Cold email deliverability is facing an all-time crisis. If you’ve been using cold emails to generate leads and sign clients, you might have noticed that a large percentage of your emails are landing in spam folders, making your outreach efforts ineffective. This ongoing “cold email deliverability crisis” is derailing countless campaigns, and unless you take specific steps to improve your email deliverability, your efforts could be wasted.
However, after testing over 30 different cold email setups and variations of setups, I’ve found a winning formula that boosted my cold email deliverability rate to a remarkable 96.7%. In this guide, I’ll walk you through the step-by-step process of boosting your cold email deliverability, getting your emails into inboxes, and signing clients again.
Let’s dive into the three key steps you need to take.
Step 1: Optimize Your Domain and Email Setup
One of the most critical factors in improving cold email deliverability is how you set up your domain and email infrastructure. If you’re noticing that your cold emails aren’t making it to your recipients’ inboxes, it might be time to start fresh. Existing domains that have been used extensively for cold emailing can easily get flagged by email service providers (ESPs), drastically reducing your cold email deliverability.
To combat this, I recommend purchasing new domains specifically for cold emailing. This step alone can have an immediate positive effect on your cold email deliverability. Providers like Porkbun make it easy to acquire new domains quickly and cost-effectively. But that’s just the start.
To improve your cold email deliverability, set up a 50/50 split between Gmail and Outlook email accounts. Why? Because email providers are always changing their algorithms, and they’re especially tough on cold email campaigns. By spreading your emails across both Gmail and Outlook, you’ll avoid putting all your eggs in one basket, which can greatly improve your cold email deliverability. Six months ago, Gmail had issues, and lately Outlook is under scrutiny, so diversification is key.
Additionally, ensure that your domain’s DNS settings are properly configured. This includes setting up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records, which act as verification for your email accounts. Without these records, your emails are far more likely to be marked as spam, tanking your cold email deliverability. If you’re unsure how to set these up, don’t worry, there are step-by-step guides available to walk you through the process.
Warm-Up Period: The Key to Long-Term Success
Once you have your new domains and email accounts, the next crucial step for maintaining strong cold email deliverability is warming up your accounts. Tools like SmartLead can handle this automatically by sending a small number of “fake” emails between inboxes, which helps establish a positive email reputation with providers.
This warm-up process is essential to avoid being flagged as spam right out of the gate. Cold email deliverability depends heavily on email reputation, and sending emails from an account with no track record is a quick way to get blacklisted. Be patient and give your accounts at least two weeks to warm up before sending any real cold emails.
After your accounts are warmed up, you still need to proceed cautiously to maintain your deliverability. Start by sending just 5 emails per day per account and gradually increase this number over time. On week two, send 10 emails a day, and by week three, aim for 15–20 emails daily. However, never exceed 20 emails per account per day, as sending too many too quickly can still hurt your deliverability.
Step 2: Smart Email Sending Tactics to Boost Deliverability
Now that your email infrastructure is set up, let’s focus on sending emails effectively to maximize cold email deliverability.
First and foremost, take advantage of tools that allow you to match ESPs. For example, SmartLead offers a feature that sends Gmail emails to Gmail users and Outlook emails to Outlook users. This might seem like a small detail, but it can make a huge difference in your cold email deliverability rates. Mismatched emails (e.g., sending a Gmail email to an Outlook user) are more likely to bounce or end up in the spam folder.
Additionally, always make sure that the people you’re emailing are the right prospects. Sending cold emails to irrelevant or unverified addresses is a sure way to see your cold email deliverability drop. Use tools like MillionVerifier or ZeroBounce to validate your email lists. These tools clean your lists by identifying inactive or invalid email addresses, ensuring that every email you send has a valid target. High bounce rates can quickly damage your cold email deliverability, so validation is non-negotiable.
Another critical factor in cold email deliverability is avoiding spam trigger words and symbols in your emails. Terms like “LLC,” “Inc.,” or excessive emojis and symbols can cause spam filters to flag your messages, significantly lowering your cold email deliverability. Clean up your emails and avoid unnecessary punctuation to improve your chances of getting into inboxes.
Use Spintax to Improve Cold Email Deliverability
Spam filters are programmed to catch repeated phrases or templates, so sending the same message over and over is a fast track to low cold email deliverability. That’s where spin tax comes in. Spintax allows you to create multiple variations of the same message, tricking spam filters into believing each email is unique.
For example, your email might say “Love your content” in one version and “The content you are putting out is top tier” in another. Using spin tax throughout your subject lines, body text, and signatures can significantly improve your cold email deliverability by making each email appear more personalized.
Another factor to keep in mind is the length of your email sequences. While it might seem like more follow-up emails would increase your chances of getting a response, long sequences can hurt your cold email deliverability. Aim to keep your sequences between two to three emails at most. Sending four or five follow-ups not only increases the likelihood of being marked as spam but also wastes valuable email credits.
Step 3: Rotate Inboxes to Preserve Good Repuration
One of the most underutilized strategies for improving cold email deliverability is rotating inboxes. If you consistently use the same inboxes for every campaign, they can quickly get flagged, lowering your cold email deliverability. Instead, rotate through multiple inboxes across your campaigns.
For instance, if you have 80 email accounts, 40 on Gmail and 40 on Outlook, use only half of them for each campaign. While one set of accounts is actively sending emails, the other set should be kept in a warm-up phase to maintain their reputation. This rotation helps keep your domains fresh and your cold email deliverability high.
By constantly switching which inboxes you use for each campaign, you ensure that none of your accounts get overused or flagged for sending too many emails. This simple step can drastically extend the lifespan of your email domains and improve long-term cold email deliverability.
Bonus Cold Email Deliverability Tips
- Monitor Campaign Metrics: Regularly review your cold email campaigns’ performance metrics like bounce rates and open rates. If your bounce rate exceeds 4%, it’s a red flag that your email list may not be clean or that your domains haven’t been properly warmed up. Address these issues immediately to protect your cold email deliverability.
- Limit Daily Sends: As mentioned earlier, limit your daily sends to 20 emails per day per account. Sending more than this increases the likelihood of getting flagged by ESPs and can hurt your cold email deliverability over time.
- Continually Test and Tweak: Cold email deliverability isn’t a one-and-done process. You’ll need to regularly tweak your strategies, test new approaches, and adapt to changes in email provider algorithms to stay ahead and keep your cold email deliverability high.
Conclusion
The cold email deliverability crisis is a real challenge for anyone using cold email as a lead generation tool. However, by following these three steps, optimizing your domain and email setup, refining your email sending practices, and rotating your inboxes, you can dramatically improve your cold email deliverability and reach up to 96.7% success.
Remember, cold email deliverability is just one part of the equation. Make sure you’re constantly refining your approach and staying on top of the latest best practices to maximize your lead generation efforts.
