Most people track the wrong metrics.
Health scores.
Open rates.
Dashboards that look reassuring.
None of that actually tells you if your cold email is working.
Thereβs only one deliverability question that matters:
Where did the email land?
β’ Primary inbox
β’ Promotions
β’ Spam
Thatβs it. Thatβs the game.
How I Actually Judge Deliverability
I donβt guess.
I test inbox placement.
The simplest way to do this is by sending emails to seed accounts and checking where they land.
Hereβs how to read the results:
Inbox (Primary)
Youβre good. This is where replies come from.
Promotions
Not ideal. Usually a copy issue.
Spam
System problem. Infrastructure, domains, or sending behavior needs fixing.
If you donβt know where your emails are landing, youβre flying blind.
Here's the real takeaway π
Instantly lets you run daily automated inbox placement tests with one click.
It shows you exactly where your emails are landing - inbox, promotions, or spam.
No guessing. No false confidence.
Itβs free, takes under a minute to set up, and gives you more signal than most βhealth scoresβ ever will.
Once you track placement, deliverability becomes obvious, not mysterious.
If you want the step-by-step setup for inbox placement testing,
comment βPlacementβ, and Iβll send it over.