Dedicated IP Setup

  • Updated

A dedicated IP means your email sends go out from an address that's yours alone - no other Act-On customers share it. You get full control of the sender reputation, and ISPs judge you on your own behaviour. In return, you take on the work of warming that IP up carefully so mailbox providers learn to trust it.

Who does this: Marketing decides whether a dedicated IP is right and owns the warm-up plan with Act-On's Deliverability team. IT publishes the DNS A record
Time needed: 30 minutes to decide; DNS changes in an hour; a ramp-up plan typically runs 30 days
Why this matters: On a shared IP, your reputation moves with the pool. On a dedicated IP, it's entirely in your hands. That's great if you send enough volume to sustain a reputation, and a liability if you don't. Use the criteria below to pick well - and plan for a warm-up, because ISPs treat a brand-new IP sending at full volume the same way they treat a spammer.
In plain English: You're moving from a shared apartment (where your neighbours' noise affects your reviews) to your own house. You get full control, but you also have to build the relationship with the neighbourhood yourself.
Quick Reference (Advanced Users) - Click to Expand
  • Good fit: 250k+ emails/month, need reputation control, or a vendor requires a specific IP for allowlisting.
  • DNS: on top of the Envelope domain's existing SPF and MX records, publish an A record on the mailer subdomain pointing to the dedicated IP Act-On provides.
  • Warm up gradually over ~30 days. Act-On's Deliverability team builds the exact schedule with you.
  • Request one: contact your Account Manager or Act-On Support.

When a dedicated IP makes sense

  • High email volume. If you send more than 250,000 emails a month, a dedicated IP becomes increasingly important. One dedicated IP typically handles 250,000 to 5 million emails a month.
  • IP reputation control. If you want complete control over your IP's reputation and don't want to share it with other senders.
  • Vendor or partner allowlisting. If a vendor or partner requires you to provide a consistent, specific IP for their allowlist. Many do.

Dedicated IP DNS configuration

Note: This configuration lives on your Envelope domain. That domain only appears in mail headers as the return-path / envelope - not in the From your recipients see.
In plain English: You're publishing one extra DNS record on top of the Envelope domain's existing records. That record tells the internet "emails coming out of this address live on this IP." IT owns publishing the record; Act-On provides the IP during setup.

In addition to the SPF and MX records you've already published for the Envelope domain, have your IT team create an A record for the mailer subdomain that points to your dedicated IP:

  • Record Type: A
  • Name: mailer (or whichever subdomain you used for the envelope)
  • Value: your dedicated IP, provided by Act-On during setup

You keep control of the domain and point the Envelope domain to your dedicated IP. If you ever need to change it, IT will need to be involved again.

Ramping up volume for success

Providers like Gmail and Yahoo use sophisticated filters to protect their users. A sudden spike of mail from a brand-new IP looks like what spammers do, so these filters engage aggressively. A deliberate warm-up is how you build credibility with those providers.

Below is an illustrative 30-day ramp. The real plan depends on your volume, and your Act-On Deliverability Consultant builds it with you when your IP is provisioned.

Sample 30-day schedule

  • Days 1 to 3: 5,000 per day per IP (up to 1,000 contacts per recipient domain)
  • Days 4 to 6: 10,000 per day per IP (up to 2,500 contacts per recipient domain)
  • Days 7 to 9: 25,000 per day per IP
  • Days 10 to 12: 50,000 per day per IP
  • Days 13 to 15: 100,000 per day per IP
  • Days 16 to 18: 250,000 per day per IP

Because you own the reputation on a dedicated IP, following deliverability best practices becomes that much more important for keeping a healthy sending profile.

Requesting a dedicated IP

To get a dedicated IP provisioned, reach out to your Account Manager or Act-On Support. We'll walk you through timing, the warm-up plan, and the IP value IT needs for the DNS record.

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