DIY Email Setup: Learning the Fundamentals for Cold Outreach

Email cold outreach is one of the most profit-generating sales strategies in modern business. It’s efficient, customizable, and scalable. Want to contact 100 or 10,000 leads in a week? With the right setup, it’s entirely possible.

What’s the catch? Many marketers and sales professionals get caught in costly pitfalls because their email infrastructure isn’t built for scale or avoids spam filters. But here’s the good news: setting up your DIY cold email system is straightforward once you learn the basics.

This guide breaks down how to build an effective email outreach system step by step, ensuring top-notch deliverability. By the end, you’ll be ready to launch campaigns that land in inboxes (not spam folders).

What to Consider When Doing DIY Email Setup

Before you jump into the weeds of email domains and SPF records, it’s important to think strategically about your infrastructure. Here's what you need to know:

1. Don’t Use Subdomains for Outreach—Use Alternate Domains 

Your business likely already owns a primary domain (e.g., BestRoofing.com), but sending cold emails from this domain is risky. Why? Cold outreach can sometimes trigger spam complaints, which could harm your company’s main domain reputation. 

The solution? Alternate domains. Instead of using "sales.bestroofing.com," purchase simpler variations like:

• TryBestRoofing.com 

• BestRoofingInc.com 

• BestRoofs.com 

These alternate domains protect your main domain while helping you scale outreach efforts. Services like Namecheap or GoDaddy make it easy to snap up new ones.

2. Scale Cold Email Volume with Domains 

Cold email is a numbers game, and volume is king. But platforms like Gmail, Outlook, or Yahoo limit daily sending quantities. What’s the workaround? Scale by using multiple alternate domains. 

For example, one domain = 3 sending accounts, sending up to 50 emails per day/account. 

If you’re aiming for 10,000 emails per week, you’ll need 14 domains (providing 42 accounts sending 2,100 emails/day).

3. Rotate Sending Accounts and Use Spintax 

No single email account should blast emails continuously—that’s a surefire way to raise red flags with service providers. Rotate accounts to distribute your campaigns evenly. 

Beyond quantity, diversify your email copy. Using identical templates across multiple accounts looks spammy. Use spintax to create variations in your subject lines and body text. For instance:

• Original Line 1: “Hi [First Name], hope this email finds you well.”

• Spintax Variations:

  • “Hello [First Name], how are you doing today?”

  • “Hey [First Name], I'd love to connect with you.”

Spintax personalizes emails while keeping them human!

How to DIY Email Setup

Ready to go hands-on? Here’s your step-by-step guide to set up a cold email system like a pro:

Step 1. Authenticate Alternate Domains with DMARC, DKIM, SPF, and MX 

Think of domain authentication as your business email’s security badge. It shows ISPs that your emails are legit, improving your deliverability rate. 

Here’s what you’ll need:

• SPF (Sender Policy Framework): Ensures only authorized servers can send on your behalf. 

• DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail): Confirms the message wasn’t tampered with during transit. 

• DMARC (Domain-Based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance): Enforces SPF/DKIM rules and provides you with weekly reports. 

• MX (Mail Exchange): Points email traffic to the correct server. 

Example Setup with GoDaddy 

1. SPF Record: 

  Add “v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all” under DNS records. This opens Gmail permissions but can be tailored for your setup. 

2. DKIM Record: 

  Generate a DKIM key in Gmail Workspace or your provider’s dashboard. Add it as a TXT record in GoDaddy DNS under “Add Record.” 

3. DMARC Record: 

  Tools like EasyDMARC generate DMARC policies in seconds. Copy-paste the TXT record into your GoDaddy account. 

Pro tip: Double-check all authentications to avoid delays or bounces.

Step 2. Warm Up Domains 

Newly registered domains aren’t trusted by ISPs yet. Warming them up organically (sending 3-5 emails per day initially) helps build reputation. Over time, gradually increase email volume. 

Manual warm-ups are painfully slow. Want speed? Automation tools like premium warm-up services can prep your accounts in days rather than weeks.

Step 3. Pre-warmed Domains with Automation 

If all this backend setup feels too technical, here’s your shortcut: pre-warmed domains. 

Some providers offer plug-and-play solutions with domains that are already warmed up and optimized for high deliverability. This means no downtime or delays when starting your campaigns.

Simply connect these inboxes to your cold email platform, and you're good to go.

Key Takeaways 

Setting up cold email systems may seem like a lot of moving parts, but remember this:

1. Protect your reputation. Use alternate domains for cold email to safeguard your primary business domain. 

2. Scale strategically. Multiple domains and accounts allow you to hit outreach volume goals safely. 

3. Authenticate everything. Without SPF, DKIM, DMARC, and MX, your emails won’t perform optimally. 

4. Keep it human. Rotate accounts and vary email copy to avoid spam filters. 

5. Automate where possible.

Looking for an easier solution? Endy Media can streamline your email systems, providing you with pre-warmed accounts, high deliverability, and 24/7 support. Say goodbye to tech headaches and focus on closing deals. 

Get started with Endy Media today!