Oh mate, you're already doing better than half the "gurus" selling cold email courses. Asking questions before you break something? Revolutionary. You'd be surprised how many people just chuck leads into Instantly and wonder why they're blacklisted within a week.
One month warmup is the sweet spot. Anyone telling you two weeks is a shortcut to spam folder glory. 15 warmup emails per inbox per day is solid - keeps that reputation building without looking like a bot that's had too much coffee. Three inboxes per domain is the standard, so that's spot on.
now for the bits that will save your arse later. first, verify your SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are actually passing, not just sitting there like a placeholder. MXToolbox will tell you in five minutes. Silent authentication failures are the number one reason new setups burn through domains like they're on fire.
second - and this is where almost everyone fucks up - keep the warmup running after you start campaigns. It's not a phase. It's not a "I did that bit, move on" thing. Keep a trickle going in the background permanently. Treat it like the background noise of your sending infrastructure. most beginners stop warmup the day they press send, and then wonder why their reputation drops off a cliff.
Third, don't be a hero on day one. You don't go from warmup to 50 emails per inbox per hour overnight. Start at 5-10 per inbox per day, then ramp over 2-3 weeks. The warmup built the foundation, your campaign ramp either reinforces it or crumbles it. seen too many newbies get impatient and nuke their deliverability in three days.
Last: scrub your leads before you send a single email. Even good lists have dead addresses. Three inboxes per domain gives you zero buffer - a 5% bounce rate can tank your reputation before you've sent a hundred messages.
The conservative ramp approach? That's why our clients don't cry into their domain registrars after month one. You're on the right track - now don't get cocky and undo it all with a single enthusiastic Monday morning send.
