
Why Your Mailbox Setup Matters
If you mess up your mailbox setup, everything else falls apart. Your emails will end up in the spam folder, and your campaign performance will tank. After working with hundreds of cold email students and testing the latest automation tools, I’ve realized that most people have no idea how to set up their mailboxes correctly. That’s where this guide comes in.
Understanding Email Basics
Before we dive into the different options, it’s important to understand a few basic concepts about how email works:
Servers: These are the backbone of your email operation. Big players like Google and Microsoft have vast, trusted server networks. On the other hand, private servers, often hosted on Amazon Web Services (AWS), don’t have the same level of trust.
Domains: Your domain is where your email is hosted, and it’s crucial to choose a reliable provider like GoDaddy. This is because GoDaddy domains come with an rDNS record, which helps improve your email deliverability.
Mailboxes: Your individual email accounts, tied to your domain, are what you’ll be using to send cold emails. Each mailbox has its own trust score, which can be influenced by factors like the age of the domain and the reputation of the server.
To avoid spam filters, you need to get all of these components right—server, domain, and mailbox. Even one misstep can send your emails straight to the spam folder.
Choosing the Right Server: Microsoft vs. Google
When it comes to cold email, you have two main options: Microsoft Office 365 and Google Workspace. Both are trusted by email providers, but they have their pros and cons.
Microsoft Office 365
Price: $6 per mailbox per month, but there’s a workaround that can get you the first year for just $2 per month through GoDaddy. After that, the price goes back up.
Ease of Use: Setting up Microsoft mailboxes is straightforward, especially with the help of GoDaddy. However, there’s a downside—you can’t add a profile picture, which can be a nice touch for building trust with your recipients.
Performance: Microsoft has been a reliable choice for cold emailers, offering strong deliverability rates. Plus, with around 46% of the business email market share, it’s a solid choice.
Google Workspace
Price: Google Workspace is more expensive, coming in at $7 per mailbox per month if you set it up yourself. However, you can find resellers who will set it up for you at around $3 per mailbox per month.
Ease of Use: Google’s identity verification process can make setting up multiple mailboxes tricky, but it’s worth it if you want that coveted profile picture and better deliverability to other Google mailboxes.
Performance: Google is the market leader in the U.S., with about 60% of business emails using their service. If provider matching is important to you—meaning Google emails deliver better to Google accounts—then this is the way to go.
The Rise of Mailbox Automation
Now, let’s talk about the new kids on the block: mailbox automation tools. These tools, like MailForge, make it ridiculously easy to create and manage cold email mailboxes. With these platforms, you can buy domains, set up mailboxes, and configure everything you need for cold email campaigns in just minutes.
Pros:
Price: Extremely cost-effective, with prices starting as low as $2 per mailbox.
Ease of Use: These tools automate everything from domain setup to DNS configuration. It’s so easy that anyone can do it.
Cons:
Performance: Here’s the catch—these tools often use new, untrusted servers, which means your emails are more likely to end up in spam. While they’re great for quickly scaling up, they require a lot of expertise to manage effectively.
My Official Recommendation
So, what’s the best approach? After testing just about every option out there, my official recommendation is to use Microsoft Office 365. Microsoft offers a solid balance of price, ease of use, and deliverability, making it a great choice for both beginners and seasoned cold emailers.
If you want to save on costs, start by purchasing your domains through GoDaddy and taking advantage of their $2 per mailbox offer for the first year. This way, you can scale up your email campaigns without breaking the bank.
Alternatively, if you’re using a tool like Instantly.ai, they offer a done-for-you setup service that includes buying the domains and setting up the mailboxes for you. It’s a bit pricier at $5 per mailbox per month, but it saves you time and hassle.
Final Thoughts
Setting up your cold email infrastructure is the first step to running a successful campaign. While it can be tempting to go for the cheapest or easiest option, remember that deliverability is king. With Microsoft Office 365, you get a trusted, reliable service that will help you keep your emails out of the spam folder and in front of your prospects.
If you’re ready to take the plunge but need a little help, reach out to me at Charm. We’ll get you set up and running in no time, so you can focus on what really matters—growing your business.