Hey ScaledMail community! 👋 I run a B2B SaaS that helps companies appear in ChatGPT and other AI answers. With CPMs rising on paid channels, we turned to cold email starting in November. Cold email has quickly become one of our most important acquisition channels. I knew nothing about cold outreach when I started. I learned a lot along the way (including plenty of mistakes), so here’s everything I wish I had known from day one. Part 1: Technical Setup Domain Strategy - Buy dedicated domains just for email campaigns — never ever use your main company domain. - Set up DNS records immediately: SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. - Use Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 for better deliverability (roughly $4–6 per account per month). Email Account Setup - Create 1–4 email accounts per domain. - Start slow: 10 emails per account per day, then increase volume by ~10% each day. - Max once warmed up: ~25 emails per account per day. - Example: 4 domains × 3 accounts × 25 emails = 300 emails/day to begin with. IMPORTANT: Always warm up accounts for at least 14 days before ramping up. Extra tips that help a lot: - Add real profile photos and complete the accounts. - Older domains tend to perform better when you can get them. - Set up a custom tracking domain for accurate open/click data. Choosing Your Sending Platform The ScaledMail platform is pretty good thanks to its campaign sequencing, deliverability focus, analytics, and the real-world insights shared by other operators who are actively scaling. It’s genuinely one of the strongest environments for cold email right now. I’ve also run high-volume campaigns successfully with Instantly.ai, which complements tools like ScaledMail nicely depending on your workflow and volume. A lot of top performers use a combination of platforms and simply play to each tool’s strengths. Test what fits your process best (I know people using 3 different outreach platforms each for a specific purpose).

Not a post, just looking to connect. Running cold email campaigns for clients on Instantly and curious how other agency owners are handling the reply side of things — specifically what happens after a reply comes in. If you're managing 3+ client campaigns on Instantly, drop a comment. Would love to compare notes.