Isolated sending infrastructure
Cold email domain setup
Set up in the right order and the domain is an asset. Set up in the wrong order and it is a liability with a send button.
First, the subdomain. Outbound never runs from the main domain. A subdomain under your domain, with its own DNS zone, is created for the program and nothing else runs on it.
Second, the records. SPF listing the sending servers, DKIM signing every message, DMARC at monitor-only so that reports arrive before any policy is enforced. email-intel grades the result, and warmup does not start below a B.
Third, the mailboxes. 5 to 10 function mailboxes named for roles the company has, each on its own subscription in your name. No invented people.
Fourth, warmup: 6 to 8 weeks on a measured ramp before the first real send, with the cap following the daily reading. Only then the base, which was built in parallel, is allowed to meet the mailboxes.
Questions
Can I use a lookalike domain instead of a subdomain?
A separate domain isolates just as well, and some programs use both. A subdomain has the advantage that recipients see your real name, and the disadvantage of a looser link to the parent's reputation. We default to the subdomain.
How long before the first real send?
About 6 to 8 weeks from the day the records are correct. The base is built during the same weeks, so nothing waits on nothing.
This page is part of outbound engineering, the practice of running B2B outbound as a measured system.
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