Links:
- Alternative Email for B2B Sales Prospecting
- B2B Cold Email Platform
- Sign up for free Replyify account
Main Topics:
- Protecting Primary Domain Reputation: Cold emailing can negatively impact the reputation of your primary domain. An alternative email address on a new domain mitigates this risk, especially when scaling outreach.
- Domain Age and Reputation: Domains and associated email addresses gain reputation with age. It's recommended to set up the alternative address on a new domain early.
- Optimized Setup for Cold Emailing: The article provides a step-by-step guide for setting up a Google Workspace (Gmail) account optimized for cold emailing, assuming the domain is hosted on GoDaddy.
Most Important Ideas/Facts:
- Alternative Domain Choice: Use a derivative of your primary domain or consider parked domains. Example: Replyify.com uses ColdEmail.io.
- Domain Landing Page: Creating a landing page for the alternative domain can improve its reputation and tie in with cold email campaigns.
- Key Technical Steps:Setting up GSuite (Gmail) for GoDaddy Domain: Verify domain ownership, create a user, set up MX records, and configure billing.
- Setting Up SPF Record: Crucial for email deliverability. "Sending #coldemail without an SPF record is like trying to get past customs without a passport. Click To Tweet" The article details adding a Google-specific SPF record to the GoDaddy DNS settings.
- DKIM Setup: While using the default Google DKIM is acceptable, creating a unique DKIM is advised. Instructions for setting this up in Google Admin and GoDaddy DNS are provided.
- DMARC (Optional): This additional layer prevents spoofing and dictates how suspicious emails from your domain are handled.
- Gradual Sending Volume Increase: To avoid being flagged as spam, a "warm-up" schedule for sending emails from the new address is suggested, starting with 5 emails on day one and gradually increasing to 150 emails by day 14.
Key Quotes:
- "When you decide to ramp up your volume of cold emails, having an alternative email address and domain is a hedge to help protect the reputation of your primary domain."
- "Sending cold emails (or any email for that matter) without an SPF record is like walking up to a Customs Officer when traveling abroad and not having a passport and being turned away or detained (ie – ‘sent to spam folder’)."
Overall, the episode provides a comprehensive, technically focused guide for setting up an alternative email address specifically for cold email campaigns. It emphasizes the importance of protecting your primary domain's reputation, establishing the technical foundation for good deliverability, and warming up the new address to avoid being marked as spam.
