My complete deliverability audit checklist. Use this before every campaign
inboxpro · 2026-02-01 · 3,120 views
Before launching any cold email campaign I run through this deliverability audit checklist.
1. SPF, DKIM, DMARC all passing — use PuzzleInbox spam checker or MXToolbox
2. Domain not on any blacklists — check MXToolbox blacklist monitor
3. Inbox placement test via GlockApps — must be 85%+ inbox placement
4. Warmup running for minimum 14 days
5. Sending volume under 20 emails per inbox per day
6. No links in first email
7. No tracking pixels if possible
8. Unsubscribe mechanism present
9. Physical address in signature
10. Email copy under 100 words
11. No spam trigger words (free, guaranteed, limited time)
12. Custom domain tracking enabled if using tracking
13. Reply handling system set up
14. Bounce list exclusion confirmed
Run this checklist every single time. It takes 10 minutes and will save you from burning inboxes and domains. Most deliverability problems I see are caused by skipping one of these steps.
Comments (6)
replykng · 2026-01-24
SaaS targeting mid-market: consistently 3-5% reply rate, about 1.5% positive reply rate. running 25 inboxes, 15-18 emails per inbox per day. these are real numbers not inflated BS
recruitingrachel · 2026-01-24
recruiting niche: 5-7% reply rate but we have a naturally higher response rate because people are always open to job opportunities. cold email for recruiting is basically cheat mode honestly
enterprise_closer · 2026-01-25
enterprise sales targeting VP+ at F500: 2-3% reply rate, maybe 0.8% positive. sounds low but when deal sizes are $200k+ the ROI is still incredible. hitting 4%+ reply rates so the emails are landing, the reply rate is just harder at enterprise
outboundowen · 2026-01-25
agency clients across multiple verticals: average is 3-4% reply rate. the clients with the best targeting and personalization hit 5%+. the ones who insist on spray and pray barely crack 2%
inboxpro · 2026-01-26
anyone who claims 10%+ reply rates on cold email at scale is either lying or sending to a very warm list. 3-5% is the realistic range for good infrastructure + good copy + good targeting. and that's excellent.
frustratedfrank · 2026-01-26
i'm at 1.2% reply rate and feeling terrible about it. this thread actually makes me feel better knowing 3-5% is the benchmark. at least I know where the gap is now