Setting up Smartlead correctly from the start is essential for cold email success. A proper setup covers your email account connections, your warming configuration, your sending limits, your campaign structure, and your CRM integration. Taking the time to set up each component correctly prevents the deliverability and tracking problems that plague poorly configured accounts.
Step 1: Connect Your Email Accounts
Start by connecting your sending email accounts to Smartlead. Use dedicated sending domains separate from your primary business domain to protect your main domain’s reputation. Smartlead supports Gmail, Outlook, and custom SMTP connections. Before connecting any account, ensure that SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records are correctly configured on every sending domain.
Step 2: Enable Inbox Warming
Once your email accounts are connected, enable Smartlead’s warming system for every account. Smartlead’s AI powered warming system automatically sends and receives emails between your accounts and other accounts in the warming network, building a positive sender reputation before you start your campaigns. Run warming for a minimum of two to four weeks before sending any cold outreach from a new account.
Step 3: Configure Your Sending Limits
Set conservative daily sending limits for each account. For newly warmed accounts, start with 20 to 30 emails per day and increase gradually over several weeks. Smartlead allows you to configure sending limits at both the account level and the campaign level, giving you precise control over your sending volume across your entire infrastructure.
Step 4: Build Your Campaign Structure
Create your campaigns in Smartlead with clear naming conventions. Add your sending accounts to each campaign and configure your sending schedule. Upload your prospect lists sourced from Apollo and write your email sequences in Smartlead’s campaign editor. Connect Smartlead to your CRM like HubSpot so every campaign response is automatically logged in your pipeline.
