your domain has a reputation. email providers track it.

if you're sending cold emails from your primary business domain and something goes wrong, your main domain reputation gets destroyed. and that affects EVERYTHING. your team's emails, your support emails, your transactional emails. all of it.

domain health checklist

• [ ] you're using separate lookalike domains for cold outreach (not your primary domain)
• [ ] each sending domain is at least 14 days old before sending
• [ ] each domain has its own DNS records (SPF, DKIM, DMARC)
• [ ] you're not reusing domains that have been flagged or burned previously
• [ ] your domains look legitimate (e.g., try-acme.com or getacme.co, not xvf7-acme.xyz)

warmup status

• [ ] every inbox has been warmed up for 14+ days before campaign launch
• [ ] warmup is still running alongside your campaigns (don't turn it off)
• [ ] warmup emails are getting positive engagement (replies, opens from real addresses)

common mistake: buying 50 domains, skipping warmup, blasting emails on day one. the domains get flagged within 48 hours and you've wasted your money.

warmup is not optional. it's the process of building trust with Google and Outlook before you start sending. skip it and you're burning cash.