Twelve deliverability best practices for cold email, from domain setup to send timing.

Keep your business domain separate from prospecting. Salesgear itself sends from different domains depending on target audience size.

Stick to neutral TLDs: .com, .io, .co, .tech, .us. Avoid ones like .fun or .deal, which read as less credible.

These authentication methods prove to ISPs you're authorized to send from your domain, which is essential for avoiding spam folders. See SPF setup (Google), DKIM setup (Google), DMARC setup (Google), or SPF/DMARC (Microsoft).

📌 Check the result in More → Settings → Deliverability → Domain Health Center.

Check whether your domain is blacklisted and assess your reputation before you scale sending. You can do this in the Domain Health Center.

Start slow. For hyper-personalized emails, limit to 5-10/day in week one, then increase gradually based on volume. Turn on Email Warming in More → Settings → Connected Accounts.

A branded domain for tracking links improves both deliverability and recipient trust. Set it up in More → Settings → Deliverability → Custom URL.

Aim for 36-50 characters: long enough to convey your message, short enough to avoid getting cut off in inboxes like Gmail.

Larger emails get truncated by providers like Gmail, which can trigger closer spam-filter scrutiny.

Certain phrases get flagged by email providers as fraudulent or malicious. Avoid them where you can:

One link is ideal, two at most. More increases the odds of landing in Promotions or Spam.

Base send times on the recipient's timezone. Tuesday and Thursday mornings (9-11am) tend to perform best; avoid weekends, late nights, holidays, and the 6pm-5am window. Set this with a schedule in the sequence's Configurations → Schedule.

Aim for 8-10 steps with a 2-4 day gap between each, and mix in LinkedIn or calls alongside email.