Skipping warmup is the fastest way to burn a new sending domain. This is the 28-day schedule we use for every new client domain, refined across hundreds of warmups.
Before day 1
- Buy a secondary domain (
get-yourbrand.com), never use your primary - 301 redirect the secondary to your real website
- Set up SPF, DKIM, DMARC (start DMARC at
p=none) - Create 2–3 inboxes per domain (e.g.
first.last@) - Add a real signature, photo, and full name to each inbox
- Connect a warmup tool (Mailwarm, Smartlead, Warmbox)
Full deliverability stack walkthrough: deliverability guide.
The 28-day volume table (per inbox)
- Days 1–3: 5–8 warmup-only emails/day
- Days 4–7: 10–15 warmup/day
- Days 8–10: 15–25 warmup + 5 real sends/day
- Days 11–14: 25–35 warmup + 10–15 real sends
- Days 15–18: 30 warmup + 20–30 real sends
- Days 19–22: 25 warmup + 30–40 real sends
- Days 23–28: 20 warmup + 40–60 real sends
- Day 29+: production volume (40–80/day per inbox)
What "real sends" should look like during warmup
Don't blast your full list during warmup. Send to your highest-quality 10–20%, verified emails, target accounts most likely to engage. High engagement during warmup teaches mailbox providers that your domain sends wanted mail.
Signals to watch
- Bounce rate: if it crosses 3% on any day, pause and audit your list
- Open rate: should climb week over week, if it drops, slow the ramp
- Reply rate: early replies (even from warmup tools) build reputation
- Spam complaints: any complaint is a red flag this early
Common warmup mistakes
- Doubling volume between days instead of incremental ramps
- Sending only to bought lists during warmup
- Turning off warmup the moment production starts (keep it running 30%+ as background)
- Warming multiple inboxes from the same IP at once without staggering
We handle warmup, monitoring and inbox rotation for every client, it's the boring half of cold email, and the half most teams underweight. Talk to us if you want to skip the 28-day learning curve.