You can use our Deliverability AI Agent to audit your workspace, campaigns, and sending accounts.
Alternatively, you can review this checklist before launching your campaign to maximize deliverability and results.
1. Verify DNS Records
DNS(MX/SPF/DKIM/DMARC) records are critical for email deliverability. Missing records can cause bounces and spam flags.
Go to Email Accounts dashboard
Click "Test domain setup"
Verify all records show as configured
2. Complete Warmup Phase
Never send cold emails from brand-new accounts without warming up first.
Warmup Requirements:
Minimum: 2 weeks of warmup. 3 weeks for DFY AirMail accounts.
Recommended: 3-4 weeks for new domains.
Goal: Gradually build sender reputation.
3. Set Up Custom Tracking Domain
Protect your sender reputation with a custom tracking domain.
Acts as a proxy for tracking links
Isolates your reputation from others
Always enable when tracking opens or clicks in your campaigns
4. Add Leads to Campaign
The campaign won't send without leads. Check that leads appear in the Leads tab before launching.
Open your campaign and go to the Leads section
Click the Add Leads button
Choose your preferred upload method:
CSV: Upload leads from a CSV file
SuperSearch: Find and add leads using Instantly's lead database
Enter emails manually: Type or paste email addresses directly
Google Sheet: Import leads from a Google Sheets document
HubSpot: Sync leads from HubSpot
Pipedrive: Sync leads from Pipedrive
5. Save Your Sequences
Sequence emails are not auto-saved. Remember to click 'Save' after each step.
6. Assign Sending Accounts
The campaign won't send if no accounts are assigned or all assigned accounts are inactive. You need at least one active sending account to launch the campaign.
If using tags:
Confirm accounts are tagged correctly
Check that tagged accounts are active
7. Set Campaign Schedule
Campaigns send only on your selected days, times, and timezone. Configure when your emails will be sent.
8. Configure Campaign Options
Configure how each campaign behaves, from email sending rules to optimization, CRM ownership, and more. Learn the settings here.
9. Preview Email
Before launching the campaign, always preview and test your emails.
Click the "Preview" Button. A pop-up will appear where you can preview the email and send test emails.
Preview email: Select a lead in the 'Load data for lead' option. You can search for leads by email or name(same as in the campaign).
Send test emails: In the top left, you can enter recipient email addresses
Use commas to separate the email addresses, and the test email will be sent to all the recipients listed.
Choose sending accounts in the Send from section in the left panel.
10. Check Deliverability Score
Evaluate whether your emails are more likely to land in the inbox or spam folder across different providers. Try our inbox placement feature.
Ready to Launch?
Once you've completed this checklist, you're ready to click "Launch" and start your campaign!
Monitor closely for the first 24-48 hours to ensure everything performs as expected.