Email Deliverability Checklist

25-point audit to ensure your cold emails land in the inbox, not the spam folder. Check off each item and track your deliverability score.

Your Score
0 / 25

DNS & Authentication

6 items
SPF record configured
Add v=spf1 include:_spf.yourprovider.com ~all to your DNS TXT records
DKIM signing enabled
Generate and publish DKIM keys in your DNS. Verify with a DKIM checker
DMARC policy set to p=quarantine or p=reject
Start with p=none, then move to quarantine, then reject as you gain confidence
Custom tracking domain configured
Use your own domain for open/click tracking instead of the provider's shared domain
Reverse DNS (PTR) matches sending domain
Ensure your sending IP has a proper PTR record pointing to your domain
MX records properly configured
Ensure replies can be received. Test by sending an email to your own address

Domain Warm-Up

5 items
Domain age is 30+ days
New domains need time to build reputation. Avoid sending high volume on brand-new domains
Gradual volume ramp-up completed
Start with 20-50 emails/day, increase by 20-30% daily over 2-4 weeks
Warm-up tool running (Smartlead/Instantly/Lemlist)
Use automated warm-up to build positive engagement signals (opens, replies, marks-not-spam)
No spam complaints in last 30 days
Keep complaint rate below 0.1%. Check your ESP's complaint dashboard regularly
Domain not blacklisted
Check MXToolbox, Spamhaus, and Barracuda for any blacklist listings

Email Content

6 items
Personalized first line in every email
Reference the prospect's LinkedIn, website, or recent activity. Avoid generic openers
No spam trigger words
Avoid: FREE, 100%, guarantee, act now, limited time, make money, click here
Email length under 150 words
Shorter emails get higher reply rates. Aim for 50-120 words for cold outreach
Single, clear CTA
One ask per email. Too many links or CTAs trigger spam filters and confuse readers
No ALL CAPS or excessive punctuation!!!
Caps and exclamation marks are classic spam signals. Use normal sentence case
Unsubscribe link included
Required by CAN-SPAM and GDPR. Make it easy to find — one-click unsubscribe is best

Sending Practices

5 items
Sending from multiple inboxes (rotation)
Use 3-5 email accounts per domain. Rotate sending to avoid per-account limits
Randomized send times (not all at once)
Spread sends throughout business hours. Batch sending at 9:00 AM sharp looks automated
Bounce rate below 2%
Clean your list regularly. Hard bounces should be removed immediately
Follow-up sequence of 3-5 emails
80% of replies come from follow-ups. Space them 2-4 days apart with new value each time
Replies are monitored and answered within 24h
Use a unified inbox. Fast replies build positive engagement signals with ESPs

Testing & Monitoring

3 items
Spam score tested (Mail-tester.com)
Send a test email to mail-tester.com. Aim for 9/10 or higher before scaling
Inbox placement tested (GlockApps/250ok)
Verify emails land in Primary inbox across Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo
Open rate above 40%
Below 30% indicates deliverability issues. Above 50% is excellent for cold email
Your Deliverability Score
0%
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Complete all 25 items for optimal inbox placement

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