If you want your emails to actually land in people's inboxes (and not the spam abyss), you can’t just fire up a new domain and start blasting away. You need to “warm up” that domain first. This guide is for anyone who’s heard about domain warmup, knows it matters, but isn’t sure how to do it right—especially with tools like Mailreach.
There’s a lot of noise out there about what works, a lot of “growth hacks,” and a lot of ways to waste time (or get your domain burned). Let’s cut through that. Here’s what actually matters, what to skip, and a step-by-step process you can trust.
Why Warming Up Your Email Domain Actually Matters
When you send from a brand new domain, mailbox providers (like Gmail and Outlook) have no idea if you’re a legit sender or a spammer. Blast out 500 cold emails on day one, and you’re practically begging to be flagged.
Proper warmup helps you: - Build a positive sender reputation slowly (the only way it actually works) - Avoid spam folders and blacklists - Get better response rates, because your emails get seen
Ignore it, and you might as well not bother sending cold email at all.
What Mailreach Does (And Doesn’t Do)
Mailreach automates the warmup process. It sends emails on your behalf, mimics real conversations, and helps build that all-important sender reputation.
But here’s what Mailreach doesn’t do: - It won’t fix a bad domain reputation overnight. - It can’t undo a history of spammy sending. - It doesn’t make you “bulletproof” to spam filters. - It won’t solve content or technical issues (bad DNS, broken copy, etc.).
If your sending setup is a mess, Mailreach can’t save you. But if you use it as part of a real warmup process, it’s one of the most effective tools out there.
Step-by-Step: Warming Up Your Domain with Mailreach
Let’s get practical. Here’s how to actually warm up a brand-new (or unused) email domain safely.
1. Get Your Foundations Right
Before touching Mailreach, double-check these:
- Custom domain: Don’t send from a free Gmail or Outlook address. Use a real business domain.
- Proper authentication: Set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records. If you don’t know what these are, look them up and set them up. It’s not optional.
- Dedicated mailbox: Warm up the exact email address you plan to use for outreach. Don’t warm up one mailbox and send from another.
Pro tip: If you’re using a brand-new domain, let it “age” for a week or two before sending anything. It’s not mandatory, but some providers are suspicious of zero-to-sending on day one.
2. Connect Your Mailbox to Mailreach
- Sign up for Mailreach and connect your sending mailbox. Follow their integration guides—it’s straightforward.
- Set your time zone and business hours. Mailreach will send warmup emails during these windows, so pick times when real people would send email.
3. Set Sensible Warmup Settings
Here’s where most people get impatient and screw things up.
- Start slow: Don’t rush to max volume. Begin with 5–10 warmup emails per day.
- Increase gradually: Mailreach will automatically ramp up daily sending, usually by 2–5 emails per day. Let it. Slow and steady wins this race.
- Target volume: Don’t set a target of 100+ emails/day unless you really need it. For most sales and outreach, 30–50/day is plenty to start.
- Let Mailreach manage replies: The tool auto-replies to warmup emails to mimic real engagement. Don’t mess with this.
Ignore: Any “hacks” that promise to speed this up without risk. There aren’t any. Mailbox providers notice sudden spikes.
4. Monitor Your Deliverability (But Don’t Obsess)
Mailreach gives you a dashboard with reports on how many warmup emails land in inbox vs. spam. Watch these, but don’t overreact to every fluctuation.
- Look for trends, not blips. One or two spam placements aren’t a crisis, but a steady climb is a red flag.
- If you see consistent issues: Pause, double-check your DNS settings, and make sure you’re not sending anything else from the same domain.
Tip: Don’t send cold campaigns from this mailbox until you see 90%+ inbox placement in Mailreach’s reports for at least a week.
5. Keep the Warmup Running (Even After You Start Outreach)
Here’s what trips up a lot of folks: they stop the warmup as soon as they start sending real emails. Don’t.
- Keep Mailreach running in the background for at least 2–4 weeks after you start campaigns.
- This helps offset reputation dips from new cold outreach and maintains engagement signals.
If you pause your campaigns, let the warmup keep running to “reset” your reputation.
6. Add Real Sending Gradually
Once your warmup is stable (and your inbox rate looks good), you can layer in your actual sending.
- Start with very low daily sends (10–20 real emails/day per mailbox).
- Ramp up by no more than 10–20% each week.
- Watch deliverability like a hawk—if you see a spike in spam placement, slow down.
What doesn’t work: Jumping from 0 to 100/day just because Mailreach says your inbox rate is high. Providers notice volume jumps more than you think.
What to Ignore (and What to Actually Worry About)
Ignore:
- Shady “warmup” marketplaces: Don’t buy warmup services from random sites or Fiverr sellers. They often use fake engagement and can hurt your domain.
- Over-complicated setups: You don’t need five aliases, a dozen domains, or a spreadsheet full of tracking. One domain, properly set up, is enough.
- Promises of instant results: No tool—not Mailreach, not anyone—can shortcut true sender reputation. Anyone promising otherwise is selling snake oil.
Actually worry about:
- Technical setup: SPF, DKIM, and DMARC must be right. If you skip this, you’re dead in the water.
- Domain age: Brand-new domains are riskier. If you can, use a domain that’s at least a few weeks old.
- Volume spikes: Sudden increases in daily sends are a huge spam signal.
Realistic Timelines and Expectations
Warming up a domain isn’t a “set and forget” thing, and it’s not instant. Here’s what’s realistic:
- Full warmup: 3–6 weeks to safely reach 50+ emails/day without issues.
- Long-term maintenance: Keep running Mailreach warmup, even after you’re fully sending, to maintain good reputation.
- Problems: If you hit spam folders, don’t panic. Slow down sending, double-check your setup, and keep the warmup running.
If you need to send thousands of emails daily, you’ll need multiple domains and mailboxes, each properly warmed up. No tool can safely shortcut that.
Wrapping Up: Keep It Simple, Iterate, and Don’t Overthink It
Domain warmup isn’t magic, but it matters—a lot. Use Mailreach to automate the boring parts, get your technical ducks in a row, and don’t try to “hack” your way past the basics. Most smart senders make mistakes when they rush.
Set things up right, resist the urge to overcomplicate, and keep an eye on your results. If you’re consistent, patient, and pay attention to what your data’s telling you, you’ll see your emails land where they should—right in the inbox.
And hey, if something goes sideways, don’t sweat it. Adjust, slow down, and iterate. That’s really all there is to it.