If you’re using cold outreach as part of your sales or recruiting game, you already know: getting emails seen is half the battle. Doesn’t matter how clever your pitch is if your messages end up in spam. This guide is for anyone running outreach sequences in Mirrorprofiles who wants to actually land in inboxes—and not just cross their fingers and hope.
Below, you’ll get direct, practical steps to improve your deliverability. No magic tricks, no “secret hacks”—just what actually works and what’s honestly not worth your time.
1. Start with the Basics: Warm Up Your Email Accounts
Don’t blast from a fresh account. ISPs are suspicious of brand-new addresses suddenly sending lots of cold emails. If you just created a mailbox, don’t start outreach immediately.
- Manual warmup: Send a handful of real emails to colleagues or friends. Get replies. Engage in back-and-forth. Do this for 1-2 weeks.
- Automated warmup tools: Mirrorprofiles and other platforms may offer warmup features. These automate sending and replying to emails between accounts, simulating real use.
- Pro tip: Don’t rely entirely on automation—mix in some real conversations.
What doesn’t work: Skipping warmup or just emailing yourself. ISPs are smarter than that.
2. Use a “Human” Sending Pattern
Don’t act like a robot. ISPs flag unnatural behavior.
- Stagger your sends. Mirrorprofiles usually allows you to schedule and throttle sends. Avoid blasting 100+ messages at once.
- Vary send times. Real people don’t send 50 emails at 9:00am sharp every day.
- Stay under the radar: For new domains or inboxes, keep it under 20-30 emails/day to start. Ramp up slowly over weeks.
What doesn’t work: Scheduling all your emails to go out at the exact same time, or maxing out your daily sends from day one.
3. Set Up Your Domain and Authentication Properly
This is the boring technical part, but it matters. ISPs use these DNS records to decide if you’re legit or a spammer.
- SPF: Authorizes which servers can send for your domain.
- DKIM: Adds a digital signature to your emails.
- DMARC: Tells ISPs what to do if SPF or DKIM fail.
- Custom tracking domains: If Mirrorprofiles lets you set a custom tracking domain, do it. Using generic tracking domains (like those shared across many users) can get you flagged.
Check your setup: Use free tools like MXToolbox, mail-tester.com, or Google Postmaster Tools. Don’t just assume IT “handled it.”
What doesn’t work: Ignoring these records or using a brand-new domain with no reputation.
4. Mind Your Content: Keep It Clean and Personal
Spam filters analyze your message content. Here’s what actually matters:
- Avoid spammy words (e.g., “Free!!!”, “Risk-free”, “Act now”, “Buy”, “100% satisfied”, “Huge discount”, etc.)
- Limit links: One or two per email, max. Too many links = red flag.
- Go easy on images: Plain text works best. If you must use a logo, keep it small. No image-only emails.
- Personalize: Merge fields (like first name, company, etc.) aren’t just for show—they signal you’re not spamming a list.
- No attachments: Attachments are a fast track to spam folders.
Pro tip: Send a few test emails to your own Gmail and Outlook accounts. If they land in Promotions or Spam, tweak the message and try again.
What doesn’t work: Over-personalizing with awkward merge fields (“Hi {first_name last_name}!”) or using templates stuffed with “value proposition” fluff.
5. Scrub Your Lists—Religiously
Sending to bad addresses kills your sender reputation. Here’s what to do:
- Use a list-cleaning tool: Run your lists through a service like NeverBounce or ZeroBounce before uploading to Mirrorprofiles.
- Remove bounces: If an email bounces, don’t try again. Mirrorprofiles should handle this, but double-check.
- Delete unengaged leads: If someone hasn’t opened or replied after your sequence, stop emailing them. Persistence isn’t always a virtue.
What doesn’t work: Buying lists from sketchy vendors or scraping addresses off websites. You’ll tank your deliverability.
6. Give Recipients an Easy Way Out
People will mark unwanted emails as spam if they can’t unsubscribe easily. That hurts all your future outreach.
- Add a clear opt-out link: Mirrorprofiles can insert an unsubscribe link automatically. Use it.
- Or, add a simple line: “If you’d prefer not to hear from me, just reply ‘unsubscribe’.”
What doesn’t work: Hiding the opt-out, using tiny gray text, or making people jump through hoops to get off your list.
7. Monitor Results—and React Fast
Deliverability isn’t “set and forget.” Track what happens and adapt quickly.
- Watch open rates: If they suddenly drop, check your setup, content, and lists.
- Monitor spam complaints: If you get more than a handful, pause and reassess.
- Check sender reputation: Use tools like Google Postmaster Tools, Talos Intelligence, or Microsoft SNDS.
What doesn’t work: Blindly running the same sequence for months and hoping for the best.
8. Don’t Fall for Deliverability “Hacks”
Some stuff you’ll hear out there just doesn’t move the needle:
- Changing font color, size, or typeface: Makes zero difference to spam filters.
- Adding “Re:” or “Fwd:” to subject lines: Not only is it misleading, but filters catch on fast.
- Using random “text blocks” or Lorem Ipsum: Spam filters see through this.
Focus on the fundamentals. No silver bullets here.
9. Consider Your Sending Domain Strategy
If you’re serious about outreach, don’t use your main company domain.
- Set up a dedicated subdomain (e.g., outreach.yourcompany.com) or a close variant.
- Build reputation: Don’t swap domains every month—consistency matters.
- Don’t mix cold and transactional email: Keep marketing and outreach separate from things like receipts or user notifications.
What doesn’t work: Rotating domains constantly or using disposable domains. You’ll burn through them, and it looks shady.
10. Get Real Replies (Not Just Opens)
ISPs care about engagement. The more people reply, the better your reputation.
- Ask real questions: Make it easy for people to respond (even if it’s “Not interested”).
- Reply back: Keep conversations going when you get a response.
What doesn’t work: Chasing opens or clicks only. It’s replies and real engagement that matter most.
Quick Reference: What Actually Moves the Needle
- Warm up your accounts—don’t skip this.
- Set up SPF, DKIM, DMARC, and custom tracking domains.
- Keep emails simple, personal, and text-based.
- Clean your list before every send.
- Make it easy to unsubscribe.
- Monitor bounces, opens, and complaints.
- Don’t get cute with “hacks”—stick to the basics.
Email deliverability isn’t black magic. Stick to these fundamentals, keep things simple, and don’t chase every new trick you hear about on LinkedIn. Start small. Iterate. If you’re getting stuck, walk through each step again with fresh eyes. The goal: get your message in front of real people, not spam folders. That’s it.