The complete DNS checklist I run before warming up any new cold email domain in 2026 so it never gets burned on day one
dns_launch_prep_reza · 2026-07-18 · 1,230 views
I have set up cold email domains from scratch over 40 times. The first five I burned because DNS was either wrong or incomplete before warmup started. Here is the exact checklist I follow now, in order.
Before registering anything.
Pick a domain name that reads like a real company, not a cold email stack. The From field in every email you send will show this domain. Think about how it reads to a prospect who has never heard of you. That is the only audience that matters during this step.
Registration and DNS hosting.
I register through Google Domains or Cloudflare. Both give clean DNS management and are well-regarded by Google's classification systems. I avoid bulk registrars that cater specifically to cold email operators. Google tracks registrar patterns and it matters more than people admit.
SPF record.
Set before warmup starts. A single SPF record listing your Google Workspace servers specifically. If you use PuzzleInbox they configure this as part of the inbox setup flow and you do not touch it manually. Confirm with MXToolbox that it is passing before warmup begins.
DKIM.
Generated from Google Workspace Admin console, added to DNS, verified passing in MXToolbox. 20 minutes to set up correctly. Zero minutes if PuzzleInbox handles it for you as part of their provisioning process.
DMARC.
Start at p=none with rua= pointing to a reporting inbox you actually check. Run monitoring mode for 30 days. Move to p=quarantine after a clean 30 days. I stay at p=quarantine for 60 more days before considering p=reject. Moving too fast on DMARC strictness is its own risk and I have seen it cause deliverability problems in domains that were otherwise clean.
MX records.
Confirm MX records point to Google Workspace mail servers. An inbox that cannot receive email cannot receive replies. Sounds obvious. I have seen it misconfigured.
GlockApps placement test before the first cold send.
Run a placement test after warmup and before any cold email goes out. Below 85 percent inbox placement, do not send. Find the problem first. GlockApps will usually tell you exactly what is failing.
The full checklist takes about 45 minutes on a fresh domain. The PuzzleInbox setup flow handles SPF, DKIM, DMARC, and MX automatically, cutting that to about 15 minutes of verification work on my end. Boring checklist. Zero burned domains since I started following it consistently.