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Email Sending Guide: Best Practices
Email Sending Guide: Best Practices
Champ avatar
Written by Champ
Updated this week

Phase 1: Setting Up Your Email Sending Domain


Step 1: The Importance of a Dedicated Sending Domain

A dedicated sending domain offers several key benefits for your business:

  • Brand Control: Ensures emails appear as if they’re directly from your business.

  • Deliverability: Reduces the chances of your emails being flagged as spam.

  • Reputation Management: Helps maintain a positive standing with email service providers.

Note: Dedicated sending domains are available exclusively for users of the OS Support Email System.


Step 2: Choose a Unique Subdomain

Selecting a unique subdomain is crucial for effective email deliverability. Avoid using generic prefixes, which may lead to issues.

Examples of unique subdomains:

  • mail.yourdomain.com

  • support.yourdomain.com

  • reply.yourdomain.com


Step 3: Create Your Dedicated Sending Domain

  1. Navigate to: Settings -> Email Services

  2. Click: The "Dedicated Domain" button.

  3. Provide Details: Enter the necessary information into the system. Share these details with your DNS manager, based on your domain host. Supported hosts include:

    • GoDaddy

    • Google Domains

    • Hostgator

    • Hover

    • Namecheap

    • Squarespace

    • AWS

    • Cloudflare

    • Bluehost

    • Hostinger

    • InMotion

    • Hostwinds


Step 4: Verify and Apply DNS Records

To activate your dedicated sending domain:

  • Update your company’s DNS records with the new information provided.

  • Apply these changes on your DNS provider’s platform.

Note: Each domain host may have slightly different steps for implementing DNS records.


Step 5: Configure a Dedicated Sending Domain for Targeted Email Categories

  1. Navigate to: Settings -> Email Service

  2. Select: SMTP Service -> Dedicated Domain and IP -> Domain Configuration

Important: Domains can currently be assigned to specific email types such as One-to-One Conversations and Workflow Emails. The default dedicated domain will handle other categories like Campaigns and Bulk Emails.

Phase 2: Setting Up DMARC Records


DMARC Checker: dmarcian, mxtoolbox

DMARC Generator: powerdmarc

Step 1: Access Your DNS Settings

Log in to your domain registrar or DNS hosting provider (e.g., GoDaddy, Cloudflare).


Step 2: Create a DMARC Record

Add the following details to your DNS settings:

  • Record Type: TXT

  • Name: Use your domain name (e.g., _dmarc.yourdomain.com).

  • Value:
    v=DMARC1; p=none;

You can replace none with:

  • quarantine: Sends suspicious emails to the spam folder.

  • reject: Blocks all failing emails.


Step 3: Publish the Record

Add the DMARC record to your DNS settings.

Example for a Domain:

  • Record Type: TXT

  • Host: _dmarc.yourdomain.com (replace "yourdomain.com" with your domain name).

  • Value: v=DMARC1; p=none;

Example for a Subdomain:

  • Record Type: TXT

  • Host: _dmarc.support (replace "support" with your subdomain).

  • Value: v=DMARC1; p=none;

Your DMARC setup is complete!

Phase 3: Clean & Import Your Contact List



Uploading Made Easy

Our Upload Contacts feature ensures a smooth and efficient way to transfer your contact information to the platform. Whether you’re uploading a single contact or a full list, the process is quick and hassle-free. Simply upload your spreadsheet and streamline your workflow.


Preparing Your File for Upload

1. Use the Correct File Format

  • Save your file in .csv format.

  • Ensure the file contains only one spreadsheet and is under 50MB.

  • Include a header row that matches the CRM fields for a smooth import.


2. Include Key Columns

  • Add essential columns like Name, Email, and Phone Number.

  • Properly match these fields during the upload to avoid errors or missing data.


3. Assign a Contact Owner

  • Include the contact owner's name in the format "FirstName LastName" or "LastName FirstName".

  • Both names are required for the system to recognize the user during the upload.


4. Format Phone Numbers

  • Use E.164 format (e.g., +1 1234567890) for global compatibility.

  • Alternate formats like 123-456-7890 or (123) 456-7890 are also accepted if the country is set to the US.


5. Use Accepted Date Formats

  • Supported formats include mm/dd/yyyy and yyyy/mm/dd.

  • You can use separators like /, -, or . for flexibility.


6. Tag Your Contacts

  • Add tags in formats like "Value 1, Value 2, Value 3" to ensure they are recognized during the import.

Phase 4: Bulk Email Verification


Why Verify Your Email List?

Verifying your email list is essential to ensure your contact information is accurate, effective, and ready for optimal performance in OS.


The Importance of Email Validation

  • Accurate: Ensures email addresses are correctly formatted and error-free.

  • Authentic: Confirms the email is linked to an active mailbox.

  • Deliverable: Verifies the email can successfully receive messages.


Why Email Validation Matters

  1. Improves Deliverability:

    • Boosts your sender reputation by removing invalid addresses.

    • Increases the chances of your emails reaching inboxes.

  2. Optimizes Marketing Metrics:

    • Enhances open rates, click-through rates (CTR), and click-to-open ratios (CTOR).

  3. Protects Your Reputation:

    • Reduces bounce rates, safeguarding your IP address and domain reputation.

    • Prevents emails from being marked as spam.


The Impact on Email Deliverability

  • Protects IP and Domain Reputation: Email clients rely on these reputations to determine whether to deliver or flag your emails.

  • Minimizes Bounce Rates: Validation ensures your messages reach the intended recipients, preserving your sender credibility.


How to Use Bulk Email Verification

Follow these simple steps to verify your email list:

  1. Access Contacts:

    • Go to the Contacts tab from the left sidebar menu.

    • Click on the Smart Lists tab in the top menu.

  2. Select Contacts:

    • Use sorting and filtering options to select the contacts you want to verify.

    • Click the Bulk Email Verification button in the toolbar.

  3. Initiate Verification:

    • Add a description for the action (e.g., "Email Verification | Date").

    • Click Ok, Proceed to start the verification process.

  4. Monitor Progress:

    • Track the verification status on the Bulk Actions page to view the number of valid and processed emails.

Note: Each email verification costs $0.002625 per email or $26.25 per 10,000 emails.

Phase 5: Setup Your Valid Emails Smart List



To ensure your email campaigns are reaching the right audience and performing at their best, it’s crucial to maintain a list of active, engaged contacts. A “Valid Email Smart List” is a dynamic and automated way to manage your contacts, ensuring your campaigns are sent to those most likely to engage. By applying specific filters, you can quickly build a list that meets the criteria of an active and responsive audience.

Here are the key filters to create a Valid Email Smart List for your email campaigns:

1. Email is Not Empty

This filter ensures that only contacts with valid email addresses are included in your Smart List. It excludes any records where the email field is missing or blank, guaranteeing that you're not wasting time or resources sending emails to contacts who don't have email addresses.

2. Email is Valid

Along with ensuring the email field is not empty, this filter verifies that the email addresses in your list are valid. This helps reduce the risk of bounced emails, which could negatively affect your sender reputation and overall deliverability. It ensures your emails are more likely to reach the inbox and avoid spam folders.

3. Email is Not on Do Not Disturb

The "Do Not Disturb" filter automatically excludes contacts who have opted out of receiving communications or marked themselves as unavailable for emails. By applying this filter, you ensure that you're not sending emails to people who have specifically requested not to receive them, which helps you stay compliant with email marketing best practices and privacy regulations.

4. Last Email Opened Date is Less Than 6 Months Ago (Optional)

To focus on the most engaged contacts, this filter targets those who have interacted with your emails recently. By only including contacts who have opened an email in the last six months, you ensure that your list is composed of active recipients. This not only improves the relevance of your email content but also increases the chances of your campaigns generating positive results.

Why Use Valid Email Smart Lists?

By combining these filters, you create a clean, engaged, and highly relevant list of contacts for your email campaigns. This approach not only improves your email deliverability but also helps you avoid wasting resources on invalid or uninterested contacts. A Valid Email Smart List ensures your campaigns are reaching the right people, improving both engagement and ROI.



Phase 6. Email Warm Up


Mailbox providers will often SPAM emails from new dedicated email domains.

Mailbox providers often flag emails from new dedicated sending domains as SPAM. This is understandable, as anyone can create a new domain and start sending emails, including spammers. By following the Email Best Practices outlined below and adhering to Email Sending Recommendations, you can significantly improve your chances of reaching the inbox and converting leads.

Email Sending Recommendations

When you start sending emails from a new domain, it’s crucial to gradually warm up the domain by emailing only those who have opted in. In addition, follow the "Email Sending Recommendations" to avoid overwhelming inboxes with too many emails in a short period.

The key here is to control the number of emails you send per hour and per day. For example, during your first round of emails, aim to send no more than 100 emails per hour and 1,000 emails per day. As you progress to the next stage of your domain’s warm-up, you can gradually increase this limit to 300 emails per hour and 2,500 per day. Remember, the stage is determined by both the time elapsed and the current sending volume of your domain.

Pro Tips for Sending Your First Warm-Up Emails

  1. Stick to Email Best Practices
    Ensure you follow email best practices to improve your reputation with mailbox providers.

  2. Adhere to Email Sending Recommendations
    Don’t exceed the recommended limits on email volume during the warm-up phase.

  3. Start Slow
    Send fewer emails initially. This helps to build your sender reputation gradually and avoid being flagged as spam.

  4. Send In Drip Mode
    When sending emails, make sure to drip out your emails over a period of time and not all at once. This will allow for a better reputation & increased deliverability.

  5. Only Send to Opted-In Emails
    Engage with emails that have opted in to receive communications. These contacts are more likely to engage, which boosts your email reputation.

  6. Avoid Cold Emailing Early On
    Cold emailing, or emailing people who haven’t opted in, can negatively impact deliverability. It’s best to avoid cold emailing during the warm-up phase. If you do need to cold email later, ensure your list is clean and compliant.

  7. Keep Emails Concise
    Short, clear emails perform better. Focus on key information and make it easy for recipients to understand the message.

  8. Include Relevant Images
    Adding images can enhance engagement, but make sure they are appropriate for the content.

  9. Avoid Public Link Shorteners
    Refrain from using link shorteners like bit.ly or tinyurl. These can be flagged by spam filters, reducing your deliverability.

Email Sending Schedule Recommendation

Email #

Day

Recipients

Hourly Limit

Daily Limit

1

Day 1

500

100

500

2

Day 3

750

200

750

3

Day 5

1,000

300

1,000

4

Day 7

1,250

350

1,250

5

Day 9

1,500

400

1,500

6

Day 11

1,750

500

1,750

7

Day 14

2,000

600

2,000

8

Day 17

2,500

700

2,500

9

Day 20

3,000

800

3,000

10

Day 23

3,500

900

3,500

11

Day 26

4,000

1,000

4,000

12

Day 29

5,000

1,250

5,000

Phase 7: Enable Email Validation


What is it? Email Validation will check if the email you are sending is valid or not. Sending to an invalid email can negatively impact your email deliverability.

Why it matters? If you send emails that do not exist or are not valid, it harms your domain reputation leading to poor email deliverability. Meaning emails will go to spam or not be accepted into the mailbox at all.

How to enable it? We’ve actually made it as easy as possible to validate your emails, it is a setting in your Sub-Accounts Settings.

  1. Enabling Email Verification for the Sub-Account

    1. Sub-Account View > Business Profile > Scroll to the “Verify Email Address when the first email is sent to a new contact” > check box.

Phase 8: Best Practices


Now that your new sending domain is set up, it is critical for you to set yourself up for a successful landing into people’s inboxes and NOT their spam folder. Before you get started sending, ensure you have set up and followed these necessary best practices.

1. Enable “Mark Email Invalid from Hard Bounce.”

What is it? An email bounce occurs when an email is not delivered or rejected by the recipient's email provider. There are two types of bounces.

  1. A hard bounce occurs when an email address does not exist.

  2. A soft bounce is a temporary failure, and some more reasons, like the recipient servers being down or the mailbox being full.

Why it matters? Too many bounced emails will harm your domain reputation leading to emails going to SPAM. This is why marking hard-bounced emails as invalid is important to enable.

How to enable it? You can choose to mark emails as invalid if they bounce from within the Sub-Account Settings.

  • Enabling Email Verification for the Sub-Account

    • Sub-Account View > Business Profile > Scroll to the “Mark Emails as invalid due to Hard Bounce” > check box.

2. Use the Proper “From Email” (VERY IMPORTANT)

What is it? The “From Email” is the email a recipient will see when receiving an email. For example, your Sending Domain might be “mail.goOS.com” however, you can send your From Email as “test@teamos.ai” or as “test@mail.teamos.ai.”

Why it matters? Using a “from email” that does not match the primary domain you are sending from can result in poor email deliverability.

How to Set It Up? Whenever you are sending from OS, be sure your “From Email” has your primary domain in the “From Email.” So if you set up replies.yourcompany.com, you can send from sender_name@company.com.

For example, if I have a sending domain of “mail.teamos.ai” – My From Email needs to have “teamos.ai” in the email address, such as “brian@teamos.ai”. Any other record will result in poor email deliverability.

3. Add Unsubscribe Links

What is it? An unsubscribe link allows your users to “unsubscribe” from receiving emails from you in the future.

Why it Matters? Not having an unsubscribe link will severely harm your email deliverability rates.

How to Set It Up? We make it as easy as possible to add an unsubscribe link all of your emails. Within the email builder, our “Footer” Element. Be sure to use this or edit and create your own.

4. Use Double Opt-In

What is it? A Double Opt-In is when you ask subscribers to opt-in twice. For example, they fill out a form and then “verify” their email address by clicking a link to “Verify” their email. Only after someone has double opted-in will you start sending them emails. This is in contrast to a single opt-in which will start sending emails to recipients right after the first opt-in.

Why it Matters? Double opt-ins are highly beneficial to your domain reputation and email deliverability. This is because users have double opt-in to receive emails from you. Think about it… the act of a recipient receiving their first email from you, then opening, and clicking on a link within this email looks really good for your domain. In addition, it ensures your list knows and wants to receive emails from you. Which is invaluable when list building.

5. Stop Sending to Unengaged Emails

What is it? As simple as it sounds… When sending to your email list, do not send to unengaged emails. Meaning if they do not take the action to open or perform the next step in your campaign stop sending to them.

Why does it matter? When you send to a more engaged group of people, your emails go into the inbox more often. Whereas fewer open or links clicked (engagement) will result in emails going to spam.

How do I do this? If you have been sending to the same person who has taken no action for weeks, send to them less frequently or not at all.

While it hurts to trim the list, it’ll hurt more to ruin your email deliverability due to unengaged recipients. It just isn’t worth it and there are no hard feelings for users not wanting to engage with you. Focus your efforts on those that ARE engaging with you.

It is better to stop sending to an unengaged recipient than it is to have them "unsubscribe" or "mark as SPAM."

6. Send Regularly… Just Not Too Regularly

What is it? Another large factor in your sending domain's reputation is how often you send emails. If you only send out an email blast to your list once a month or once every couple of weeks - it can negatively impact your reputation. In contrast, if you send it every day or multiple times a day, it is just as bad. Especially if in the past you didn’t send it like this.

Why does it matter? Thus, it is important to consider how often you send. When someone has opted in and is engaging (opening emails, clicking on links in those emails), then you can send a bit more. But after they are not engaged, slow it down to weekly. And as covered above, if users are unengaged, stop sending them all together. How often you send and how engaged your recipients are can play a huge role in ensuring emails arrive in the inbox.

How do I do this? There are many opinions out there on how often to send and when to send. In general, we've found success in only sending to opt-in (preferably double opt-in) recipients. After they have signed up we send them about an email a day for the first 5 days, then we slow down to a couple a week. This is until they take the action we want. If they take no action after 20 days, we only send weekly emails until we have another planned promotion.

Our Recommendations:

  • If someone has opted in (preferably a Double Opt-In) you can send to them daily for a brief time to convert them…

  • If after a week or two of no engagement, slow the sending down to them to a weekly cadence.

  • If they are not engaged for a longer time, say two months of weekly emails, stop sending them all together.

It is better to stop sending to an unengaged recipient than it is to have them "unsubscribe" or "mark as SPAM."

Phase 8: Email Tools


Are you wanting to test, track, or monitor your email domain? Below you will find a number of powerful tools for troubleshooting and monitoring your email sending and health.

Test the Spammyness of Your Emails

The content of your email can impact it’s deliverability. For example, too much text or using a URL shortener can greatly impact how mailbox providers rate your emails. If an email seems to “SPAM”-like, the mailbox provider will SPAM the email.

Did you know you can see how “spammy” your emails are by utilizing this free tool… https://www.mail-tester.com/

  1. Copy the email provided

  2. Create a new contact in OS with this new email address you copied

  3. Send your email to this new contact email address

  4. Navigate back to Mail-Tester and click “Then check my score”

  5. Review the score and make adjustments

If you are worried or seeing emails go to SPAM this can be a helpful tool in seeing if your content is to blame. Make adjustments based on the feedback you receive.

Review Your “Email Health Report”

To quickly check for errors in your domain, such as if it is blacklisted, missing a DMARC, etc, you can paste your sending domain into this “Email Health Report,” see https://mxtoolbox.com/emailhealth. This will show any number of potential issues with your domain. A great place to begin with troubleshooting or checking your domain reputation.

Advanced: Use Postmaster Tools to monitor outgoing email

Utilizing the information of every Google mailbox user you send to from your domain… the Google Postmaster tool will monitor and return valuable information on how your ongoing emails are doing. Complete with:

  1. Spam rate

  2. IP Reputation

  3. Domain Reputation

  4. Feedback Loop

  5. Authentication

  6. Encryption

  7. Delivery errors

This information is invaluable when trying to see what is impacting your sending email deliverability. Just use the tool to add a record to your sending domain to see how you are doing today!

*Please note: it can take up to two days or more for Google to get the data for some of your reports. Refresh your page and clear the cache or use an incognito window to ensure it is not a caching issue.

Phase 9: Email Pricing


What is LC Email?

LC Email acts as an email service provider hosted by the CRM, which has industry-leading Deliverability, Error Monitoring, and Compliance so your emails are much more likely to be delivered. It's also considerably less expensive when compared to other email service providers in the market.

Why was this feature built?

LC Email is designed to help accounts avoid the hassle of setting up and managing 3rd party email service providers like Mailgun or Sendgrid.

As such, we built LC Email to work out-of-the-box with minimal setup and configuration required. In short, we wanted to provide an email service that "just works."

LC Email Pricing

Pricing is $0.80 for 1,000 emails or $10 for 12,500 emails.


Note: All incoming and outgoing emails (To, CC, and BCC) will incur charges

LC Email Verification Pricing

You can request to turn on email verification, which will help to ensure you are sending emails to valid addresses. This service is charged at $2.50 per 1,000 email verifications.

Troubleshooting

Remember there are many reasons why emails can go to spam. For example, did you know using URL shorteners results in a much higher chance of going to SPAM? Email sending can be a complicated process. Which is why following the guide was created. As you review why emails are going to spam, you can follow this guide above as well as review the questions below.

In the event of your emails going to SPAM, it’s best to check the following:

  1. Check how long you have been sending emails?

    1. Remember, it can take up to 4 weeks for a domain to be warmed up.

    2. If it is less than four weeks, stay focused on the Email Best Practices & Email Sending Recommendations noted above.

    3. In addition, use our “Email Tools” section above to monitor and improve your email sending.

  2. Check Your MX Records

    1. Confirm your MX records are installed correctly.

    2. See the Review Your “Email Health Report” section above.

  3. Ensure Your DMARC is Set Up

    1. Confirm your DMARC records are installed correctly.

    2. See the Add Your DMARC Record section above.

  4. Reach out to Support

    1. If after confirming the top three steps (and the content above), you still need assistance - reach out to Support for further assistance.

FAQs

What about Cold Email Outreach?

Cold emailing is sending to a list of emails that you purchased or received without the recipient having opt-in to receive messages from you. It is not recommended to send emails to those who have not opted-in. This is especially true when warming up a new Dedicated Sending domain. If you choose to cold email in OS, we have included a number of pro tips and even some additional third-party services you can try in combination with OS.

Cold Email Outreach Pro Tips:

  1. Follow the Best Email Practices above… Especially...

    1. Ensure Email Validation is enabled

    2. Ensure “Mark Email Invalid from Hard Bounce” is enabled

  2. Follow Email Sending Recommendations

    1. Send Low Volume

      1. When you go to send your cold emails, drip them out slower than you think.

  3. Only send cold emails after your domain is warmed up.

    1. For example, if possible, send cold emails only after.

  4. Don’t send cold emails using your primary sending domain

    1. It is encouraged to not use your primary sending domain for cold email outreach as it could ruin all of your other emails.

    2. Creating a separate Sub-Account and Dedicated Domain is encouraged to ensure you protect your primary domain.

Third-Party Cold Email Services

Some clients have found success using third-party cold email tools. Then, after they are confirmed engaged leads on these third-party tools, they bring them into OS (such as an API call or by a .CSV Upload). This way their main sending domain in OS is protected while their 3rd party tool works the cold emails in the best way possible.

*Please note: the following third-party cold email links are unaffiliated with us. We have heard many of our client's suggesting them, however, they are not affiliated with us. We do not support these tools in-app and our team may have little knowledge on them. We simply hope these links help get you another step closer to your goals. htts://instantly.ai https://smartlead.ai

What if I already have a Dedication Email Sending Domain and my Emails are going to SPAM?

If you are just sending your first emails with your new domain, it is normal for them to go to SPAM at first. Follow the steps in this guide and it will improve.

If you have had your Dedicated Domain for a while and/or you have already sent hundreds or thousands of emails. It is generally best to create a new dedicated sending domain rather than attempting to fix your current one. Making a new sending domain is easy, you just need to add a new Sub-Domain - no need to purchase an entirely new domain. After creating your new one, follow these steps in detail.

What is Email Warm Up?

We will first need to “Warm Up” your email domain. As this is a NEW Dedicated Sending Domain, it does not have any reputation - good or bad. However, mailbox providers will often SPAM emails from new domains. This makes sense because anyone can make a new sending domain (like a spammer for example) and get sending.

What is Email Deliverability?

In short, “Email Deliverability” refers to how well your emails are placed in the inbox (not the spam or promotions or another place). For simplicity, you can think of email deliverability as your ability to send an email and have it arrive in the Inbox and not SPAM.

Email deliverability is super complex, consisting of dozens of unique factors. The most common ones are Sender Reputation, Subscriber Engagement, List Health, Consistency, and even your email content… When a mailbox receives an email, it considers all of these factors when choosing where to place the inbound email.

What is Domain Reputation?

Domain reputation is the rating or score given to your domain. The internet and mailbox providers rate your domain, giving it a reputation or trust score that helps determine if they should accept emails from your sending domain into the mailbox as well as if to place it in spam or promotions.

Domain Reputation, just like Email Deliverability, is complex. What is important is that both will determine how successful you are at landing outgoing emails into an Inbox and NOT into the SPAM folder.

Poor Domain Reputation = Poor Email Deliverability

That’s why we’ve outlined your Email Best Practices, Warm Up Sending Recommendations, and some FAQs below to help make this complex process - as clear as possible.

How Long Until a Domain is Warmed Up?

It can take up to four weeks for your domain to be fully warmed up with no emails coming into spam. Ensure you confirm you are practicing all of the Email Best Practices above and check out our “Email Tools” section above for ways to troubleshoot, monitor, and improve your email deliverability.

What happens if I want to send more than the recommended amount?

If you skip or do not follow the Email Best Practices or Bulk Email Sending Recommendations. Your email deliverability and domain reputation will likely decrease, resulting in emails going to SPAM. In later stages, you will be blacklisted and emails will not even be accepted by mailbox providers.

What is a Dedicated Domain?

When you sign up for LC Email, you gain access to our generic domain to send emails from today. However, this is shared by all of our users and is not the best in email deliverability. When you think about it, this makes sense, as all of our users share this domain.

With a dedicated domain, you can have greater control over your email deliverability.

How to Send Emails in Drip Mode? (Hourly and Daily Sending)

When sending your emails, it is always wise to use “drip mode” to send your emails out over a period of time, rather than all at once. To do so, you can follow the instructions in this article to learn how to perform a “Bulk Action” in OS. In short, a Bulk action will give you the option to perform a task (like sending an email) over a period of time. This works for Workflows as well.

What is an Email Bounce?

An email bounce occurs when an email is not delivered or rejected by the recipient's email provider.

There are two types of bounces.

  1. A hard bounce occurs when an email address does not exist.

  2. A soft bounce is a temporary failure, and some more reasons, like the recipient servers being down or the mailbox being full.

Did this answer your question?