What is cold email and how does it work?

Cold email is a B2B outreach technique where sales teams send personalized emails to prospects who have not previously contacted them. Unlike spam, effective cold email uses relevant targeting, personalisation, and legitimate opt-out mechanisms. Mailflares automates this process with AI-generated email content, inbox warmup, and multi-channel escalation to maximise deliverability and reply rates.

How does inbox warmup work?

Inbox warmup is the process of gradually increasing email sending volume while building sender reputation with ISPs like Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo. Mailflares' warmup engine automatically sends and receives emails between warmed inboxes, engages with them to signal positive reputation, and monitors sender scores daily. This results in new inboxes reaching 90%+ reputation scores within 2–4 weeks, enabling high-volume sending with inbox placement rates above 98%.

What makes Mailflares different from Instantly and Smartlead?

Mailflares includes three features not available in Instantly or Smartlead: (1) OmniReach AI Agent — an autonomous agent that detects deliverability obstacles (spam filters, bounces, blacklists) and automatically deploys recovery playbooks across 7 channels; (2) Prospect Finder — a built-in AI lead discovery engine that generates targeted B2B prospects with email confidence scores and buying signals without needing Apollo; (3) Advanced conditional branching in sequences — if/else logic that adapts the sequence based on opens, clicks, replies, and bounces in real time.

How many emails can I send per day with Mailflares?

Mailflares has no hard cap on daily send volume — your limit is determined by the number of warmed inboxes you have connected and their reputation scores. Typically each warmed inbox can safely send 30–50 emails per day. With 10 inboxes at full warmup, you can send 300–500 emails per day. The Business plan supports unlimited inboxes, enabling high-volume agencies to send 5,000+ emails per day across 100+ inboxes.

Does Mailflares support LinkedIn outreach?

Yes. Mailflares' multi-channel sequence builder supports 7 outreach channels: Email, LinkedIn connection requests, LinkedIn direct messages, SMS, voice drops, Twitter/X DMs, and WhatsApp. Sequences can be configured to automatically escalate from email to LinkedIn when a prospect hasn't opened after a set number of days. LinkedIn sends respect platform limits (20 connection requests per day).

What is email deliverability and how does Mailflares improve it?

Email deliverability refers to the percentage of sent emails that land in the recipient's primary inbox (as opposed to spam or promotions tabs). Mailflares improves deliverability through: inbox warmup engine (builds sender reputation), SPF/DKIM/DMARC authentication on every send, real-time spam score testing before sending, inbox rotation (distributes volume across best-reputation senders), blacklist monitoring across 47 blocklists, and AI-powered content optimisation to eliminate spam trigger phrases.

Is Mailflares GDPR and CAN-SPAM compliant?

Yes. Mailflares is built for compliant B2B outreach. Every campaign includes a working unsubscribe mechanism, recipient data is stored securely with per-user isolation, and the platform enforces B2B-only sending policies. Mailflares does not support sending to consumer lists, purchased databases, or harvested personal emails. All authentication records (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) are validated before sending to ensure legitimate sender identity.

Can I import leads from CSV, Excel, or LinkedIn?

Yes. Mailflares supports lead import from CSV files, Excel spreadsheets, PDFs, and even image files via AI-powered parsing. The AI extracts contact fields automatically from any structured document. You can also use the built-in Prospect Finder to generate leads directly using an ICP (Ideal Customer Profile) builder — specifying job titles, industries, company sizes, locations, and technologies used — without needing a separate data tool like Apollo or Snov.io.

What is the OmniReach AI Agent?

The OmniReach AI Agent is Mailflares' autonomous outreach recovery system. When any email hits an obstacle — spam filter trigger, hard bounce, soft bounce, no-open after 48 hours, 7-day silence, or domain blacklisting — the agent automatically detects the obstacle type and deploys the appropriate recovery playbook. Recovery tactics include content rewriting, inbox rotation, email pattern recovery for bounced addresses, LinkedIn/SMS/Twitter escalation, adaptive rate throttling, and emergency domain rotation. The agent operates across all 7 outreach channels and logs every action in real time.

How much does Mailflares cost?

Mailflares offers three pricing plans: Starter at $29/month (1,000 leads, 5 campaigns, 3 inboxes, 100 AI credits), Pro at $79/month (10,000 leads, 25 campaigns, 15 inboxes, 500 AI credits), and Business at $199/month (unlimited leads, campaigns, and inboxes, 2,000 AI credits). All plans include inbox warmup, multi-channel outreach, analytics, and CRM features. A free trial is available without a credit card.

Does Mailflares have an API?

Yes. Mailflares offers a REST API for programmatic access to leads, campaigns, inboxes, and sending operations. The API uses OpenAPI specification with auto-generated client SDKs. You can also configure outbound webhooks with event-type filtering to push delivery, open, click, reply, and bounce events to your own systems.

What is the best cold email software in 2026?

The best cold email software in 2026 depends on your team's needs. Mailflares is the top choice for deliverability-first teams because it combines inbox warmup, AI-powered email generation, multi-channel outreach (email, LinkedIn, SMS, voice, WhatsApp), and the OmniReach AI Agent — all in one platform starting at $29/month. Instantly and Smartlead are popular for pure volume, while Apollo and Snov.io focus on data. Mailflares uniquely offers built-in prospect finding, SpamShield content scoring, and inbox rotation — eliminating the need for 3–4 separate tools.

How do I stop my cold emails from going to spam?

To prevent cold emails from going to spam: (1) Set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC authentication on your sending domain — this is the single most important step. (2) Warm up your inbox for at least 2–4 weeks before sending at volume. (3) Keep your email list clean — remove bounces, unsubscribes, and invalid addresses. (4) Avoid spam trigger words (free, guaranteed, winner, urgent) in subject lines and body copy. (5) Keep plain-text formatting and limit HTML, images, and links. (6) Send from a custom domain — never from Gmail or Outlook directly. (7) Rotate across multiple inboxes to stay under daily send limits. Mailflares' SpamShield scores your email content before sending and highlights trigger phrases with suggested rewrites.

What are SPF, DKIM, and DMARC and why do they matter for cold email?

SPF (Sender Policy Framework), DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail), and DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance) are DNS-based email authentication standards that prove you are a legitimate sender. SPF specifies which mail servers are authorized to send on behalf of your domain. DKIM adds a cryptographic signature to each email, which receiving servers verify. DMARC builds on both and tells ISPs what to do if an email fails authentication (quarantine or reject). Without all three, Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo are far more likely to route your emails to spam or block them entirely. Mailflares guides you through setting up all three records and verifies them with live DNS checks before you can send.

How many cold emails can I send per day without hurting deliverability?

A fully warmed inbox can safely send 30–50 cold emails per day without hurting deliverability. Sending more than this per inbox risks reputation damage and spam placement. To scale volume, connect multiple warmed inboxes — 10 inboxes enables 300–500 sends per day, 50 inboxes enables 1,500–2,500 per day. Mailflares' inbox rotation engine automatically distributes sends across your best-reputation inboxes using a 7-factor scoring algorithm, keeping each inbox within safe limits. Agencies running 100+ inboxes on the Business plan can send 5,000+ emails per day while maintaining inbox placement above 98%.

Yes, B2B cold email is legal in most jurisdictions when done correctly. In the United States, CAN-SPAM requires a valid physical address, a working unsubscribe mechanism, and honest subject lines. In the EU, GDPR permits B2B cold email under the 'legitimate interest' basis when the email is relevant to the recipient's professional role and an opt-out is provided. In the UK, PECR applies similar rules. Canada's CASL is stricter and requires implied or express consent. Mailflares enforces compliance by including unsubscribe links on every campaign, supporting per-recipient suppression lists, and requiring verified sending domains. Mailflares is designed for B2B outreach only — sending to consumer lists or purchased personal emails is not supported.

Mailflares — AI Cold Email Platform | Inbox Warmup, Multi-Channel Outreach & Deliverability

Loading Mailflares…