Akhil MK

A Two-Minute Guide to Setting Up Cold Email

August 2025

Step 1. Buy a surrogate domain

Grab a domain that looks legit but isn’t your main one. .com, .co, .org—whatever works. Keeps your main brand safe while you run cold campaigns.

Step 2. Redirect the surrogate domain to your main website

Set it up so anyone visiting your surrogate domain can get to your main site. Shows your brand exists and builds credibility.

Step 3. Make sure your landing page is live

This is where your offer lives. One page, one focus. Test it. If it’s broken, don’t send a single email.

Step 4. Create a personal email address

First-person email only. akhil@yourdomain.co works. Get a Google Workspace subscription for your email. Set up SPF, DKIM, DMARC—otherwise your emails vanish into spam.

Step 5. Pick a cold email tool and warm up the domain

Close.io, Mailshake, Lemlist—any works. Don’t overthink it. Start small: 5-10 emails/day for the first week. If your target list is tiny, write manually first. See engagement, then scale.

Message Template

Hey [Name], you might be running into [specific problem], because [specific data point or observable signal / hypothesis based on similar companies].

We helped [similar company] tackle it by [specific action you did, e.g., redesigned the 3-step onboarding flow, added in-app tutorial popups, and automated welcome emails], which led to [specific measurable outcome, e.g., 18% drop in first-week churn, 25% increase in completed onboarding tasks].

I put together a short guide showing exactly how we approached this for [similar company], including the [specific tactics or steps], and thought it might be useful for you—feel free to take a look if it’s relevant.

That’s it. Five steps. Buy the domain, redirect to main site, landing page, personal email, software + warm-up. Simple. No fluff.

PS. Links? Don’t stress. Small volume, doesn’t matter. Only avoid spammy-looking stuff.