Cold email infrastructure setup: domains, mailboxes, DNS and warm-up

Use a separate domain for cold email

Cold outreach carries more risk than the email your team sends every day. If a campaign goes badly, you don't want invoices and password resets from your main domain landing in spam too. Send cold email from a secondary domain instead.

Pick something close to your brand so people recognise it, such as getbrightloop.com or brightloophq.com for brightloop.com.

In Delicious MailBuy new or aged domains in the app, or connect ones you already own.

Create mailboxes on each domain

Spread sending across several mailboxes rather than pushing one hard. Use real names, add a profile photo and a short signature, so each mailbox looks like the person behind it.

In Delicious MailWe create the mailboxes and connect them, ready to warm.

Set up SPF, DKIM and DMARC

These three DNS records prove your email really comes from you. Gmail, Yahoo and Outlook require them from anyone sending at volume, and they help at any volume.

• SPFLists the servers allowed to send for your domain.
• DKIMAdds a signature that shows the message is yours and wasn't changed on the way.
• DMARCTells providers what to do when SPF or DKIM fails, and where to send reports.

In Delicious MailDNS health sets these records for domains you buy through us and checks every domain daily.

Add MX records and a redirect

Make sure each domain can receive mail, so replies and bounce notices arrive. Then point the domain's website at your main site, so anyone who visits it finds you.

In Delicious MailMX records and redirects are set up with the domain.

Warm up every mailbox

New mailboxes have no sending history, so providers are wary of them. Warming sends a small number of emails each day that get opened and replied to, then raises the volume gradually as the mailbox builds a reputation.

In Delicious MailWarming runs on every mailbox automatically and shows you when each one is ready.

Clean your list before the first send

Bounces from bad addresses undo the reputation you just built. Check every list for invalid, risky and catch-all addresses before it goes out.

In Delicious MailList check flags bad addresses before you send.

Send your first campaign

Keep each mailbox's daily volume modest and spread sends across mailboxes. Write to people who would reasonably want to hear from you, include a way to opt out, and leave warming running in the background.

In Delicious MailCampaigns spreads sends across your warmed mailboxes at a safe pace.

Follow up and handle replies

Many replies come after a follow-up. Answer every reply quickly from one inbox, and move interested people into a pipeline so nobody slips through.

In Delicious MailReplies collects every response in one inbox, and Deals tracks the interested ones.