Cold email works—if your emails actually show up where they’re supposed to. If you’re tired of “best practices” that don’t explain how to do things, or you’ve been burned by tools that promise the moon and deliver a black hole, this guide is for you. I’ll walk you through setting up a real cold email campaign in Supersend, with a sharp focus on deliverability—because if you’re not landing in the inbox, you’re wasting your time.
Let’s cut the fluff and get you sending emails that actually get seen.
Step 1: Get Your Foundation Right (Before You Even Touch Supersend)
Here’s the truth: Most cold email fails before the first message is sent. If you skip this step, nothing else will save you.
What you need: - A dedicated domain for cold outreach (never use your main company domain) - Mailboxes that look real (not “outreach@” or “info@”) - Proper domain authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) - A “warming” period for new mailboxes
Why it matters: - Using your main domain is risky. If you get flagged as spam, your main business suffers. - Gmail, Outlook, and others are ruthless about what they filter. If they see a weird sender, no authentication, or a mailbox that doesn’t look legit, your emails go straight to spam.
How to do it:
1. Register a new domain similar to your main one (like getyourdomain.com if your main is yourdomain.com).
2. Create real-looking mailboxes: Use names like jane@getyourdomain.com, not sales@.
3. Set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC: Your domain registrar or host will have docs on this. Use MxToolbox to check your records.
4. Warm up your inbox: Send and reply to real emails for at least 2-3 weeks. There are tools that automate this (some built into Supersend), but you can also do it by hand if you’re patient.
Pro tip: Don’t send cold emails from a brand new domain or mailbox. You will get flagged and it’s hard to recover.
Step 2: Connect Your Inbox to Supersend (and Do It Safely)
Once your domain and inboxes are prepped, it’s time to link them to Supersend. Don’t just blast through this—incorrect setup here can tank your deliverability.
You’ll need: - Login access to your cold email mailbox(es) - Supersend account
How to connect: 1. Log in to Supersend, head to the “Email Accounts” or “Senders” section. 2. Connect your inbox using OAuth (for Gmail/Workspace/Outlook) or via SMTP/IMAP if you’re using a custom provider. 3. Double-check sending limits. Don’t let Supersend send more than 30-50 emails per day, per inbox, at first. Ramp up slowly. 4. Set your sending name and signature to look human. “Jane Smith, Partnerships” is good; “Outreach Bot” is not.
What to watch out for: - Don’t connect personal or main business accounts. Use only the dedicated ones you set up. - Supersend sometimes lets you add multiple inboxes—great for scaling, but keep each one under daily limits.
Step 3: Build a Quality Prospect List (Not Just a Big One)
You can’t “out-automation” a bad list. If your emails go to junk leads, you’ll get ignored, marked as spam, or both.
How to build a good list: - Start with real prospects. Research them. LinkedIn, company websites, industry lists. - Verify every email. Use an email verifier before uploading to Supersend. - Personalize at least one data point (first name, company, recent news, etc.).
Skip these mistakes:
- Buying lists. They’re usually garbage.
- Scraping random emails off the web.
- Sending to generic addresses like info@ or admin@.
Pro tip: Upload a small list first (50-100 contacts). Watch how it performs before scaling up.
Step 4: Write Emails People (and Spam Filters) Want to See
Supersend will automate your sends, but if your copy screams “cold email,” you’re doomed.
Keep your messages: - Short. Aim for 3-5 sentences. - Simple. Avoid salesy language, too many links, and anything that looks like a mass blast. - Personalized. Use Supersend’s merge tags to drop in names, companies, or relevant tidbits.
Email structure that works: 1. Subject line: Clear, not clickbait. “Quick question about [Their Company]” works better than “Revolutionary Solution For You!!!” 2. Opening line: Reference something specific to them. 3. Pitch: One line. No essays. 4. Call to action: Ask for a reply or a quick call, not a big commitment.
What to avoid: - Attachments (instant spam trigger) - More than one link per email - Images or heavy formatting
Pro tip: Paste your email into Gmail and see if it lands in “Primary,” “Promotions,” or “Spam.” If it’s not “Primary,” rewrite it.
Step 5: Set Up the Campaign in Supersend (The Right Way)
Now you’re ready for Supersend’s automation.
Here’s how: 1. Create a new campaign in Supersend. 2. Import your prospect list (CSV, Google Sheets, or manual entry). 3. Map your columns to merge fields: first name, company, etc. 4. Write your first email. Use plain text, merge tags for personalization. 5. Add follow-ups: Space them out by at least 2-3 days. Keep them even shorter than your first email. Never send more than 4-5 total emails per thread. 6. Set sending schedule: Weekdays, local business hours. Avoid weekends and holidays.
Settings to tweak for deliverability: - Randomize sending times (Supersend can stagger emails automatically) - Pause on reply (so you don’t look like a robot) - Limit daily sends (start with 30-50 per inbox, scale up slowly)
Pro tip: Use Supersend’s preview/send-to-self feature to check for merge errors or formatting issues before you go live.
Step 6: Monitor, Test, and Improve
Automation isn’t “set and forget.” If you want to stay in inboxes (and out of trouble), keep an eye on the data.
What to track: - Open rates: If they tank, you might be hitting spam (or your subject line needs help). - Reply rates: If nobody responds, tweak your copy or list. - Bounce rates: Over 5%? Stop and clean your list.
What to do if you’re landing in spam: - Pause all sending immediately. - Re-check your SPF/DKIM/DMARC. - Warm your inboxes longer. - Rewrite your emails to be more human, less templated.
Ignore: - Vanity metrics like how many emails you can blast per day. Quality beats quantity, every time.
Pro tip: Rotate inboxes if you plan to scale up, but keep each one under strict limits. Don’t be the person who sends 500 emails from a single account and wonders why it’s blacklisted.
Step 7: Stay Out of Legal Hot Water
Deliverability is one thing, but don’t forget compliance. Laws like CAN-SPAM (US), CASL (Canada), and GDPR (Europe) aren’t just for big companies.
Basic rules to follow: - Always include a real mailing address in your signature. - Make it simple for people to opt out (a plain “Let me know if you’re not interested” line is fine in most regions). - Don’t email people in countries you don’t understand the rules for.
Supersend can’t save you from legal mistakes. When in doubt, look up the rules for your target’s country.
Wrap-Up: Keep It Simple, Iterate, and Don’t Chase Shortcuts
Automating cold email with Supersend can work—if you do the groundwork. Focus on setup, keep your lists clean, write like a human, and always keep one eye on your results. Most importantly, don’t overcomplicate things or fall for the “blast more, win more” myth.
Start small, be consistent, and make tweaks as you go. That’s how you get in the inbox—and stay there.