Cold Email Glossary

Brand Indicators for Message Identification — a standard that lets you display your brand logo next to authenticated emails.

A database of IP addresses or domains known to send spam, used by email providers to block unwanted email.

The percentage of sent emails that couldn't be delivered to the recipient's inbox.

An email server configured to accept emails sent to any address at the domain, even if the specific address doesn't exist.

Canonical Name record — a DNS record that maps one domain name to another.

Legal requirements for sending unsolicited commercial emails, including CAN-SPAM (US) and GDPR (EU).

A branded domain used for email open and click tracking instead of the default tracking domain.

An IP address assigned exclusively to your email sending, not shared with other senders.

The percentage of emails that successfully reach the recipient's inbox (not spam or bounced).

A temporary email address created for short-term use, often from services like Guerrilla Mail or Temp Mail.

DomainKeys Identified Mail — a cryptographic email authentication method that verifies an email hasn't been tampered with.

Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance — a policy that tells receiving servers what to do with emails that fail SPF/DKIM.

The time it takes for DNS record changes to spread across all DNS servers worldwide.

How long a domain has been registered — older domains generally have better email deliverability.

The practice of regularly cleaning and maintaining your email list to remove invalid, outdated, or risky addresses.

Limiting the rate at which emails are sent to avoid triggering spam filters.

The process of gradually increasing sending volume on a new email account to build sender reputation.

Distributing outgoing emails across multiple inboxes to spread sending volume and protect deliverability.

The process of gradually increasing email volume on a new dedicated IP address to build reputation.

Mail Exchange record — a DNS record that specifies which mail servers accept email for your domain.

The percentage of delivered emails that were opened by recipients.

The percentage of delivered emails that received a reply from the recipient.

An email address tied to a role or department (info@, support@, sales@) rather than a person.

A score assigned to your email address and domain by email providers based on your sending behavior.

An IP address shared among multiple email senders, where everyone's reputation affects everyone else.

A service that routes your outgoing emails through a third-party server for improved deliverability and tracking.

A numerical score indicating how likely your email is to be classified as spam by email providers.

Sender Policy Framework — a DNS record that specifies which mail servers are authorized to send email for your domain.

A syntax for creating multiple variations of email text to make each message unique.

An automated email sequence triggered by a specific action or condition in the main sequence.