knowing what to do is one thing. knowing WHEN to do it is where a vast majority of operators fall apart. this calendar gives you a week-by-week plan for the first 90 days, plus an ongoing monthly maintenance rhythm.

month 1: audit and fix

week 1: infrastructure audit

• [ ] run SPF, DKIM, and DMARC checks on every domain you're currently sending from
• [ ] identify which inboxes are on shared IPs (check with your provider)
• [ ] document your current sending volume per inbox per day
• [ ] check all sending domains against major blocklists (Spamhaus, Barracuda, SORBS)

week 2: domain strategy

• [ ] purchase lookalike domains for outreach (if you're still sending from your primary domain, stop)
• [ ] configure SPF, DKIM, and DMARC on every new domain
• [ ] verify all DNS records are propagating correctly
• [ ] set up domain-level monitoring so you get alerts if authentication fails

week 3: inbox setup

• [ ] set up new inboxes on your lookalike domains
• [ ] begin warmup on all new inboxes (14-day minimum, remember)
• [ ] configure your two-lane provider split (70/30 or 50/50 Google and Outlook)
• [ ] do NOT send any campaign emails this week. warmup only.

week 4: validation

• [ ] verify warmup is progressing (open rates, reply rates, inbox placement rates)
• [ ] send test emails to seed accounts and check where they land (Primary, Promotions, Spam)