The pre-launch audit for your first cold email campaign of 2027

Before the first campaign of 2027, check six things in this order: DNS records, blacklists, warm-up, the list, a real test send, and restart volume. Start two weeks before launch, because a problem found in warm-up cannot be fixed the day you send.

This is an order of work for one launch date. For the full list of what good looks like, use the cold email deliverability checklist.

1. Are the DNS records still correct?

Run every sending domain through the DNS Records Checker. It checks SPF, DKIM, DMARC and MX in one pass, 25 domains at a time. Do not rely on last year’s result: a registrar move or a tidy-up of old records can remove one without anyone noticing. Use the SPF checker on anything that has gained a new sending service, because an SPF record over the ten-lookup limit returns permerror.

2. Is any domain on a blacklist?

Run the blacklist checker across the pool. A domain that is listed should sit out the campaign until you know why. If you added a domain in the last day, remember Spamhaus lists brand-new domains, and how soon a new domain can send explains what to wait for.

3. Did warm-up keep running?

Open the sequencer and check every inbox. Look for accounts that disconnected, because a stopped warm-up rarely announces itself. Reconnect them now and give them time before cold volume returns. New inboxes need at least two weeks of warm-up first.

4. Is the list still good?

People change jobs, and a list that was clean when you built it will not stay clean. Verify it again rather than trusting the old result, and remove anyone who has unsubscribed or asked not to be contacted. Bounces are the first number to watch once you start. Ours are 1.73%, 461 of 26,698 contacted, ranging from 1.3% to 2.4% by account, all on Microsoft 365.

5. Does a real test send pass?

Send from one inbox on each domain to a Gmail and an Outlook account you own, then open the original message and confirm SPF, DKIM and DMARC all pass. Authentication passing does not guarantee the inbox. Outlook can still file mail from an unwarmed domain as Junk, which is a reputation question rather than a setup fault, as covered in why cold emails go to Outlook Junk.

6. What volume should you restart at?

Below your usual rate, then build back up over the first days. Do not make up for a quiet period with a big first send. Your ceiling does not change either: we size Microsoft inboxes for 3 emails a day and Google inboxes for 15.

What does this audit not cover?

It covers whether mail can arrive. It says nothing about whether the offer is any good. If the audit passes and replies stay flat across every domain, look at the copy and the list next. If the drop follows one domain across many campaigns, it is a domain problem.