Does systeme.io work with large email lists?

This is a critical question for any entrepreneur looking to scale their business, and the answer is a clear "Yes".

Systeme.io is not just capable of handling heavy email lists; our entire infrastructure is designed for high-volume sending.

In fact, we use our own systeme.io account to send over 5.2 million (1) emails to our list of 600,000+ contacts every 30 days, consistently achieving an excellent average open rate of 38% (2).

This article will explain the system we use to manage high-volume deliverability and outline the key practices you need to follow to achieve great results with your own heavy list.

1. How we ensure high deliverability for large lists:

The engine behind our high-volume sending success is our automated pool system. The purpose of this system is to protect the sending reputation of our entire user community by automatically grouping senders based on their email performance metrics.

This system is a core part of our managed shared IP infrastructure. By leveraging the collective positive reputation of our best senders, we ensure your emails get the best possible chance of landing in the inbox. (Click here to learn more about the benefits of using our shared IPs)

Our pool system works by categorizing every sender into one of five pools:

• New User Pool: The default starting point for all new accounts to establish an initial sending history.
• Low-Risk Pool: Reserved for senders with excellent email stats and consistently high deliverability.
• Moderate Risk Pool: For senders with average but acceptable performance statistics.
• High-Risk Pool: Contains senders with poor statistics that need to be improved as soon as possible
• Quarantine Pool: A temporary pool to isolate risky senders and protect the overall deliverability, and prevent negative impacts on others.

To see which pool you're currently in, go to "Email > Statistics" (3) and you will see it in the top left corner of your screen (4)

This segmentation is fully automated and based on clear performance metrics. Our system constantly evaluates your account's email statistics and assigns you to the appropriate pool based on specific thresholds for your open rate, spam rate, and bounce rate.

The specific thresholds for each pool are as follows:

The function of this segmentation is to protect the reputation of the shared IP network. It identifies and isolates accounts with high spam or bounce rates, which prevents their activity from negatively affecting the deliverability of other users. This maintains the effectiveness of the email delivery system for all users who follow good sending practices.

(Click here to learn more about how senders are moved between pools)

2. How to get (and stay) in the low-risk pool:

Our system is designed to reward good sending habits. Your practices directly impact your sender reputation, which in turn determines your pool assignment. The goal is to consistently meet the criteria for the low-risk pool.

Here are the most important practices to follow:

a. Authenticate your domain:

This is non-negotiable for any serious email sender. Authenticating your domain (using SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records) proves to Internet Service Providers like Gmail and Outlook that you are a legitimate sender, drastically improving your inbox placement. (Click here to learn how to authenticate your domain with systeme.io)

b. Maintain excellent list hygiene:

Only send emails to people who have given you explicit consent to be on your list. Regularly clean your list of inactive contacts (those who haven't opened an email in 3–6 months) and bounced email addresses. This helps maintain high engagement rates and a good sender reputation. (Click here to learn more about email list cleaning)

c. Aim for high engagement and email stats:

Your open rates, spam complaints, and bounce rates are the key metrics that our system evaluates. To qualify for the low-risk pool, you must aim for:

• Open Rate > 20%
• Spam Rate < 0.25%
• Bounce Rate < 0.7

(Click here to learn more about the best deliverability practices)

d. Warm up your sending:

If you are migrating a large, existing list to systeme.io, you must gradually warm up your sending reputation. This involves starting by sending to your most engaged contacts first and slowly increasing your volume over 7–14 days. (Click here to learn more about the warm-up strategy)

3. Conclusion:

Systeme.io's infrastructure, combined with your commitment to good sending practices, creates the perfect environment for scaling your email marketing with a heavy list.

Focus on providing value to your audience, and our system will handle the heavy lifting of ensuring your message gets delivered.