If you’re sending cold emails for outreach or sales, you’ve probably seen your fair share land in the spam folder. Doesn't matter how good your copy is—if your sender reputation stinks, your emails won’t even get read. This guide is for anyone who’s tired of guessing and wants to set up reliable email warm up using Allegrow to improve deliverability without the fluff or wishful thinking.
Here’s how to do it right, what to watch for, and what actually matters.
Why bother with email warm up?
Before you send hundreds (or thousands) of emails from a new domain or mailbox, you need to “train” mailbox providers (think Gmail, Outlook) that you’re a real person, not a spammer. Warming up means gradually sending more emails over days or weeks, building a positive history. Skip this, and your campaigns can get throttled—or worse, blacklisted—before you even get started.
Does Allegrow guarantee you’ll never hit spam again? Nope. No tool can. But it does automate a lot of the tedious manual work and helps you stack the odds in your favor.
Step 1: Get your house in order first
Before you touch Allegrow, you need to set up your email and domain properly. Otherwise, it’s like warming up a car with no wheels.
Checklist (don’t skip these):
- Custom domain: Don’t send bulk email from your main company domain (risk: your main emails get blocked). Use a dedicated domain or subdomain.
- DNS records: Set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records. These are non-negotiable for deliverability.
- Mailbox setup: Use a real mailbox (not a forwarding address). Give it a first and last name, a photo, and fill out the profile.
- Aged domain: If your domain is brand new, expect a longer warm up. Email providers are suspicious of fresh domains.
Pro tip: Use tools like MXToolbox or Mail-Tester to double-check your DNS records. Don’t rely on your IT guy’s word.
Step 2: Connect your mailbox to Allegrow
Now you’re ready to plug your mailbox into Allegrow. This is where the automation magic happens, but only if you do it right.
How to connect:
- Sign up and log in. Head to Allegrow and create an account if you haven’t already.
- Add your mailbox. Allegrow supports most business email providers (Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, etc.). Use OAuth if possible; it’s safer than pasting passwords.
- Grant permissions. Allegrow needs access to send and receive emails, label messages, and mark emails as important/not spam. If you’re squeamish about permissions, read their documentation to know exactly what’s being accessed.
- Pick the right mailbox. Don’t connect your personal or “info@” mailbox. Use the one you’ll send outreach from.
What can go wrong?
- If you connect the wrong mailbox, you’ll mess up your main domain’s reputation.
- Missing permissions mean Allegrow can’t do its job—double-check what you allow.
Step 3: Set up your warm up schedule
This is where most people get tripped up. The point is to start slow and build up—don’t let Allegrow blast a hundred emails on day one.
Key settings:
- Start low: 5–10 warm up emails per day. For new mailboxes, even less.
- Ramp up: Gradually increase by 2–5 emails per day over several weeks. Allegrow handles this automatically, but you can tweak the ramp-up speed if you want.
- Target volume: After 3–4 weeks, you can usually warm up to 30–50 emails/day. More than that and you’re asking for trouble.
Don’t fall for these myths:
- Myth: “More warm up = better.”
Truth: Sending too many warm up emails too fast is just as bad as not warming up at all. - Myth: “Once warmed, always warm.”
Truth: If you stop sending for weeks, you’ll need to re-warm. Consistency is key.
Pro tip: If your domain is brand new or you’ve had deliverability issues, go even slower. Patience here saves headaches later.
Step 4: Let Allegrow do its thing (but pay attention)
Allegrow will now send and receive emails from your mailbox to a network of other real mailboxes, simulating natural conversations. It’ll also “rescue” messages from spam and reply to some, which helps teach providers your emails are wanted.
What you should see:
- Gradual increase in sent/received volume.
- A mix of “conversations” in your Sent and Inbox folders. These are Allegrow’s network at work.
- Reporting dashboards: Allegrow gives you a deliverability score and other stats. Don’t obsess, but check in weekly.
What to ignore:
- Weird-looking messages: Some warm up emails look robotic or random. That’s normal and won’t affect real contacts.
- 100% deliverability claims: No tool is perfect. Use the reporting as a guide, not gospel.
Keep an eye out for:
- Spam/junk folder placement: If Allegrow’s messages land in spam, slow down the warm up.
- Error messages or bounces: Address these fast—could be DNS or permission issues.
Step 5: Monitor, tweak, and transition to real sending
Once your mailbox is consistently sending and receiving at your target warm up volume, you’re ready to start real outreach. But don’t just turn off Allegrow and go wild.
Best practices:
- Overlap warm up and live sending: Keep Allegrow running while you start your real campaigns. This keeps your activity looking natural.
- Watch your metrics: If open/reply rates tank or your emails start landing in spam, pause and troubleshoot.
- Don’t scale too fast: Even after warm up, ramp up your real sends. Jumping from 30 to 300 emails/day is a red flag for providers.
When to stop Allegrow?
- If you’re sending consistently and see good deliverability, you can dial back Allegrow’s warm up volume—or stop it entirely.
- If you change providers, add new mailboxes, or take a sending break, restart warm up.
What actually moves the needle (and what doesn’t)
What works:
- Consistent, gradual warm up—no shortcuts.
- Clean DNS records.
- Realistic sending patterns (not just blasts at 9am every Monday).
- Personalization and real engagement in your actual campaigns.
What doesn’t:
- Buying “aged” domains and expecting magic.
- Skipping DNS setup.
- Believing warm up tools alone can fix terrible content or spammy tactics.
- Panicking over every Allegrow dashboard fluctuation.
Wrap up: Keep it simple
Warming up your email with Allegrow isn’t rocket science, but it’s easy to overthink. Set up your domain right, connect your mailbox, let Allegrow do the heavy lifting, and focus on sending real, relevant emails when you’re ready. Don’t chase perfection—just aim for steady, predictable results, and adjust as you go.
If you’re consistent and pay attention to the basics, you’ll see your emails land in inboxes—not the spam folder—where they belong.