14-Day Warm-Up Checklist for a Fresh Domain

14-Day Warm-Up Checklist for a Fresh Domain
A cold inbox blasted on day one lands in spam. Here's the ramp that doesn't.

— Day 1-3: connect to a warm-up pool (Instantly, Smartlead, or Warmbox). Cap at 5-10 sends/day per mailbox.
— Day 4-7: bump to 20/day. Keep open-rate replies inside the pool above 30%.
— Day 8-11: introduce real recipients at a 1:4 ratio against warm-up traffic.
— Day 12-14: push to 40/day, then hold. Don't jump to 100 on day 15.

Throughout: SPF, DKIM, DMARC live before send one. Custom tracking domain, not the shared default.

Pros
— Cheap insurance against a burned domain
— Pool reputation transfers to real sends
Cons
— Two weeks of zero pipeline
— Warm-up opens are synthetic, not buyer intent

Verdict: Skip the ramp and you'll re-buy domains monthly. Worth the wait. 4.5/5.

Who it's for: Anyone spinning up new sending domains for cold outreach.