What is warming?
If a complete stranger walked up to you and began talking to you like you were an old friend, how would you react? It would be a bit off-putting, and you may even think that person has some sort of ulterior motive. Usually when we talk to new people, we are reserved and need to give ourselves a chance to warm up to them before we feel confident interacting with them on a deeper level.
This is also true in the context of sending emails. When inbox providers start receiving incoming messages from senders they don’t recognize, or who don’t have any previous sending history, they will be immediately suspicious of these messages. The inbox providers need a chance to warm up to your sending infrastructure in order to trust that you are a legitimate sender and not a scammer.
How do you know when to warm your infrastructure?
Now that you understand the concept of warming and why it’s important, you may be wondering, “How do I know if I need to warm my account?" Let’s examine the methods available for warming up your Klaviyo account, and when to use each.
Standard warming
What it is: Segmenting customers based on previous email engagement and strategically targeting them with campaigns to build a strong sending domain reputation. To use this process, you must have previous email engagement data, such as opens and clicks, in your Klaviyo account.
When to use it:
- If you are new to Klaviyo and have historical email engagement data in your account, either through an integration or manual upload
- If you set up a branded sending domain using a domain that is less than 30 days old or has no previous sending history
- If you need to repair your sender reputation
If you are new to Klaviyo and meet the prerequisites, you will be able to follow automated in-app guidance known as guided warming.
Platform introduction process
What it is: A modified version of warming your domain that does not rely on previous email engagement data. Instead, you will manually create segments based on the last click data you have or leverage random sampling to form small groups of recipients.
When to use it:
If you are new to Klaviyo and do not have historical email engagement data available in Klaviyo, or only have date-based data, such as last click and last open.
IP warming
What it is: A process that involves ramping up a dedicated IP that has never been used. Most Klaviyo accounts will not qualify for a dedicated IP.
This process requires you to adhere to strict sending practices over a specified period.
When to use it:
- If you are a high-volume sender who qualifies for a dedicated IP through Klaviyo
- Because IP has a greater influence on deliverability than the sending domain, this process is reserved for customers with a dedicated customer success manager