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Artificial Outreach

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The 25 checks that keep cold email out of spam

If your cold email lands in spam, nothing else matters: not the copy, not the offer, not the list. This checklist covers what small teams most often miss.

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1. Authentication (do these first)

  • SPF published on your sending domain, listing every service that sends as you (your mailbox provider plus any tools). One SPF record only; stay under 10 DNS lookups.
  • DKIM turned on in your mailbox provider (Google Workspace: Admin › Gmail › Authenticate email; Microsoft 365: Defender › Email authentication › DKIM), with a 2048-bit key where offered.
  • DMARC published at _dmarc.yourdomain.com. Start at p=none with a report address (rua=) you actually read, then move to quarantine once reports show your mail passing.
  • Alignment: the domain in your From address matches the domain that passes SPF or DKIM.

Since 2024, Gmail and Yahoo require bulk senders to have SPF, DKIM and DMARC, plus a one-click unsubscribe, and to keep spam complaints under 0.3%. Treat those as the floor, even at low volume.

2. Domain and mailbox

  • Consider a separate sending domain for cold outreach (e.g. getyourbrand.com), so your main domain’s customer email is protected.
  • The domain has a real website and has existed for a while: brand-new domains are treated with suspicion.
  • Each mailbox has a real name, a signature and a profile, and receives replies.
  • Set up Google Postmaster Tools for your domain to watch spam rate and reputation.

3. Warm-up and volume

  • New mailboxes start with real, wanted mail: replies, conversations, newsletters you signed up for. Avoid paid “warm-up networks” that trade fake opens; mailbox providers treat them as manipulation.
  • Ramp slowly: about 5–10 cold emails a day per mailbox in week one, adding a few each week. Most small teams stay under 30–50 a day per mailbox.
  • Spread sends through the working day; don’t blast at once.
  • Pause and investigate if bounces go above about 2% or replies say “spam”.

4. List hygiene

  • Verify every address before the first send. Bounces are the fastest way to damage a domain.
  • Write to business addresses of people whose role fits your offer, not scraped lists or purchased databases.
  • Keep a do-not-contact list (customers, opt-outs, competitors) and check it before every send.
  • Remove anyone who bounces or asks to stop, and never add them back.

5. The message

  • Plain text, short, one link at most, no attachments on a first email.
  • Personal to the recipient: what you know about them and why it matters now.
  • No spam-trigger tricks: misleading subjects, “Re:” on a first email, fake urgency.
  • Stop the sequence as soon as someone replies.

6. The law (US basics, CAN-SPAM)

  • Honest From name and subject line.
  • Identify the message as an ad where it’s clearly promotional.
  • Include a valid postal address for your business.
  • Give a clear way to opt out, and honour it within 10 business days.
  • Writing to the EU, UK or Canada? Their rules are stricter (GDPR, PECR, CASL). Check before you send.

How Artificial Outreach helps

It sends from your own Gmail or Microsoft 365 mailbox, checks your domain’s mail records, verifies addresses before writing, honours a do-not-contact list, and stops a sequence when someone replies. The first message to anyone waits for your approval. 14-day trial, no card.

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This checklist isn’t legal advice.

Sources: Google: Email sender guidelines, Yahoo: Sender best practices, FTC: CAN-SPAM Act compliance guide.