How To Warm Up New IP Address in Pardot
Learn how to warm up a new IP Address in Pardot to protect email deliverability and reputation. Follow step-by-step best practices, schedules, and technical setup guidance. Email isn’t just about sending—it’s about being received. When launching campaigns from a new dedicated IP address in Pardot (Account Engagement), a critical and non-negotiable process must be followed: IP warming. This isn’t merely a technical step. It’s a strategic imperative. IP Address in Pardot Without warming, your perfectly crafted emails may never make it to the inbox. Instead, they may be filtered, rejected, or silently discarded. Email service providers (ESPs) like Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo don’t trust unfamiliar senders. They expect a track record. Warming helps you establish that trust. Pardot, being a B2B-focused platform, emphasizes reputation-driven deliverability. Dedicated IPs in Pardot are powerful but require careful handling. Rushing into high-volume sending on a fresh IP is akin to opening a floodgate without securing the dam—it’s bound to cause a collapse. This article outlines exactly how to avoid that. What Is IP Warming? IP warming is the methodical increase of email volume over a period of time from a new dedicated IP address. This allows ISPs to assess your behavior and recipient engagement in a controlled, predictable manner. Internet Service Providers monitor new senders closely. They want to understand how recipients react. Are emails being opened? Are users clicking links? Are people unsubscribing—or worse, reporting them as spam? If you push too much volume too soon, they assume you’re a spammer. It’s not personal. It’s algorithmic. Think of it as building a digital reputation. Like building a credit score, trust isn’t granted instantly—it’s earned incrementally through consistent, positive behavior. Dedicated IP vs Shared IP in Pardot Pardot offers two types of IP infrastructure for email delivery: shared IP pools and dedicated IPs. With a shared IP, you send alongside other businesses. This approach distributes risk, but it also means your deliverability is tied to others’ behavior. If another sender on the same IP behaves badly, you may suffer consequences even if your practices are clean. A dedicated IP, on the other hand, gives you full ownership. You’re in control of your reputation. It’s ideal for high-volume senders or organizations prioritizing long-term domain authority. But with control comes responsibility. Dedicated IPs start with no history. ISPs treat them with suspicion. That’s why warming is essential—it establishes your identity and proves you can be trusted. The Risks of Not Warming Your IP Failing to warm your IP properly can result in severe consequences. Your emails may: These are not minor issues. In some cases, once a domain is tarnished, recovery may take months—if it’s even possible. First impressions matter, especially with email gatekeepers. When Is IP Warming Required in Pardot? You’ll need to warm your IP in several Pardot-specific scenarios: If any of these apply, you must initiate an IP warming process before sending at scale. Otherwise, you’re inviting deliverability disasters. Before You Begin: Technical Prerequisites Before your first warm-up email goes out, your sending domain must be fully authenticated. These configurations signal to ISPs that your domain is legitimate: All three must be properly configured in your domain’s DNS records. Additionally, ensure that your sending domain is verified in Pardot through Salesforce’s setup tools. Lack of authentication can derail your IP warming before it even begins. Audience Preparation: Segmenting Strategically Success in IP warming hinges on who you email first. Start with your most engaged contacts—the ones who’ve recently opened or clicked. This signals to ISPs that your emails are wanted. It accelerates the trust-building process. Use Pardot segmentation rules, automation, and list filters to build out: Avoid including unverified, cold, or low-activity contacts at this stage. The goal is to send to recipients who will respond positively. List Hygiene: Clean Before You Send A clean list is essential. Even if engagement is high, bad data can poison your reputation. Purge: Use Pardot’s dynamic lists, automation rules, or connected Salesforce fields to build refined audiences. Good data equals good reputation. Designing an IP Warming Calendar Every warming strategy needs a defined calendar—a structured, progressive ramp-up of send volume over time. There’s no one-size-fits-all, but most experts recommend a 4 to 6-week warm-up period depending on your total list size. Start small. Increase volume incrementally. Focus first on quality, then scale. The calendar should define: Stick to the plan. One bad batch can undo a week of good sending. Sample 6-Week IP Warm-Up Plan Week Daily Volume Target Segment Week 1 3,000–5,000 Recent openers/clickers (30 days) Week 2 8,000–10,000 Actives in last 60 days Week 3 15,000 Mid-engagement contacts (90 days) Week 4 20,000–25,000 Broader audience (minus dormants) Week 5 30,000 Full segments with tiered re-engagers Week 6+ Full sending volume Production-ready lists and campaigns This framework can be adapted based on your unique audience and goals. Crafting Emails for Maximum Deliverability Even perfectly timed sends will fail if your content screams “spam.” Best practices: These small details play a huge role in whether your email is delivered—or discarded. Best Practices for Send Timing Timing can impact deliverability more than you’d expect. Follow these best practices: Consistency signals legitimacy. Random timing mimics spam behavior. Behavioral Metrics to Watch Closely Monitor these KPIs daily during warm-up: Use these metrics to evaluate whether your pace or audience needs adjusting. A sharp drop in opens or rise in complaints is an urgent warning sign. Using Pardot’s Reporting to Monitor Health Pardot offers robust tools for tracking warm-up progress: Export data regularly. Build a tracking dashboard if possible. Patterns will inform your next moves. Bounce Management in Pardot Understanding and managing bounces is key to success. Too many bounces—even soft—can flag your IP as risky. Remove repeat offenders. Avoiding Blacklists and Throttling Check public blacklists weekly. Use tools like: If you land on a blacklist, pause sending. Work to resolve the issue—typically by submitting a removal request and reviewing your sending practices. Pardot also allows throttling—limiting how many emails go out per hour. Enable this to prevent volume
