Purpose: Prove ownership and ensure technical configuration before sending any messages.
Set up your SPF record to authorize your chosen sending service, keep it straightforward, ideally with just one include. Generate DKIM keys in your sending platform, publish the DNS selector, and confirm that outbound emails achieve a DKIM=pass result.
Begin with a DMARC record set to a none policy and route reports to an actively monitored inbox. Confirm alignment across your visible From domain and the domains referenced by SPF and DKIM records. Ensure valid MX records and that your abuse@ and postmaster@ addresses are receiving mail as expected.
Disable both link tracking and open tracking during the warm-up period, rewritten links often look suspicious on a new domain. Avoid all link shorteners. Keep your email signature strictly plain text for now.
Purpose: Generate authentic engagement across major providers.
Invite friends or colleagues to join your warm-up effort, ensuring you have a blend of Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, and iCloud users. Ask these contacts to reply, star, or move messages to their inbox if needed, and encourage them to add your address to their contacts list.
Create a shared checklist for your warm-up activities. Designate specific people to email each day and clearly outline who should respond. This ensures recipients validate the authenticity of your domain through genuine back-and-forth communication.
Each message should be brief and personal, avoid templates and mass sends. Every note should feel like a unique, one-to-one exchange with a clear reason for the recipient to reply. Never use purchased or scraped lists, as these can lead to bounces or spam complaints.
Purpose: Establish a sending pattern mailbox filters can learn to trust.
Start with an extremely low send volume each day, spacing your messages across several hours. Subjects and bodies should be unique and short, written in a natural, personalized tone for each recipient. Avoid images, attachments, and repetitive language at this stage.
Request quick, natural-language replies from your contacts. Threads with organic, conversational back-and-forth signal domain health to filters. If an email winds up in spam, ask your contact to mark it as Not spam
and reply to the thread, this early intervention is key.
Common pitfalls to avoid: sending large batches at once, copying and pasting identical text, or messaging role addresses like info@. Avoiding spikes and repetitive messages reduces the risk of being flagged by filters.
Purpose: Train mailbox providers to recognize that recipients value your messages.
Ask your contacts not only to open and reply, but also to forward a few emails or move the thread to the main inbox tab if their client supports it. Starring, flagging, or labeling your messages provides additional positive engagement signals.
To train providers to value your messages, keep the content simple by using plain text and abstaining from incorporating links in the early days. As you proceed, begin to add only your domain’s links. For tips on common content pitfalls, check out these free techniques to avoid spam filters; they complement this manual warm-up method well.
Example of a starter note to adapt:
Hi Sam, testing my new domain today. Mind replying with a quick “got it”? Thanks for the help.
Short, direct requests are most likely to prompt reliable replies.
Purpose: Transition from warm-up to outreach without triggering suspicion.
Raise your daily sending numbers gradually, adding just a few new recipients at a time. Continue most of your sending within your peer network until email metrics look healthy and stable. Don’t make sudden jumps from a handful of emails to a large outreach all at once.
As you begin introducing real prospects, maintain a ratio heavily tilted toward known contacts who will reply. Still avoid sending attachments, multiple images, or more than one link per message. Stay focused on one simple, clear ask per email.
Closely monitor for bounces or blocks. Immediately remove any address that causes a hard bounce. Always validate new recipients before bringing them into your outreach plan. Continue to avoid link shorteners, as they can trip spam filters during this phase.
Purpose: Spot issues early and maintain the reputation you’ve built.
Register your domain with Google Postmaster Tools to review your sending reputation, authentication pass rates, and spam feedback. Use Microsoft SNDS for Outlook-specific data. Stay on top of bounce codes within your sending platform for any hints of trouble.
Keep a straightforward log tracking your daily volumes, replies, bounces, and spam placements. If you notice a negative trend, slow down your sends or pause for a day, then resume at a lower volume and focus on replies from your trusted group.
If manual management becomes overwhelming, consider a responsible automated tool. This Manual vs Automatic Email Warm Up comparison explains when a tool can help automate repetitive steps without sacrificing authenticity.
Not spam. Double-check that SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are passing on recent email headers.
If you hit a roadblock, return to Steps 3 and 4 for another week, focus on generating replies and having messages moved to the inbox. Then, scale up again more slowly.
Manual warm-up is all about discipline, not budget. Start with a carefully authenticated domain, begin at a low volume, foster real conversations, and increase your sending numbers slowly. Meticulously track your reputation signals and pause at the first sign of trouble. With patience, your new domain will earn trust and qualify for steady inbox delivery.
If you want a quick audit or a customized plan for your domain, consider consulting with email deliverability specialists, such as the experts available at MailAdept. They can review your records, routines, and sending volumes, then recommend clear next steps tailored to your needs.
Email domain warm-up is the process of gradually increasing your email sending volume to build and maintain a positive reputation with mailbox providers. This helps ensure your emails land in the inbox instead of the spam folder.
SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are essential in demonstrating that your emails are legitimate, verifying sender identity, and protecting against phishing. They help ensure your domain's emails are authenticated and align with best practices for deliverability.
No, it's recommended to disable link tracking during the warm-up phase because links from a new domain can appear suspicious to email filters. Keeping your emails simple and free of tracking during this period helps establish trust with mailbox providers.
To build engagement, send brief, personal messages to a small group of known contacts across different email platforms like Gmail and Outlook. Encourage them to reply and interact with your messages by marking them as not spam if necessary.
If emails land in spam, stop adding new recipients and focus on replies from trusted contacts who can mark your messages as not spam. Verify that your SPF, DKIM, and DMARC configurations are correctly set up and passing checks.
Increase your sending volume gradually once you're receiving positive engagement signals and your email reputation stabilizes. Introduce new recipients slowly while keeping most of your interactions with trusted contacts who will respond.
Use tools like Google Postmaster Tools and Microsoft SNDS to monitor your domain's reputation, authentication results, and spam feedback. Regularly check bounce codes and maintain a detailed log to spot any issues early.
