In today’s evolving digital landscape, success in cold email marketing requires more than just catchy subject lines and compelling copy. To maintain inbox placement, avoid spam filters, and protect your domain reputation, it's crucial to follow best practices that reflect the latest changes from major providers like Google and Yahoo. This guide outlines critical cold email strategies for 2024–2025, combining foundational practices with updated compliance rules.
Domain and Email Management
1. Limit Email Inboxes per Domain
Too many inboxes per domain increases the risk of triggering spam filters due to unnatural sending patterns.
Best Practice: Use no more than three inboxes per domain. This ensures sustainable volume while maintaining sender reputation.
2. Domain Age Requirement
Domain age has a direct impact on email deliverability. Newer domains lack trust and are more likely to be flagged as spam.
Recommendation:
Domains must be at least 3 weeks old before sending cold emails.
For best results, wait at least 3 months to establish a stronger sender reputation.
3. Warm-Up New Domains & Inboxes
Never start sending cold emails at full volume with a new domain or inbox.
Action Plan:
Use email warm-up tools to gradually build trust.
Start with 5–10 emails/day, increasing over several weeks (min 14 days of warmups before launching a cold emailing campaign).
Rotate inboxes to spread sending volume evenly and prevent burn-out.
4. Use Custom-Owned Domains Only
Avoid free or rented domains/subdomains (e.g., Gmail, Outlook, third-party tools). Google now blocks unauthenticated senders and generic domains more aggressively.
Tip: Set up your cold email infrastructure on a domain that you own and control.