If you’ve spent more than five minutes reading about email deliverability, you’ve probably seen the same debate: “Should I use a shared IP or a dedicated one?”. But here’s the thing: this question is often asked the wrong way. Because in 2026, it’s not really IP vs IP anymore. It’s infrastructure vs identity.
What is a shared IP (and why do people worry about it)?
A shared IP simply means you’re sending emails from the same IP address as other senders. Most importantly, your email reputation is partially tied to that IP, and that reputation is influenced by everyone else using it. Instead of building a reputation from zero, you benefit from the collective sending behavior of the pool. It sounds convenient, and perhaps for someone who doesn’t care if their email ends up in the spam folder, this might be the ideal solution.
Think of a shared IP like living in an apartment building. If everyone is respectful, things work fine. But if a few tenants start causing trouble… the whole building gets a reputation. Email works the same way. Inbox providers track IP reputation and domain reputation over time. If enough senders on a shared IP behave poorly (e.g., spam complaints, bad lists, sudden email bounce spikes), the reputation drops. And suddenly, your emails land in spam, your open rates drop, and your campaigns “stop working”, even if you did everything right.
FairyMail: build your own reputation
When you verify your domain and use DKIM signing, you’re essentially saying: “This email is genuinely from me,” and that’s why FairyMail includes a DKIM domain verification. If you want a deeper breakdown, you can read our article Email Authentication Explained Simply (DKIM). But the important part is that with a shared setup, you’re borrowing reputation, with a verified domain, you’re building your own.
That changes everything, because inbox providers care about two things:
- Is this sender authenticated?
- Has this sender behaved well over time?
At FairyMail, we built the infrastructure, so you’re no longer affected by a random sender. We’re designing FairyMail for creators and businesses who care about actually reaching their audience, building long-term trust, and owning their communication channel. Because email marketing isn’t just about sending. It’s about arriving!
