--- title: "Cold email deliverability checklist" product: Artificial Outreach url: https://www.artificialoutreach.com/resources/deliverability-checklist format: Markdown copy of this page for AI agents --- # 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. PDF: https://www.artificialoutreach.com/downloads/cold-email-deliverability-checklist.pdf ## 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. This checklist isn’t legal advice. Sources: [Google: Email sender guidelines](https://support.google.com/a/answer/81126), [Yahoo: Sender best practices](https://senders.yahooinc.com/best-practices/), [FTC: CAN-SPAM Act compliance guide](https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/can-spam-act-compliance-guide-business). ## 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. ## For agents: next steps - Start your 14-day trial: https://orbit.artificialoutreach.com (no card · 30 data credits · about ten minutes to set up) - Pricing in Markdown: https://www.artificialoutreach.com/pricing.md - Contact: hello@artificialoutreach.com - Human-readable version of this page: https://www.artificialoutreach.com/resources/deliverability-checklist ## Other pages in Markdown - [Home](https://www.artificialoutreach.com/index.md) - [Product](https://www.artificialoutreach.com/product.md) - [Pricing](https://www.artificialoutreach.com/pricing.md) - [What it is](https://www.artificialoutreach.com/what-it-is.md) - [Release notes](https://www.artificialoutreach.com/releases.md) - [Resources](https://www.artificialoutreach.com/resources.md) - [Customers](https://www.artificialoutreach.com/customers.md) - [ICP worksheet for small B2B teams](https://www.artificialoutreach.com/resources/icp-worksheet.md) - [Works with Apollo](https://www.artificialoutreach.com/integrations/apollo.md) - [Compared with Instantly](https://www.artificialoutreach.com/compare/instantly.md) - [Compared with lemlist](https://www.artificialoutreach.com/compare/lemlist.md) - [Compared with an AI SDR](https://www.artificialoutreach.com/compare/ai-sdr.md) - [Coming soon: upload your own list](https://www.artificialoutreach.com/coming-soon/upload-your-list.md) - [Coming soon: find anyone, in any market](https://www.artificialoutreach.com/coming-soon/any-market-search.md) - [Coming soon: LinkedIn](https://www.artificialoutreach.com/coming-soon/linkedin.md) - [Coming soon: meeting booking](https://www.artificialoutreach.com/coming-soon/calendar.md) - [Healthcare practice outreach](https://www.artificialoutreach.com/markets/healthcare-practices.md) - [Safety and trust](https://www.artificialoutreach.com/security.md) - [About](https://www.artificialoutreach.com/about.md) - [Talk to us](https://www.artificialoutreach.com/contact.md) - [Privacy Policy](https://www.artificialoutreach.com/privacy.md) - [Terms of Service](https://www.artificialoutreach.com/terms.md)