If your emails are hitting spam or just vanishing, you’re not alone. Warming up new email accounts is a must if you want your messages to land in inboxes, not the void. This guide is for anyone who’s new to email warmup, especially if you’re eyeing Inboxally to do the heavy lifting. Whether you’re running outbound sales, launching a newsletter, or just want your emails to actually get read, here’s how to set up your first campaign—without falling for gimmicks or wasting time.
Why Warm Up Your Email Account Anyway?
Let’s keep it real: new or cold email addresses are suspicious to inbox providers. If you start blasting out hundreds of emails from a fresh account, you’ll get flagged—fast. Warming up is about proving you’re a real sender, not a spammer.
What actually works:
- Gradually increasing sending volume
- Interactions (opens, replies, marking as important)
- Consistency over time
What doesn’t:
- Sending to purchased lists (don’t do it)
- Relying on “magic” deliverability tricks
- Skipping warmup and hoping for the best
Inboxally helps automate the process, but you still need to know what you’re doing.
Step 1: Get Your Basics Right Before You Even Touch Inboxally
Don’t jump into warmup tools without checking these first:
- Custom domain: Use your own domain, not a free Gmail or Yahoo address.
- Authentication: Set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. Your domain host or email service provider can help. Skip this, and you’re dead in the water.
- Reputation check: If your domain’s already blacklisted, fix that first. Tools like MXToolbox can help you check.
- Clean slate: Don’t use a domain that’s been heavily spammed. New is good; just not too new.
Pro tip:
If you’re not sure your DNS records are perfect, use a tool like Mail-Tester before you start.
Step 2: Sign Up and Connect Your Email Account
Head over to Inboxally and create your account. The process is pretty standard, but connecting your email account is the critical bit.
Connecting Your Email
You’ll need to give Inboxally access so it can send, receive, and interact with emails on your behalf.
Most common options: - Google/Gmail: Use OAuth; don’t mess with app passwords unless you have to. - Microsoft/Outlook: Similar process. - Other providers: You might need SMTP/IMAP credentials. Double-check the settings and use app-specific passwords if 2FA is on.
Things to watch for:
- Make sure you’re connecting the right sending address.
- Avoid connecting your personal address—use a dedicated one for outreach or campaigns.
Security note:
Inboxally stores your credentials securely, but don’t use a throwaway password or skip 2FA on your email account.
Step 3: Set Up Your Warmup Campaign in Inboxally
Now the real setup begins.
1. Create a New Warmup Campaign
- Find the “Warmup” or “Start Campaign” button in the Inboxally dashboard.
- Give your campaign a clear name (e.g., “June 2024 Sales Warmup”).
2. Choose Your Sending Schedule
Start slow.
- Begin with as few as 5-10 emails per day.
- Ramp up gradually—maybe an extra 5-10 per day each week.
- Don’t set it to blast 100/day out of the gate, even if you’re impatient.
3. Select Warmup Recipients
Inboxally uses its own network of seed inboxes and other users to simulate real engagement.
- Let it choose recipients automatically—don’t upload your prospect list for warmup. (Seriously, you’ll burn your domain.)
4. Customize the Interactions
- Opens: Inboxally will open your emails to simulate human behavior.
- Replies: Enable replies, but keep it at a realistic level (think 10-20% of warmup emails).
- Moving emails: Some emails will get moved out of spam or promoted to inbox.
Don’t overdo it:
If every email gets replied to or marked as important, it looks fake. Keep the settings realistic.
5. Add Your Content
- Use simple, natural-looking emails—no images, no links, no salesy language.
- Think: “Hey, just checking in,” not “LIMITED TIME OFFER!!!”
- Rotate a few templates if possible, so every warmup email isn’t identical.
What to avoid:
- Don’t use your real marketing or sales content for warmup.
- No attachments, tracking pixels, or clickbait subject lines.
Step 4: Launch and Monitor
Turn On Your Campaign
- Review your settings.
- Hit “Start” (or whatever Inboxally calls it).
- The campaign will begin sending emails on schedule.
Watch the Dashboard
Inboxally gives you stats like inbox rate, spam rate, and engagement.
- Don’t obsess: Small dips or spikes are normal.
- Red flags: If spam rates spike or nothing lands in inboxes, pause and review your setup.
- Inbox placement: If you’re not hitting at least 80% inbox after a week or two, something’s off (usually DNS or content).
Pro tip:
Check your real inboxes too. Don’t just trust the dashboard—search for your test emails.
Step 5: Adjust and Scale Up (Gradually)
Warming up isn’t a “set and forget” process.
- Increase volume slowly: Once your inbox rate is solid, bump up the daily sends—maybe by 10-20% per week.
- Watch for blocklists: As you increase, check blacklists occasionally.
- Keep it running: Some people stop warmup after a month. If you’re sending a lot, let it run in the background.
What doesn’t work:
- Jumping from 30/day to 300/day overnight. That’s asking for trouble.
- Ignoring negative signals (like bounces or sudden drops in inbox rate).
Pro tip:
If you need to warm up multiple accounts, stagger the process. Don’t start them all on the same day.
What to Ignore (and What to Watch Out For)
There’s a ton of bad advice out there. Here’s what you can safely skip:
- “Warm up tools are pointless, just send to your friends.”
Nope—unless your friends are using every major email provider and will reply to you every day, it’s not the same. - “Just buy an aged domain.”
Old domains can help, but if they’ve been abused, they’ll make things worse. - “Set it and forget it.”
Always monitor your results. Even the best tools need human oversight.
How Long Should You Warm Up?
- Minimum: 2-4 weeks for a brand new domain.
- Ongoing: For heavy sending (500+ emails/day), keep some level of warmup going.
- If you stop: If you pause sending for weeks, you’ll need to ramp up again—not as slow as the first time, but don’t go from 0 to 100.
Wrapping Up: Keep It Simple, Stay Patient
Don’t overthink it. Set up your Inboxally campaign, start slow, keep an eye on the numbers, and let things build naturally. Most issues come from impatience or trying to “hack” the system. Stick to the basics, iterate as you go, and you’ll see results.
If something isn’t working, troubleshoot—don’t just crank up the volume and hope for the best. Warmup is about trust, not tricks. Once you’re landing in the inbox, then you can worry about advanced tactics. Until then, keep it simple.