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Setting Up Secondary Domains and Email Accounts for Cold Outreach: A Guide

11 September, 2024 7 Mins Read

Cold outreach can be a highly effective way to generate leads and grow your business. But sending emails from your primary domain carries risks, such as damaging your domain’s reputation and increasing the likelihood of being marked as spam. Setting up secondary domains and email accounts is a strategic approach to mitigate these risks and enhance your cold outreach efforts. This blog will walk you through the process of setting up secondary domains and email accounts for cold outreach, ensuring your campaigns are successful and your primary domain remains secure.


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Why Use Secondary Domains for Cold Outreach?

Using secondary domains for cold outreach offers several key benefits:

  1. Protecting Your Primary Domain: By using a secondary domain, you safeguard your primary domain’s reputation. This is crucial because once a domain is flagged as spam, it can be challenging to recover its standing.
  2. Improving Deliverability: Secondary domains can improve email deliverability rates. By rotating between multiple domains, you reduce the chances of any single domain being blacklisted.
  3. Testing and Optimization: Secondary domains allow you to test different outreach strategies and optimize your campaigns without risking your main domain.

Step-by-Step Guide to Setting Up Secondary Domains

Step 1: Choose Your Secondary Domain

Selecting a secondary domain that aligns with your brand is essential. Here are a few tips:

  • Keep it Professional: Ensure the domain name looks professional and is relevant to your business.
  • Avoid Numbers and Special Characters: These can make your domain look spammy and untrustworthy.
  • Consider Similarity: Your secondary domain should be similar to your primary domain to maintain brand consistency.

Step 2: Register Your Domain

Once you’ve chosen a suitable domain, the next step is to register it. Use a reputable domain registrar like GoDaddy, Namecheap, or Google Domains. Follow these steps:

  1. Search for Domain Availability: Use the registrar’s search tool to check if your desired domain is available.
  2. Register the Domain: Follow the prompts to purchase and register the domain. You may need to provide some personal information and select a registration period (typically one year or more).
  3. Enable Domain Privacy Protection: This option helps keep your personal information private, preventing spam and unwanted solicitations.

Step 3: Set Up Domain Hosting and DNS

After registering your domain, you need to set up hosting and configure the DNS settings. Here’s how:

  1. Choose a Hosting Provider: Select a reliable hosting provider like Bluehost, SiteGround, or HostGator.
  2. Link Your Domain to Your Hosting Account: Follow the hosting provider’s instructions to link your new domain to your hosting account.
  3. Configure DNS Settings: Access the DNS settings in your domain registrar’s dashboard. You will need to update the DNS records to point to your hosting provider. Typically, this involves changing the nameservers to those provided by your host.

Step 4: Set Up Email Hosting

Now that your domain is hosted, you need to set up email hosting. Many hosting providers offer email hosting services, but you can also use dedicated email hosting providers like G Suite (Google Workspace) or Microsoft 365. Here’s how to set up email hosting:

  1. Choose an Email Hosting Provider: Decide whether to use your hosting provider’s email services or a dedicated email hosting provider.
  2. Create Email Accounts: Set up individual email accounts for your outreach campaigns. It’s a good idea to create several accounts (e.g., name@secondarydomain.com) to spread out your email sends and reduce the risk of being flagged as spam.
  3. Configure MX Records: Update the MX records in your DNS settings to point to your email hosting provider. This step ensures that emails sent to your new domain are routed correctly.

Step 5: Warm Up Your New Domain and Email Accounts

Warming up your domain and email accounts is crucial to avoid being flagged as spam. Here’s how to do it:

  1. Start Slowly: Begin by sending a small number of emails per day (e.g., 10-20) and gradually increase the volume over several weeks.
  2. Engage with Recipients: Encourage replies and interactions to improve your domain’s reputation. Respond promptly to any replies you receive.
  3. Monitor Metrics: Keep an eye on key metrics like open rates, click-through rates, and bounce rates. High bounce rates or low engagement can signal problems with your domain reputation.

Step 6: Implement Email Authentication

Email authentication helps improve your email deliverability and reduces the likelihood of your emails being marked as spam. Implement the following authentication methods:

  1. SPF (Sender Policy Framework): Add an SPF record to your DNS settings to specify which mail servers are allowed to send emails on behalf of your domain.
  2. DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail): Enable DKIM to add a digital signature to your emails, verifying that they haven’t been altered during transit.
  3. DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance): Implement DMARC to provide instructions to receiving mail servers on how to handle unauthenticated emails from your domain.

Step 7: Use Email Sending Software

To manage your cold outreach campaigns efficiently, use email-sending software. These tools offer features like email scheduling, tracking, and automation. Some popular options include:

  • Mailshake: A user-friendly tool designed for cold outreach.
  • Reply.io: Offers advanced automation and AI-powered features.
  • Woodpecker: Provides personalized email sequences and follow-ups.

Step 8: Monitor and Optimize Your Campaigns

Continuous monitoring and optimization are key to successful cold outreach. Here’s what to focus on:

  1. Track Performance Metrics: Use your email-sending software to track open rates, click-through rates, reply rates, and bounce rates.
  2. A/B Testing: Experiment with different subject lines, email content, and sending times to determine what works best.
  3. Analyze Feedback: Pay attention to responses from recipients and adjust your approach based on their feedback.


Best Practices for Cold Outreach

  • Personalization: Personalize your emails to increase engagement. Use the recipient’s name, reference their company, and mention any mutual connections or common interests.
  • Clear and Concise Messaging: Keep your emails short and to the point. Clearly state the purpose of your email and what you’re offering.
  • Strong Call to Action: Include a compelling call to action (CTA) that encourages the recipient to take the next step, whether it’s scheduling a call, visiting your website, or replying to your email.
  • Follow-Up: Don’t be discouraged if you don’t receive a response to your initial email. Follow up with recipients to increase your chances of getting a reply. Be persistent but respectful, spacing out follow-up emails by a few days.
  • Compliance with Regulations: Ensure your cold outreach efforts comply with email marketing regulations, such as the CAN-SPAM Act in the United States or GDPR in Europe. This includes providing an opt-out mechanism and honoring unsubscribe requests promptly.
  • Crafting a Compelling Subject Line: Your subject line is the first thing recipients see, and it significantly impacts whether your email gets opened. Craft subject lines that are intriguing yet relevant to the recipient’s interests or pain points. Avoid using all caps or excessive punctuation, which can make your email appear spammy.
  • Timing Your Emails: The timing of your email can affect its open rate and response rate. Research the best times to send emails to your target audience. Generally, mid-week days like Tuesday and Thursday, and mid-morning times around 10 a.m., are considered optimal for higher engagement.
  • Providing Value: Ensure that every email you send offers value to the recipient. This could be in the form of useful information, a helpful resource, or a special offer relevant to their business needs. Demonstrating value right from the start can increase the chances of your email being read and acted upon.
  • Utilizing Social Proof: Incorporate social proof in your emails to build credibility and trust. Mention relevant case studies, testimonials, or well-known clients you’ve worked with. Highlighting your success stories can reassure recipients of your expertise and reliability.

Setting up secondary domains and email accounts for cold outreach is a smart strategy to protect your primary domain and improve your outreach success. By following this comprehensive guide, you can effectively manage your cold outreach campaigns, enhance email deliverability, and maintain a positive domain reputation. Remember to continuously monitor and optimize your efforts, ensuring your cold outreach remains effective and compliant with regulations. With the right approach, cold outreach can be a powerful tool for growing your business and generating new leads.


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