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Email Deliverability Audit Checklist

20 checks across 5 categories. Work through each one to make sure your emails land in the primary inbox—not spam, not promotions.

0 / 20 complete
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1. Domain Setup & Authentication 0/5
SPF record is published and valid
Check via MXToolbox. Your SPF record should include all sending sources and end with ~all or -all.
Critical
DKIM is configured on all sending domains
Every domain and subdomain you send from needs a DKIM signature. Verify the selector is published in DNS.
Critical
DMARC policy is set to at least p=quarantine
A DMARC policy of none offers no protection. Move to quarantine or reject after verifying alignment.
Critical
Sending domains are lookalike / secondary domains
Never send cold outreach from your main company domain. Use variations like getcompany.com or trycompany.com to protect your brand reputation.
Critical
Custom tracking domain is set up (no shared tracking)
Shared tracking domains are flagged by spam filters. Use a custom CNAME pointing to your ESP's tracking infrastructure.
High
2. Mailbox Warm-Up 0/4
New mailboxes are warmed for at least 3–4 weeks before sending
Start with 5–10 emails/day and ramp slowly. Sending at volume from a cold mailbox is the fastest way to get blacklisted.
Critical
Warm-up is running through a private pool (not shared)
Shared warm-up pools contain spammy inboxes that can contaminate your reputation. Use a vetted private pool.
High
Warm-up remains active even during live campaigns
Warm-up should never stop. Ongoing warm-up signals to ESPs that your mailbox is active and engaged.
High
Deliverability score is monitored weekly (target 90+%)
Use your warm-up tool's deliverability dashboard. If scores drop below 85%, pause sending and investigate.
High
3. Email Content & Formatting 0/5
Emails are plain text or minimal HTML (no heavy templates)
Cold outreach should look like a personal email. Heavy HTML templates with images, buttons, and tables are major spam triggers.
Critical
No spam trigger words in subject lines or body
Avoid words like "FREE", "GUARANTEED", "CLICK HERE", "ACT NOW", "LIMITED TIME". Run copy through a spam checker before sending.
High
Max 1 link per email (ideally zero in the first email)
Multiple links dramatically increase spam scores. For first touches, consider no links at all and ask for a reply instead.
High
Emails include an unsubscribe option or opt-out mechanism
Required for CAN-SPAM compliance. A simple "reply with 'unsubscribe'" is enough—don't use tracked unsubscribe links on cold sequences.
Medium
Personalization variables are tested and rendering correctly
Send test emails to multiple inboxes before launching. Broken merge tags like "Hi {{first_name}}" destroy credibility and flag spam filters.
High
4. Sending Behaviour & Volume 0/3
Daily send volume per inbox is capped at 30–50 emails max
Going over this with a relatively new inbox will spike spam complaints. Distribute volume across multiple inboxes instead of blasting from one.
Critical
Sending is spread across multiple inboxes (inbox rotation)
Use 3–5 inboxes per domain and rotate sending across them. This distributes risk and scales volume safely.
High
Random time delays between sends are enabled
Sending all emails at the exact same second looks robotic. Enable random delays of 3–8 minutes between sends to mimic human behaviour.
Medium
5. List Quality & Data Hygiene 0/3
All email addresses are verified before sending
Use tools like NeverBounce, ZeroBounce, or Millionverifier. Bounce rates over 3% will severely damage your domain reputation.
Critical
Bounces, unsubscribes, and spam complaints are suppressed immediately
Any contact that bounced, unsubscribed, or marked you as spam must be permanently suppressed across all your sequences.
Critical
Existing customers and active leads are excluded from cold sequences
Sending cold outreach to existing contacts is brand-damaging and a compliance risk. Maintain and apply a suppression list before every campaign launch.
High

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