When sending thousands of cold emails, ensuring your email setup is correct is non-negotiable. Without proper preparation, your emails may land in spam, costing you time, money, and missed opportunities. Here’s what you need to know:
A well-designed email infrastructure spreads your sending volume across multiple mailboxes and domains, ensuring smooth operations while minimizing risks like deliverability issues or system failures.
One of the smartest ways to avoid deliverability problems is through inbox rotation. Instead of relying on a single email address, distribute your email load across several mailboxes. This strategy not only helps you stay within sending limits but also reduces the likelihood of being flagged as spam. As Jeremy Chatelaine aptly puts it:
"Inbox rotation is the answer to your cold email scaling problems."
Here’s how it works: If each mailbox sends 40 to 50 cold emails daily, and your goal is to reach 1,000 prospects a day, you’ll need around 20–25 mailboxes. Set your sending tool to rotate emails automatically across these mailboxes, and keep an eye on key metrics like open rates, bounce rates, and spam complaints. Regular monitoring allows you to quickly address any performance issues, keeping your campaigns on track.
Once your mailboxes are properly rotated, the next step is to diversify your domains. A strong domain strategy is crucial for scalability. To avoid blacklisting, limit each domain to 4–6 mailboxes. For larger campaigns, this means using multiple domains to meet your needs. When purchasing domains, choose extensions that align with your brand and audience, and forward these domains to your main site to boost credibility.
Let’s break it down: If you’re sending 2,000 emails daily at 50 emails per mailbox, you’ll need about 40 mailboxes. With 5 mailboxes per domain, this translates to at least 8 domains. To stay flexible and account for warming periods, aim for 10–12 domains. Gradually scale by adding one new mailbox every two weeks. For added security, diversify your domain hosting providers to avoid over-reliance on a single registrar or hosting company.
To ensure your email infrastructure is rock-solid, proper DNS configuration is a must. This involves setting up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records, which authenticate your emails and build trust with email providers. However, manually configuring these records across multiple domains can be tedious and prone to errors. That’s where automation comes in.
Tools like Mailforge simplify this process by automating DNS setup for SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records across hundreds of domains in just minutes. It also includes SSL and domain masking features. At $13 per mailbox slot per month (billed annually), Mailforge removes the technical headaches of managing large-scale email systems. Whenever you change mail servers or update authentication requirements, automated systems can handle DNS updates across all your domains at once. Before launching your campaigns, use testing tools like Mailtester or Glockapps to ensure everything is configured correctly.
Setting up multiple mailboxes manually can be a daunting task. Thankfully, the right tools can take care of much of the heavy lifting - handling everything from DNS configuration to building sender reputation. These tools not only save time but also ensure that your infrastructure runs smoothly, so you can focus on creating impactful outreach campaigns instead of wrestling with technical hurdles.
If you're looking to scale your outreach efforts, mailbox management platforms can simplify configuration and streamline bulk management. For instance, Mailforge speeds up DNS setup by up to 100 times while cutting costs to a third of traditional methods. It also includes features like SSL and domain masking, all for $13 per mailbox slot per month (billed annually).
Karlo Binda, the founder of Leadsnack.co, highlights the efficiency gains:
"Procedures that usually took hours (setting DKIM, SPF, etc. records) for multiple domains, now take a few minutes. Mailforge is also cost-efficient since you spend per mailbox ~3 times less than with Gmail."
These platforms also offer centralized dashboards for easier mailbox provisioning, performance tracking, billing, and renewals.
For businesses requiring more control, Infraforge provides private infrastructure solutions, including dedicated IP setups and advanced configuration options. This approach offers heightened security and can be tailored for compliance needs.
While management platforms streamline mailbox creation, automated warm-up tools are essential for building sender trust before scaling up email volumes.
New mailboxes need time to gain credibility with email service providers. Automated warm-up tools simulate natural email activity - such as sending, opening, replying, and marking emails as important - to establish trust and improve deliverability.
The numbers make the case clear: only 83% of emails across industries land in inboxes, and up to 36% of marketing emails end up in spam. Without proper warm-up, your email campaigns could face deliverability challenges.
Warm-up tools vary in price, ranging from $15 to over $90 per mailbox per month. TrulyInbox stands out with a $22 monthly plan that supports unlimited inboxes, making it a budget-friendly option for large-scale operations.
Monitoring tools are critical for tracking key metrics like bounce rates, spam complaints, and sender reputation. These insights help ensure that your emails reach the inbox instead of the spam folder. Platforms like Smartlead.ai integrate deliverability monitoring and offer AI-driven features such as Smart Delivery, which tests inbox placement rates in real time.
Standalone monitoring tools provide even deeper analytics, allowing you to identify and resolve issues before they affect your campaigns. This is especially important, given that nearly 20% of business emails fail to reach inboxes due to poor authentication and DNS misconfigurations. Additionally, implementing a properly configured DMARC policy can cut phishing attempts by 77%, yet only 32% of domains have this setup despite widespread email provider support.
Setting up your mailbox infrastructure is just the beginning. To ensure long-term success, regular upkeep is essential. Without proper care - like monitoring key metrics, maintaining steady sending habits, and following the law - even the best email setups can lose their edge.
Keeping an eye on the right metrics can help you spot problems before they escalate. One of the most important metrics is the Inbox Placement Rate (IPR), which measures the percentage of emails that land in the primary inbox instead of the spam folder. A deliverability rate above 95% is ideal, but research shows that about 1 in 6 legitimate marketing emails still fail to reach inboxes.
Bounce rates are another critical factor. Hard bounces - emails that fail to deliver permanently - should stay below 2% monthly. Anything higher can damage your sender reputation, so it’s important to clean your email lists regularly to remove inactive addresses.
Spam complaints are like red flags to email providers. A spam complaint rate over 0.1% (just one complaint per 1,000 emails) can lead to blocking or having your messages flagged as junk. Keeping this rate low is crucial.
Lastly, track engagement metrics like open rates and click-through rates (CTR). These numbers show how well your audience interacts with your emails. Strong engagement boosts your ROI, which averages an impressive $36 for every $1 spent - provided your emails actually reach inboxes.
Consistency in your sending patterns is just as important as monitoring these metrics.
Mailbox providers prefer steady, predictable email activity. Sending emails in erratic bursts - or taking long breaks between campaigns - can hurt your sender reputation and raise red flags with Internet Service Providers (ISPs).
Stick to a consistent schedule. If you need to ramp up your email volume, do it gradually. For instance, instead of jumping from 1,000 to 10,000 emails overnight, increase your volume in stages over several weeks. Sudden spikes in activity can trigger spam filters and undo months of hard work.
When using new domains or IP addresses, start small and slowly increase your email volume. This gradual approach mirrors natural traffic patterns, helping you build a positive reputation without alarming mailbox providers.
"Timing your emails to coincide with your subscribers' peak activity periods is the key to increasing engagement and sending positive signals to ISPs. Omnisend's automated email workflows allow you to effectively schedule and send emails at optimal times." - Evaldas Mockus, VP of Marketing at Omnisend
Legal compliance isn’t just a box to check - it’s a cornerstone of maintaining mailbox health. In the United States, the CAN-SPAM Act regulates all commercial emails, including business-to-business communications. Violations can result in fines of up to $53,088 per email.
To stay compliant, your emails must meet several requirements:
The unsubscribe process is another area that requires attention, especially for high-volume campaigns. You must provide recipients with a clear way to opt out and process these requests within 10 business days. However, acting on unsubscribe requests immediately shows better sender practices.
Make the opt-out process as simple as possible. Use clear language like "unsubscribe from all emails" and ensure the link is easy to find. Avoid adding hurdles, like requiring users to log in or fill out surveys. Starting in 2024, platforms like Google and Yahoo have tightened their standards, requiring a one-click unsubscribe option that must be processed within two days.
"Despite its name, the CAN-SPAM Act doesn't apply just to bulk email. It covers all commercial messages, which the law defines as 'any electronic mail message the primary purpose of which is the commercial advertisement or promotion of a commercial product or service,' including email that promotes content on commercial websites. The law makes no exception for business-to-business email." - Federal Trade Commission
Failing to comply with these regulations can undo all your efforts to maintain a healthy mailbox, making legal adherence as crucial as technical best practices.
Scaling your outreach efforts while maintaining email deliverability requires a thoughtful approach. It all begins with a solid email setup: using multiple domains and mailboxes, automating DNS configurations, and following proven warm-up techniques to establish a trustworthy sender reputation.
Consistent monitoring and strict compliance are key to keeping your outreach on track. As Carin Slater from Litmus puts it:
"Deliverability is a measure of the health of your email marketing program, so it's important to do regular check-ups on your domain, IP, and authentication in particular to make sure you're up-to-date, just like how we all go to the doctor each year".
By regularly assessing these factors, you can ensure your emails land where they’re supposed to - your recipients' inboxes. Staying compliant with U.S. email laws is equally important, protecting both your reputation and your bottom line. Remember, 78% of recipients mark emails as spam if they "look like spam", and 54% report emails when permission wasn’t granted. Automated platforms today make it easier than ever to stay on top of these challenges.
To simplify the process even further, advanced tools like Mailforge streamline infrastructure management. In just minutes, you can create and oversee hundreds - or even thousands - of domains and mailboxes, complete with automated DNS configuration and features designed to maximize deliverability. Paired with consistent sending habits and proactive oversight, these tools help businesses scale their outreach without jeopardizing inbox placement.
To ensure your emails don’t end up flagged as spam during high-volume outreach, focus on establishing a strong sender reputation. Start by ramping up your email volume gradually instead of sending out a massive batch all at once. Keep your content professional and sincere - avoid using misleading subject lines or language that might come across as spammy.
Another key step is to authenticate your emails. Properly configure DNS records like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to verify your emails are legitimate. Using dedicated subdomains for your outreach campaigns is also a smart move, as it helps protect your main domain’s reputation. Don’t forget to maintain clean email lists - regularly remove inactive or invalid addresses to improve your email deliverability rates.
For a smoother, more efficient process, tools like Mailforge can be a game-changer. They simplify DNS setup, domain management, and mailbox creation, saving you time and ensuring your email infrastructure is set up for top-notch deliverability.
Using multiple mailboxes and domains for email campaigns can safeguard your primary domain’s reputation, lower the chances of being blacklisted, and enhance email deliverability. By spreading outreach efforts across different domains, you reduce the risk of negative consequences for your main domain and improve the chances of your emails landing in recipients’ inboxes.
To keep things running smoothly, organize each mailbox with clear folders, filters, and labels to streamline communication. Consider using tools or platforms that simplify management tasks, like automated DNS configuration and bulk updates. Don’t overlook email authentication - setting up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC is crucial to maintaining strong deliverability and avoiding spam issues. A well-organized system not only keeps your campaigns efficient but also helps maintain the overall health and performance of your email efforts.
Complying with U.S. email regulations, particularly the CAN-SPAM Act, is crucial for staying on the right side of the law and earning your audience's trust. These rules are designed to protect people from misleading or unwanted emails while promoting ethical email marketing practices.
Here are the main requirements:
Following these guidelines not only keeps your campaigns compliant but also helps protect your sender reputation. Plus, it can improve email deliverability - an essential factor for successful large-scale outreach.