365, Zoho mailboxes and following the market shares of these providers to get a positive sender reputation with all of them. 

Third-Party email warmup services

Benefits of Third-Party services

Using third-party email warmup services comes with several benefits:

✅ Automation and efficiency: Third-party services typically offer automated tools that handle the entire warmup process, from gradually increasing email volumes to generating the perfect amount of engagement and monitoring your reputation and deliverability. Thanks to this automation, your warmup process becomes streamlined and error-free, so way more efficient than manual management;

✅ Specialized expertise and support: These providers also bring in-depth knowledge and experience in email deliverability, helping you avoid common pitfalls and implement best practices. It means that their expert guidance and support are extremely valuable, especially if you lack in-house expertise in email marketing and deliverability strategies;

✅ Reduced risk and time-saving: Last advantage: being able to outsource the warmup process. It means that you can mitigate the risks associated with ineffective implementation that could harm your sender reputation, and even save time that you would otherwise spend on planning, executing, and adjusting the warmup process. 

Potential drawbacks of Third-Party services

Even third-party email warmup services offer notable benefits, they also come with potential drawbacks, such as: 

❌ Higher ongoing costs: Many of these services require subscription fees or usage-based pricing, which can add up over time and may not be feasible for all budgets; 

❌ The reduced control over the warmup process: Of course, relying on external providers means you have less direct influence over how your warmup strategy is executed and may have to adjust to their standard procedures and timelines; But deliverability is not your job and it requires a lot of knowledge, expertise and experience. 

❌ The dependency on external providers for main aspects of your email deliverability: This reliance can be risky if the service experiences issues or if their approach does not align perfectly with your business needs. 

Evaluating Third-Party services

In order to correctly evaluate third-party email warmup services, you need to know how to identify the best for your needs. Here are the most important criteria for choosing the right email warmup tool:

Emulate Meaningful Cold Outreach Activity: The tool should generate interactions that mimic real, meaningful email exchanges, such as requests for meetings and positive replies, which signal to mailbox providers that you are a legitimate sender.

Network of High-Reputation Mailboxes: The tool should have a network of mailboxes with a high sender reputation. Engaging with low-reputation mailboxes could harm your sender reputation.

Constant Updates and Improvements: The tool should be regularly updated to keep up with the latest changes in spam filters and sending rules, as these evolve over time.

Adaptability Based on Sender Reputation: The tool should be smart enough to detect when your sender reputation is declining and adjust its warming volume to help restore and maintain your reputation.

Inclusion of a Spam Testing Feature: While not part of email warmup itself, a good tool should also offer a reliable spam testing feature to ensure your emails don't contain elements that could trigger spam filters, despite having a good sender reputation.

Choosing the right email warmup solution for your needs

Factors to consider

To be able to choose the right email warmup solution, several key factors should guide your decision:

✅ Available resources and expertise: Determine if you have the internal resources and expertise to manage the warmup process effectively in-house or if you need external support;

✅ Budget constraints: Do not forget to consider the costs associated with third-party services versus the potential savings from an in-house approach, and choose wisely based on what fits your financial situation;

✅ Your specific needs and goals: Also evaluate how each solution aligns with your unique email campaign requirements and objectives to ensure it meets your specific needs.

Making the decision

Deciding between in-house email warmup and third-party services involves weighing the pros and cons of each option to align with your business strategy. 

For in-house warmup, the primary advantages include full control over the process, allowing for tailored strategies and adjustments, and lower initial costs, which can be more budget-friendly. However, the cons include the need for significant expertise, a time-consuming setup and management, and the risk of ineffective implementation if not handled correctly.

On the other hand, third-party services offer automation and efficiency, leveraging specialized expertise to manage the warmup process with reduced risk and time-saving benefits. But keep in mind that these services come with higher ongoing costs, less direct control over the process, and dependency on external providers, which could introduce complications if issues arise.

To make the best decision, align your choice with your business strategy by considering factors such as available resources, budget constraints, and specific needs: 

➡️ If you have the expertise and time to manage the warmup internally, and cost is a major concern, in-house may be suitable;

➡️ If you seek efficiency and expert support while you can accommodate the costs, a third-party service might be the better fit. 

Here's a table summarizing the pros and cons of in-house email warmup versus third-party services:

In-House email warmup

Pros

• Full control over the process
• Customization according to specific needs
• Lower initial costs

Cons

• Requires significant expertise
• Time-consuming setup and management
• Risk of ineffective implementation

Third-Party services

Pros

• Automation and efficiency
• Specialized expertise and support
• Reduced risk and time-saving

Cons

• Higher ongoing costs
• Less control over the process
• Dependence on external providers

Frequently Asked Questions

Do email warmup services work ?

Yes, email warmup services are extremely effective for improving your email deliverability! How? They simply help build a positive sender reputation by gradually increasing your email sending volume, generating a lot of engagement on your email activity, monitoring your deliverability, and in fact ensuring that your emails land in the inbox rather than the spam folder. 

Many businesses find that using these services results in better deliverability and engagement rates over time!

Did Google ban email warmup ?

No, Google has not banned email warmup! In practice, they simply asked officially audited apps (like Gmass) that perform email warming using the Google API to stop. 

What is the warmup process for email ?

The email warmup process involves gradually increasing the volume of emails sent from a new or inactive email account, in order to build a positive reputation with Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and avoid being marked as spam. 

Email warmup consists in starting email conversations with other mailboxes on different ESP (G Suite, Office 365, Zoho etc) and receive positive interactions (engagement) from them.

The most part of these warming emails sent are opened, clicked, marked as important, replied to and removed from spam if needed. This sends the signal to Google and Microsoft and spam filters that your mailbox / domain is not spamming and is of interest ⇒ your sender reputation increases.

It helps a lot to warm up and to constantly balance your activity when you're sending your campaigns. It's useful before you send any email to make the account ready AND during the campaigns to compensate for the spam complaints you will get (everybody gets spam complaints regularly and it hurts a lot).

What is the best platform to send cold emails from?

The best platform for sending cold emails depends on your specific needs and goals. Popular choices include tools like Emelia, Mailshake, Reply.io, Outreach, which offer features for managing cold email campaigns, tracking responses, and automating follow-ups. 

Our advice: look for a platform that suits your budget, integrates with your CRM, and provides robust analytics to optimize your email outreach strategy, all at the same time!

Get in touch with us for more information!