Everything about email infrastructure you need to know is right here.

Success In Cold Email Isn’t Just About Crafting The Perfect Message.

It's about having the right infrastructure in place to ensure your emails are delivered, opened, and responded to.

In this newsletter, we’ll explore why having a solid cold email infrastructure is essential, what elements you need to set up, and the tools that can help streamline the process.

Why Is Cold Email Infrastructure Important?

Imagine sending dozens, or even hundreds, of emails and getting no replies. The problem might not be your message but rather how your infrastructure is set up. Without a robust infrastructure, you risk facing deliverability issues, landing in spam folders, or getting your domain blacklisted. Here are a few reasons why cold email infrastructure matters:

1. Deliverability: Poor infrastructure can send your emails straight to spam, never to be seen by your intended recipients.

2. Scalability: A good system allows you to efficiently send a higher volume of emails while maintaining quality.

3. Reputation Management: Sending emails from an improperly configured domain can damage your sender reputation, making future emails harder to deliver.

4. Efficiency: Automation tools and tracking metrics enable you to optimize outreach campaigns, freeing up your time to focus on conversions rather than technical hurdles.

Elements to Consider for Building Your Cold Email Infrastructure

Let’s break down the key components you’ll need to build out your cold email infrastructure:

1. Domain Setup & Warming

• Why it matters: Sending cold emails from your main domain can jeopardize your primary business communications. Create a separate domain specifically for outreach to mitigate this risk.

• What to do: Purchase a separate domain (e.g., if your main domain is yourcompany.com, set up yourcompany.co) and warm it up before sending any large volume of emails. Domain warming involves sending a small number of emails at first, gradually increasing the volume as your sender reputation improves.

2. Email Authentication Protocols

Setting up proper authentication protocols builds trust with Email Service Providers (ESPs) and reduces the likelihood of your emails being marked as spam.

• SPF (Sender Policy Framework): Specifies which servers are authorized to send emails on behalf of your domain.

• DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail): Uses cryptographic keys to ensure that emails aren’t tampered with during transmission.

• DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance): Helps monitor and enforce SPF and DKIM records to prevent domain spoofing.

Go to our blog for a step-by-step guide on setting it all up.

3. Email Sending Platform

A sending platform will allow you to schedule, automate, and track your cold email campaigns. These platforms also help you manage higher volumes of emails without triggering ESP spam filters.

4. List Building & Verification

The quality of your email list is a critical factor in ensuring good deliverability. High bounce rates, due to invalid or inactive addresses, will negatively impact your sender reputation. Invest in a good list-building tool and make sure to regularly verify your lists.

5. Compliance with Regulations

Cold emails are regulated by laws like the CAN-SPAM Act (in the US) and GDPR (in Europe). Ensure you’re compliant by including an opt-out option, providing valid contact information, and avoiding misleading subject lines.

Tools to Build Your Cold Email Infrastructure

Choosing the right tools is essential for building a strong and reliable cold email infrastructure. The following platforms are designed to handle the technical aspects of email deliverability, server management, and sending at scale.

1. Infraforge

• What it does: InfraForge specializes in building customized email infrastructure, providing services such as dedicated IP addresses, domain management, and email server setup. They offer comprehensive solutions for both small and large-scale email outreach.

• Why it’s great: InfraForge gives you full control over your infrastructure, allowing for advanced customization. They ensure compliance with authentication protocols like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, which are critical for maintaining deliverability and protecting your sender reputation.

• Best for: Businesses that need full ownership of their email infrastructure and want to send high volumes of cold emails without sacrificing deliverability.

2. Mailforge

• What it does: MailForge is a cloud-based platform that simplifies the process of setting up and managing email infrastructure. It offers features like IP warming, domain verification, and detailed email performance analytics.

• Why it’s great: With MailForge, you can easily scale your cold email outreach while maintaining control over key technical components like IP health and reputation. Their user-friendly dashboard makes it accessible even to non-technical users.

• Best for: Growing teams and companies that need a cloud-based infrastructure solution to support larger cold email campaigns.

3. Mailscale

• What it does: MailScale is designed to manage high-volume cold email campaigns by providing scalable infrastructure with advanced monitoring tools. It offers dedicated IPs, real-time tracking, and performance insights.

• Why it’s great: MailScale is known for its reliability and ability to handle large-scale email sending without compromising deliverability. The platform includes tools for email authentication and spam score checking to ensure your messages reach inboxes.

• Best for: Enterprises and businesses looking to manage large cold email campaigns with a focus on maintaining high deliverability rates.

4. Maildoso

• What it does: Maildoso provides an all-in-one solution for managing email infrastructure, including server setup, IP rotation, and automated domain warm-up. The platform is specifically tailored for cold email marketers looking to improve their sender reputation and avoid spam filters.

• Why it’s great: Maildoso simplifies the complex process of setting up infrastructure and automates much of the work involved in maintaining good sender reputation. It’s perfect for marketers who want to focus on outreach rather than technical setup.

• Best for: Small to medium-sized businesses that want a hands-off approach to managing their email infrastructure while ensuring high deliverability.

5. Inframail

• What it does: Inframail offers robust email infrastructure solutions, including custom SMTP servers, email routing, and dedicated IP addresses. It provides users with advanced tools to monitor email performance, spam complaints, and bounce rates.

• Why it’s great: Inframail gives businesses the ability to scale their email outreach while maintaining full control over email routing and server management. The platform also provides in-depth analytics, which is crucial for optimizing cold email campaigns.

• Best for: Tech-savvy teams and larger organizations that need deep customization options for managing email servers and want granular control over deliverability metrics.

For a comprehensive comparison of these 5 tools, read our latest article.