Sending your first campaign from a new domain on Force24 is an exciting milestone, but it's also one of the most important sends you'll make.


Mailbox providers such as Microsoft and Google don't yet know whether you're a trusted sender. Instead, they build trust over time by looking at how you send your emails and how recipients interact with them.


Starting out the wrong way carries a high risk, but following the guidance below will help build a positive sender reputation and improve the chances of future emails reaching the inbox.


Start Small

One of the biggest mistakes you can make is sending your entire database straight away.


A brand new sending domain has no reputation, so sending a large number of emails immediately can look suspicious to mailbox providers and increase the chance of your emails being filtered as spam.


For your first campaign, we recommend sending no more than 100 emails per hour at an absolute maximum, and preferably even slower than that. Although this may feel slow, it gives your domain the opportunity to build a positive sender reputation from the start.


You can learn more about choosing an appropriate sending rate here:

Why Throttling Rates Aren't One Size Fits All


Increase Your Send Rate Gradually

As your first campaigns perform well, you can slowly increase your hourly sending rate over the following days and weeks.


Rather than making large jumps, increase your volume gradually and monitor your results before increasing it again.


Keep an eye on metrics such as:

  • Delivery rates
  • Spam bounces
  • Open rates
  • Spam complaints

If these remain healthy, you can continue increasing your sending rate over time. If you notice deliverability starting to decline, pause any further increases until performance improves. You can reach out to us via live chat for advice on this.


For more guidance on monitoring your deliverability, see:

How to Use the Deliverability Report Feature

Deliverability Best Practice


Send to Your Most Engaged Contacts First

If you're moving from another email platform, try to send your first campaigns to contacts who have previously opened or otherwise engaged with your emails.


You'll likely get a higher open rate from these emails. Positive engagement like this helps mailbox providers recognise your emails as wanted and trustworthy. For more info, see What is a Hard/Soft/Spam Bounce?


If you don't have previous engagement data available, focus on the contacts who are most likely to be interested in hearing from you, and/or focus on your 'highest quality' data that is least likely to bounce.


Keep Sending Consistently

Once you've established a good sender reputation, consistency is key to maintaining it.


Sending campaigns regularly is much better than sending nothing for weeks before suddenly emailing thousands of contacts at once. A consistent sending pattern helps mailbox providers recognise your sending behaviour as genuine and trustworthy.


You can learn more here:

The Importance of a Consistent Sending Pattern and How to Maintain One


Segment Your Audience

Sending to your entire database isn't always the best approach.


Instead, consider splitting your audience into smaller groups and prioritising the contacts who are most likely to engage with your emails. This not only supports better deliverability but also gives you the best chance of generating opens, clicks and conversions.


For example, you might prioritise contacts who have:

  • Previously opened or clicked your emails
  • Recently visited your website
  • Converted before
  • Been active recently

To learn more about creating useful segments, see:

Find and Segment Contacts Easily (Momentum Webinar)

Summary

Before sending your first campaign:

  • Start at a low send rate, below 100 emails per hour.
  • Monitor your deliverability before increasing your sending volume.
  • Increase your sending rate gradually over time.
  • Send to your most engaged contacts first where possible.
  • Maintain a consistent sending pattern.
  • Use segmentation to prioritise your most valuable contacts.

Taking a measured approach to your first campaigns helps build a strong sender reputation, making it easier for future emails to reach the inbox and perform well.