Recently, a client called us with a cautionary tale. At his previous company, they had been using Apollo.io for mass email outreach. Everything seemed to be going smoothly—until their entire email sending ability was blocked. The reason? They hadn’t properly prepared their email infrastructure, and the result was catastrophic. No more outreach, no more communication, and a seriously damaged reputation.
To ensure this doesn’t happen to you, we’ve outlined the most critical technical steps you must take before launching any email outreach campaign. By following these guidelines, you’ll protect your domain’s reputation and make sure your emails reach your audience without being flagged as spam.
1. Set up secondary domains for mass outreach
One of the main reasons companies like our client’s get blocked is because they send all outreach emails from their primary domain. When a primary domain gets flagged for spam or receives too many bounces, it risks being blacklisted, making all future emails undeliverable.
The solution? Set up secondary domains. These are alternate domains similar to your main one, which are used exclusively for outreach. This keeps your primary domain safe while allowing you to scale outreach. Secondary domains also protect your sender reputation, making sure your core business emails aren’t impacted by any issues from mass outreach campaigns.
2. Warm up your domain
Before sending a high volume of emails from a new domain or even from a secondary one, you need to “warm it up.” Sending too many emails from a cold domain can immediately trigger spam filters. The process of warming up your domain involves sending a small number of emails at first and gradually increasing the volume over time to build trust with email providers.
We highly recommend using Lemwarm for domain warm-up. Lemwarm automates this process, ensuring that your domain is gradually introduced to email service providers without raising any red flags. It also monitors deliverability during the warm-up phase, helping to prevent future problems.
3. Monitor spam and bounce rates closely
High bounce rates or spam complaints are major indicators that something is wrong. When too many emails bounce or are reported as spam, your domain can quickly become flagged, leading to future emails landing in spam folders or getting blocked entirely.
To avoid this, set up spam monitoring to track performance. This will help you see if your emails are being marked as spam or if your bounce rates are too high. Early detection allows you to adjust your strategy before your sender reputation takes a serious hit. It’s essential to maintain low bounce rates to ensure your emails get delivered to your prospects’ inboxes, not their spam folders.
4. Implement email authentication protocols (SPF, DKIM, DMARC)
One of the main reasons emails get flagged as spam is because they’re missing authentication protocols. Email providers need to be sure that the emails they’re delivering are coming from legitimate sources and haven’t been tampered with. That’s where SPF, DKIM, and DMARC come in.
These are authentication methods that verify your emails are coming from your domain and ensure they haven’t been altered along the way. Setting up these protocols gives email providers the confidence to deliver your emails to the inbox, rather than dumping them into the spam folder. Without these in place, even well-crafted emails can be sent straight to junk.
5. Check email open rates regularly
Monitoring open rates is a crucial indicator of your email campaign’s success. A sudden drop in open rates could signal that your emails are not reaching the inbox or are getting caught by spam filters. By keeping a close eye on this metric, you can quickly address any potential issues and adjust your email strategy.
For instance, if you notice a dip in open rates, it could be a sign that your emails are either not relevant to your recipients or that your domain’s reputation has taken a hit. In either case, addressing this early will help prevent long-term damage to your outreach efforts.
Conclusion: Stay ahead of the game
Email outreach can be a powerful tool, but only if done correctly. As our client’s story shows, improper setup can lead to severe consequences, like getting your domain blocked and losing access to thousands of potential customers. By following the key steps—setting up secondary domains, warming up your domain with tools like Lemwarm, monitoring spam rates, and implementing proper email authentication—you’ll protect your sender reputation and ensure your campaigns reach their full potential.
Don’t let avoidable mistakes jeopardize your outreach. Start with the right technical foundation and watch your campaigns succeed.
FAQs: Email Outreach Best Practices
1. Why do I need secondary domains for email outreach?
Secondary domains are crucial for protecting your primary domain’s reputation. If you’re doing mass outreach and your emails receive too many bounces or get marked as spam, your primary domain could be blacklisted. Using secondary domains isolates any issues, keeping your main domain safe and ensuring the smooth running of your core business communication.
2. What is domain warm-up, and why is it important?
Domain warm-up is the process of gradually increasing the number of emails sent from a new or inactive domain. It helps build trust with email providers. If you send a large volume of emails from a cold domain too quickly, it can trigger spam filters and lead to blocked emails. Using tools like Lemwarm automates this process and ensures proper email deliverability.
3. What happens if I don’t implement SPF, DKIM, and DMARC?
Without these authentication protocols, email providers may question the legitimacy of your emails, and they are more likely to end up in spam folders. SPF, DKIM, and DMARC help verify your identity as the sender and ensure that your emails haven’t been altered during transmission, improving your chances of reaching the inbox.
4. How do I monitor spam and bounce rates effectively?
Spam monitoring tools allow you to track how your emails are performing. Look at metrics like bounce rates and spam complaints regularly. High bounces or spam reports could mean your emails are flagged, and you need to take corrective actions like cleaning your email list, adjusting your content, or slowing down your outreach.
5. What’s a good email open rate to aim for?
Open rates vary depending on your industry and the quality of your email list. Generally, an open rate between 15% and 25% is considered solid for cold outreach. If your rates drop significantly below this, it could indicate that your emails are landing in spam or your messaging isn’t resonating with your audience.
6. How can I recover from a domain being blocked?
If your domain gets blocked due to too many spam reports or bounces, it’s important to pause outreach immediately. You’ll need to clean your email list, improve your email content, and potentially shift outreach to a secondary domain while working to rebuild the reputation of the blocked domain through careful warm-up and monitoring.