Your sending domain is the foundation of your cold email infrastructure. Get it wrong and nothing else matters — every email lands in spam. Here's the complete setup process.
Why Use a Separate Domain?
Never send cold email from your primary business domain (e.g., yourcompany.com). If your cold outreach triggers spam complaints or blacklisting, it affects ALL email from that domain — including support tickets, invoices, and team communication.
Recommended Domain Strategy:
- Primary domain: yourcompany.com (business email, support, billing)
- Outreach domain: outreach-yourcompany.com or yourcompany.io or getyourcompany.com
- Keep it recognizable: Recipients should be able to connect it to your brand
Step 1: Register Your Outreach Domain
Use any registrar (Namecheap, Google Domains, Cloudflare). Cost: $10-15/year.
Tips:
- Register for 2+ years (some spam filters check domain age vs. registration length)
- Choose a .com or .io — avoid unusual TLDs like .xyz or .click
- Make it brandable: "get[company].com" or "[company]reach.com"
Step 2: Set Up SPF
SPF tells receiving servers which mail servers are authorized to send from your domain.
- Go to your DNS provider
- Add a TXT record:
- Name: @ (or your domain)
- Value: v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all
- If using multiple providers, combine them:
- v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com include:sendgrid.net ~all
Step 3: Set Up DKIM
DKIM adds a cryptographic signature proving your emails haven't been tampered with.
- In Google Workspace Admin: Apps > Google Workspace > Gmail > Authenticate email
- Generate the DKIM key
- Add the TXT record to your DNS as instructed
- Wait 24-48 hours for DNS propagation
- Click "Start authentication" in Google Admin
Step 4: Set Up DMARC
DMARC tells receivers what to do when SPF or DKIM fails.
- Start with monitoring mode:
- TXT record: v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:dmarc@yourdomain.com
- Monitor reports for 2-4 weeks
- Tighten gradually:
- v=DMARC1; p=quarantine; rua=mailto:dmarc@yourdomain.com
- Once confident:
- v=DMARC1; p=reject; rua=mailto:dmarc@yourdomain.com
Step 5: Create Mailboxes
Create 3-5 mailboxes on your outreach domain:
- sarah@outreach-yourcompany.com
- james@outreach-yourcompany.com
- hello@outreach-yourcompany.com
Use Google Workspace ($7/user/mo) or any provider that supports SMTP/IMAP.
Step 6: Connect to ClickReach
- Go to Settings > Mailboxes > Add Mailbox
- Select your provider (Gmail, Outlook, or custom SMTP)
- Enter SMTP and IMAP credentials
- ClickReach runs a live SMTP test before saving
- Set daily limit to 30-50 per mailbox
- Enable sender rotation across all connected mailboxes
Step 7: Warm Up (If New Domain)
New domains need 2-3 weeks of gradual ramp-up:
- Week 1: 10-15 emails/day per mailbox
- Week 2: 25-35 emails/day
- Week 3: 40-50 emails/day (your steady-state limit)
During warm-up, send to engaged contacts first (people who are likely to reply). Real replies build sender reputation faster than warmup tool traffic.
Verification Checklist
Before launching your first campaign, verify everything:
- MXToolbox SPF check: pass
- MXToolbox DKIM check: pass
- MXToolbox DMARC check: pass
- Send a test email to your personal Gmail — does it land in Primary?
- Check Google Postmaster Tools after 1 week of sending
A properly configured domain is worth more than any warmup tool. Get the foundation right and deliverability follows.
