Cold Email Glossary
Everything you need to know about cold email terminology. From authentication protocols to engagement metrics, master the language of email outreach.
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Email Authentication
SPF (Sender Policy Framework)
A DNS record that specifies which mail servers are authorized to send email on behalf of your domain.
DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail)
A cryptographic signature added to emails that proves they came from your domain and weren't tampered with in transit.
DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication)
A policy that tells receiving mail servers what to do when SPF or DKIM checks fail for emails from your domain.
DNS Records for Email
Configuration entries in your domain's DNS that control email routing and authentication.
MX Records (Mail Exchange Records)
DNS records that specify which mail servers receive email for your domain.
Deliverability
Email Deliverability
The ability of your emails to successfully reach recipients' inboxes rather than being blocked or sent to spam.
Sender Reputation
A score assigned to your email-sending identity based on your historical sending behavior and recipient engagement.
Domain Reputation
The reputation score assigned specifically to your sending domain, affecting all mailboxes on that domain.
IP Reputation
The reputation score assigned to the IP address used to send your emails.
Email Warmup
The process of gradually increasing email volume from a new domain to build sender reputation before full-scale sending.
Email Blacklist
A database of domains or IPs identified as spam sources, used by email providers to filter incoming mail.
Spam Score
A numerical rating indicating how likely an email is to be flagged as spam based on content and sender factors.
Spam Triggers
Words, phrases, or formatting patterns that increase the likelihood of an email being flagged as spam.
Bounces & Engagement
Bounce Rate
The percentage of sent emails that fail to deliver and are returned by the receiving server.
Hard Bounce
A permanent email delivery failure, typically because the email address or domain doesn't exist.
Soft Bounce
A temporary email delivery failure that may resolve itself, such as a full mailbox or server issue.
Reply Rate
The percentage of sent emails that receive a reply from recipients.
Open Rate (And Why We Don't Track It)
The percentage of delivered emails that were opened, typically measured using tracking pixels (which we avoid).
Unsubscribe Rate
The percentage of email recipients who opt out of receiving future emails.
Email Types & Strategy
Cold Email
Unsolicited outreach email sent to prospects with no prior relationship, used for sales, partnerships, or networking.
Warm Email
Email sent to someone with whom you have some prior connection or context, resulting in higher response rates.
Email Sequence
A planned series of emails sent over time to a prospect, typically including an initial email and follow-ups.
Drip Campaign
Automated emails sent based on time intervals or trigger events, used for nurturing leads over time.
Follow-up Email
An email sent after an initial contact attempt to re-engage a prospect who hasn't responded.
Breakup Email
The final email in a sequence that signals you won't continue reaching out, often generating last-minute responses.
Targeting & Leads
ICP (Ideal Customer Profile)
A detailed description of the type of company that would benefit most from your product or service.
Buyer Persona
A semi-fictional representation of your ideal buyer, including their role, goals, challenges, and behavior.
Lead Scoring
A methodology for ranking prospects based on their likelihood to convert, combining fit and engagement signals.
Catch-all Domain
A domain configured to accept emails to any address, making it impossible to verify specific email addresses through standard methods.
Email Verification
The process of confirming that an email address is valid, deliverable, and belongs to a real person.
Technical
SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol)
The standard protocol used for sending emails between servers across the internet.
Email Headers
Metadata attached to every email containing routing information, authentication results, and sender details.
Sending Limits
Maximum number of emails you can send per time period, set by your email provider and best practices.
Email Throttling
Intentionally slowing down email sending to stay within safe limits and avoid triggering spam filters.
Rate Limiting
Restrictions imposed by email providers on how fast you can send emails, preventing abuse and maintaining system stability.
A-Z Index
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