Cold email basics · Updated Oct 8, 2026

How inboxes decide

In short

Gmail and Outlook decide, email by email, whether to show it in the inbox or file it as spam. They ask three things: is it really from you, do people want mail from you, and does this email look like spam?

The three questions

Is it really from you?: Your domain's SPF, DKIM and DMARC records prove it. Without them, anyone could pretend to be you, so mail without them is distrusted.
Do people want your mail?: Your reputation, built from how people react: replies and moving mail out of spam help; bounces, spam reports and ignored mail hurt. New mailboxes have no history, which is why warm-up exists.
Does this email look like spam?: Many links or images, attachments, spammy words, a misleading subject, or the same text sent to thousands of people.

What a person does, and what a spammer does

Inboxes trust mail that looks like it came from a person writing to one other person:

Volume: Looks like a person: A few dozen emails a day per mailbox; Looks like a spammer: Hundreds from a brand-new mailbox

Timing: Looks like a person: Spread through working hours, with gaps; Looks like a spammer: All at once

Addresses: Looks like a person: Real, checked addresses; Looks like a spammer: Old lists full of dead addresses

Content: Looks like a person: Short, plain, personal, one link at most; Looks like a spammer: Designed, many links and images, the same for everyone

Reactions: Looks like a person: Some replies; Looks like a spammer: Bounces and spam reports

	Looks like a person	Looks like a spammer
Volume	A few dozen emails a day per mailbox	Hundreds from a brand-new mailbox
Timing	Spread through working hours, with gaps	All at once
Addresses	Real, checked addresses	Old lists full of dead addresses
Content	Short, plain, personal, one link at most	Designed, many links and images, the same for everyone
Reactions	Some replies	Bounces and spam reports

How SendPath helps with each

Proof it's you: What SendPath does: Checks your DNS every day and shows the exact record to add.; Read more: DNS

Reputation: What SendPath does: Warms up new mailboxes and stops a mailbox before its bounces hurt your domain.; Read more: Warm-up

Volume and timing: What SendPath does: Spreads emails across mailboxes, inside daily caps and your schedule, with gaps.; Read more: Sending rules

Addresses: What SendPath does: Verifies every address and never emails a suppressed one.; Read more: Verification

Content: What SendPath does: Inbox readiness scores each email as you write it.; Read more: Inbox readiness

Part	What SendPath does	Read more
Proof it's you	Checks your DNS every day and shows the exact record to add.	DNS
Reputation	Warms up new mailboxes and stops a mailbox before its bounces hurt your domain.	Warm-up
Volume and timing	Spreads emails across mailboxes, inside daily caps and your schedule, with gaps.	Sending rules
Addresses	Verifies every address and never emails a suppressed one.	Verification
Content	Inbox readiness scores each email as you write it.	Inbox readiness

No tool can promise the inbox: each provider decides for itself. Doing all five well is what moves the odds.

Was this page helpful?

Deliverability checklistEverything to check before and while you send, in one list.Set up your domain (DNS)The four DNS records that prove your mail is yours, what to add for each, and where to add them.Warm-upHow warm-up builds a new mailbox's reputation, how long it takes, and how to read the Warm-up page.

Something missing or wrong? Email support@sendpath.ai.