The Complete Cold Email Infrastructure Checklist

Setting up cold email infrastructure involves many moving parts. Use this checklist to make sure you don't miss anything.

Phase 1: Domains

• Calculate how many domains you need based on sending volume
• Purchase domains that are variations of your brand name
• Set up a basic landing page on each domain (even a redirect works)
• Point nameservers to Cloudflare or your DNS provider

Phase 2: DNS Records

• Configure MX records for your email provider
• Add SPF record authorizing your email service
• Set up DKIM for email signing
• Add DMARC record (start with p=none for monitoring)
• Verify all records using a checker tool

Phase 3: Mailboxes

• Create mailboxes (max 3 per domain)
• Use professional-looking names (firstname@, firstname.lastname@)
• Add profile photos and email signatures
• Set up forwarding or aliases if needed

Phase 4: Warmup

• Connect all mailboxes to a warmup tool
• Start with 5-10 emails per day
• Gradually increase over 2-4 weeks
• Monitor inbox placement rates
• Don't stop warmup when you start campaigns

Phase 5: Sequencer Setup

• Export credentials to your sequencer
• Configure sending limits (max 50/day per mailbox)
• Set up tracking domain (separate from sending domain)
• Test with a small batch before scaling

Phase 6: Launch

• Start with 20-30 emails per mailbox per day
• Scale to 50 over the first week
• Monitor reply rates, bounce rates, and spam reports
• Rotate domains if any show deliverability issues

With StackMail, phases 1-3 can be completed in under 30 minutes. The platform handles domain purchase, DNS configuration, and mailbox provisioning automatically.