If you manage a big sales team, you know getting cold emails delivered is half the battle. You’ve heard about email warm up tools. Maybe you even use one. But when you’re working with a dozen (or a hundred) inboxes, the “just turn it on” approach won’t cut it. This guide is for the folks setting up Mailwarm for a large group—looking for less theory and more “what actually works.”
Let’s skip the fluff and get into how to configure advanced warm up settings in Mailwarm for sales teams that need results, not just activity.
Why Warm Up Matters (and Where Most Teams Blow It)
You can skip this if you’re already sold, but here’s the deal: Warming up new (or previously unused) inboxes is about teaching email providers your messages aren’t spam. With a handful of inboxes, most tools work fine out of the box. But at scale, you’ll hit some walls:
- Too much too soon: Sending hundreds of warm up emails from new accounts is a red flag.
- Cookie-cutter settings: What works for one SDR might kill deliverability for another.
- Ignoring domain health: If your domain already has a shaky reputation, no warm up tool is magic.
Bottom line: Treat warm up as a process, not a checkbox.
Step 1: Map Out Your Team and Inboxes
Before you touch settings, get organized. Large teams often forget this, then spend days untangling messes later.
- List every inbox: Make a spreadsheet. Include who owns it, when it was created, and if it’s ever been used for sending.
- Group by domain: Are you warming up 20 inboxes on one domain, or 5 each on 4 domains? This matters for how aggressive you can get.
- Note who needs what: Some sales reps only send a few emails a day; others blast hundreds. Warm up needs to match usage.
Pro Tip: Don’t warm up shared inboxes (like sales@ or info@) unless you plan to send real campaigns from them. It’s asking for trouble.
Step 2: Set Up Inbox Connections in Mailwarm
Mailwarm supports most major providers (Google Workspace, Office 365, etc.). But, connecting a bunch of accounts isn’t always as smooth as the marketing claims.
- Use OAuth where possible: It’s more secure and less likely to break than old-school app passwords.
- Watch for throttling: Providers like Google limit how many third-party app connections you can set up in a short window. Go slow—five or ten at a time.
- Label and tag accounts: Name each inbox clearly in Mailwarm so you don’t lose track (e.g., “SDR1 - John - Acme.com”).
What to skip: Don’t bother connecting inboxes you won’t use for outreach. You’ll waste warm up credits and clutter your dashboard.
Step 3: Customize Warm Up Schedules (Don’t Just Use Defaults)
Here’s where most teams go wrong. Mailwarm’s default schedule is fine for one or two new inboxes, but with a team, you need to get granular.
- Start slow for brand new accounts: 2–5 emails per day, ramping up by 1–2 per day over a couple of weeks.
- Used inboxes can go faster: If an account has already sent real, non-spammy mail, you can start at 5–10 per day.
- Set realistic maxes: Don’t set warm up to send 40 emails/day from day one. Even after a month, 30/day is plenty for most.
- Randomize send times: Avoid patterns. Mailwarm lets you spread sends throughout the workday—use it.
Example Advanced Schedule
| Week | Emails per Day (New Inbox) | Emails per Day (Used Inbox) | |------|---------------------------|-----------------------------| | 1 | 3 | 8 | | 2 | 6 | 12 | | 3 | 10 | 20 | | 4+ | 15–20 | 25–30 |
Pro Tip: Don’t ramp everyone at once. Stagger onboarding so you’re not warming up all accounts simultaneously (looks suspicious to ESPs).
Step 4: Use Custom Warm Up Content (If You Can)
Mailwarm’s default warm up messages are generic—and email providers have gotten wise to them. If you’re serious about deliverability, upload your own warm up templates.
- Write simple, human-sounding emails: Think “Hey, checking if this reaches you” or “Quick question about last week’s call.”
- Include some replies: Mailwarm supports simulated replies. Set at least 30–50% of warm up messages to get a reply, not just a send.
- Rotate content: Don’t use the same message for every inbox. Reuse is fine, but mix up wording and subject lines.
What doesn’t matter: Don’t waste hours crafting ten-paragraph warm up emails. Nobody reads them, and it won’t help.
Step 5: Monitor Deliverability Signals, Not Just “Warm Up Complete”
Mailwarm will happily tell you when the “warm up” is done. Ignore it—your real signal is whether your actual outreach lands in inboxes.
- Check spam/junk folders: Regularly spot-check where your real emails are landing.
- Track open and reply rates: If these tank after warm up, something’s wrong.
- Watch for bounces: High bounce rates mean either your lists are bad, or your reputation is shot.
If You See Trouble…
- Slow down: Pause new outreach and keep warming up.
- Check DNS records: SPF, DKIM, and DMARC need to be correct. Tools like MXToolbox help.
- Rotate sending domains: If one gets burned, have backups ready—but don’t switch domains weekly. That’s another red flag.
Step 6: Get the Team on Board (and Out of the Way)
A big warm up failure point: reps logging into new inboxes and blasting cold emails before warm up is done.
- Lock down credentials: Don’t hand out access until warm up is finished.
- Explain why patience matters: A five-minute talk now saves weeks of pain later.
- Centralize management: One admin should handle warm up settings. Too many cooks ruins the soup (and the domain).
Step 7: Adjust, Don’t “Set and Forget”
Even with advanced settings, things change—provider rules, spam filters, even Mailwarm features. Check in weekly:
- Review warm up logs: Look for failed sends or weird patterns.
- Adjust schedules: Did you add a new domain? Did a provider start flagging more emails? Tweak ramp-up or pause accounts as needed.
- Don’t over-warm: Once a box is truly “seasoned” and in regular use, scale back or stop automated warm up. Overdoing it can look fake.
What to Ignore (Seriously)
There’s a lot of snake oil out there. Here’s what you can skip:
- Warm up for months: If it takes more than 4–6 weeks, something’s broken.
- Expensive “premium” warm up add-ons: The basics work. Don’t get upsold unless you have a clear, real problem.
- Fake engagement metrics: It doesn’t matter if your warm up tool says “99% inbox!”—if real prospects aren’t seeing your emails, it’s not working.
- DIY hacks: Sending “test” emails between your own team isn’t the same as proper warm up.
Final Thoughts: Keep It Simple, Iterate Fast
Warming up a bunch of inboxes for a big sales team isn’t rocket science, but it does take some planning and attention. Stick to these basics:
- Map out what you have.
- Ramp up slowly, especially with new domains.
- Don’t trust default settings blindly.
- Watch real results, not just tool dashboards.
You don’t have to get it perfect on day one. Start with a thoughtful setup, stay skeptical of “set and forget” promises, and tweak as you go. Deliverability isn’t magic—it’s just discipline and a bit of patience.