Domains, SPF, DKIM, DMARC, warmup
The most common cause of 'cold email doesn't work' is infrastructure, not copy. Sending from your main corporate domain (info@yourcompany.com) burns the reputation of the whole company. No SPF/DKIM/DMARC = emails land in spam. A bought list = mass bounces = the provider blocks the domain within 2 weeks. These mistakes are irreversible (reputation is hard to rebuild).
Cold email infrastructure in 6 steps:
- SEPARATE DOMAIN: a domain close to your main one (e.g. yourcompany-pl.com or yourcompany.io) — never send from your main domain,
- SPF (who can send on your behalf — a TXT record with the tool),
- DKIM (email signature — generated by the tool),
- DMARC (policy: what to do with unsigned emails; start with p=none, then quarantine),
- VERIFICATION: send test emails to Gmail/Outlook and check they land in the inbox (not spam),
- WARMUP: 2-4 weeks of increasing sending (e.g. 5 → 10 → 20 → 30 emails/day) with good practices (replies, no bounces). HARD LIMITS: at the start max 30-50 emails/day per domain (you can add more domains later), zero bought lists, zero spam (content promising miracles), every email has an unsubscribe/natural CTA. AI won't configure DNS for you — your tool and DNS provider do that.
Correct setup: lead-gen domain: yourcompany-pl.com, Google Workspace or an email tool (Instantly/Smartlead/EmailTool), SPF containing only the tool, DKIM active, DMARC p=none. Warmup: week 1: 5 emails/day, week 2: 15, week 3: 30, week 4: 50. Test: you send an email to your Gmail — it lands in the main inbox, not spam. Bounces < 1%.
You are a cold email infrastructure administrator. Context: I want to launch cold email. My main domain: [DOMAIN]. I plan to send [X] emails/day. I'll use the tool: [TOOL — if known]. Task: Plan the infrastructure: 1. A sending domain proposal (how to name it so I don't burn the main domain) 2. Step by step: SPF, DKIM, DMARC (what to set at the DNS provider, indicative values) 3. A 4-week warmup plan (daily volume per week) 4. Hard limits: max emails/day, what to NEVER do (bought lists, spam content) 5. Tests before launch: how to check the setup works (test on Gmail/Outlook, testing tools) Format: 5 sections.
Variations & alternative scenarios
Zero-cost version: a free domain + basic records, test on 2 mailboxes.
Scale version: several domains + rotation, deliverability monitoring in the tool.
Practical exercise
Decide your sending domain (write down the name). Plan a 4-week warmup (daily volume). Check that you have DNS access to add the SPF/DKIM/DMARC records.