01 / Strategy
Protect the primary, scale on lookalikes.
Sending cold outbound from peoplefluent.com or openlms.com at scale puts every transactional email, customer comm, and renewal notice at risk. Lookalike domains isolate the burn risk so support, billing, and customer success keep landing in the inbox.
Risk
1
Reputation Burn
Cold outbound from primary domain triggers spam complaints. Reputation drops. Customer-facing email starts going to spam folders.
Risk
2
Volume Throttling
Google and Microsoft cap unknown-reputation sends. A primary domain doing 5,000 cold sends per day gets quietly throttled or blacklisted.
Risk
3
Domain Blacklist
SpamHaus or Spamcop listings on the primary domain take weeks to remove and can block all email, including support tickets and contracts.
What lookalikes solve
Isolation
If a lookalike gets flagged, you rotate to a fresh one. Primary stays clean. Customer email keeps flowing.
Scale
Each domain + mailbox combo adds capacity. 10 mailboxes across 4 domains can safely send 500 cold emails per day.
Brand Recognition
Lookalikes (getpeoplefluent.com, openlms.co) preserve brand recall. Prospects still see PeopleFluent in the sender field.
A/B and Vertical Routing
Use one domain for HR persona, another for L&D persona. Use a third for testing message variants without cross-contamination.
Apollo recommendation: 50 cold sends per mailbox per day is the practical default. 200 per day is the hard cap. Most healthy programs run 40 to 60 per mailbox per day at steady state.
How LTG should think about this
PeopleFluent, OpenLMS, and Rustici Software are three distinct outbound motions with overlapping but separable audiences. Run each on its own domain pool. That way a deliverability issue on one brand never touches the others, and you can spin each up or down independently as campaigns ramp.
| Brand | Persona Focus | Recommended Domain Pool | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| PeopleFluent | HR Tech, Talent Mgmt, Comp & Performance leaders | 3 to 5 lookalikes | Enterprise buyer, higher value, lower volume needed per persona. |
| OpenLMS | L&D, Higher Ed, Corporate Training | 4 to 6 lookalikes | Higher prospect pool, broader segments, more sequence variants in flight. |
| Rustici Software | Learning tech engineers, LMS/content vendors, e-learning developers | 2 to 4 lookalikes | Technical buyer, narrow ICP, lower volume but high precision. .io is acceptable here. |
02 / Selection
How to pick lookalikes that age well.
A good lookalike is recognizable, registrable, and unambiguous. It should pass a 3-second sniff test from the prospect and a 6-month reputation test from Google.
Use
- .com first, always. Best inbox reputation, highest trust.
- .co as a strong second. Recognized as tech-adjacent.
- .io if your audience is tech-forward (OpenLMS leans here).
- Get, Try, Use prefixes (getpeoplefluent.com).
- Brand + descriptor (openlms-hq.com, peoplefluent-hr.com).
- Memorable, short, no double letters or typos.
Avoid
- .info, .biz, .xyz, .online (spam-associated TLDs).
- Country TLDs (.uk, .de) unless that geo is the target.
- Hyphens that look like typos (people-fluent.com is fine; pf-people.com is not).
- Domains previously owned. Always check on archive.org and SpamHaus before buying.
- Anything that misspells the brand. Damages recall.
- Buying 10 at once from the same registrar with the same WHOIS. Looks like a spam farm.
Suggested PeopleFluent lookalikes
| Domain | Tier | Notes |
|---|---|---|
getpeoplefluent.com | Strong | Clear, recognizable, sounds like a product page redirect. First choice. |
trypeoplefluent.com | Strong | Trial framing, fits HR buyer journey. |
peoplefluent.co | Strong | Drops one letter, retains 95% brand recognition. |
peoplefluent-hr.com | OK | Descriptor pairing. Use for HR-specific sequences only. |
peoplefluentapp.com | OK | Reads as product domain. Good for product-led plays. |
hellopeoplefluent.com | OK | Conversational. Use only if voice matches. |
peoplefluent.io | Skip | Wrong TLD for HR buyer. Less trusted. |
Suggested OpenLMS lookalikes
| Domain | Tier | Notes |
|---|---|---|
getopenlms.com | Strong | Standard pattern. First buy. |
openlms.co | Strong | Short, clean, recognized. |
openlms.io | Strong | Tech-leaning audience accepts .io readily. |
tryopenlms.com | Strong | Strong for L&D trial framing. |
openlms-academy.com | OK | Vertical descriptor for higher ed sequences. |
openlms-training.com | OK | Corp training segment. Test before scaling. |
open-lms.com | Skip | Hyphenated. Reads as typo of primary. |
Suggested Rustici Software lookalikes
| Domain | Tier | Notes |
|---|---|---|
getrustici.com | Strong | Clean, recognizable, fits the technical buyer. |
rustici.co | Strong | Short, retains full brand. Strong second choice. |
rustici.io | Strong | Audience is engineers and product builders. .io reads as native. |
tryrustici.com | Strong | Trial framing for SCORM Cloud and Rustici Engine plays. |
rustici-engine.com | OK | Product-anchored. Use for Rustici Engine sequences only. |
scormcloud.co | OK | Product-led for SCORM Cloud audience. Test before broad use. |
rusticisoftware.io | OK | Mirrors full primary. Slightly long but unambiguous. |
rustici-software.com | Skip | Hyphenated mirror of primary. Reads as a typo. |
Before you buy: Run every candidate through MXToolbox, SpamHaus, and archive.org. If the domain has prior owner history of spam complaints or a malware listing, walk away. Recovery takes longer than buying a new one.
03 / Sizing
Volume calculator.
Enter your target outreach volume. The calculator returns mailboxes needed, domains needed, and total annual cost. Use the presets to model conservative vs aggressive scenarios.
Inputs
Total cold emails sent per month across both brands.
Apollo default: 50. Hard cap: 200. Stay near 50 for deliverability.
2 to 3 is the sweet spot. More than 5 raises spam-pattern flags.
Most teams send Tue-Thu only. Adjust if weekends count.
Average .com renewal. .co and .io can run higher.
Google Workspace Starter is $6. Microsoft 365 Business Basic is similar.
Infrastructure needed
For 20,000 emails/month
Daily Send Volume
909
emails per working day
Mailboxes Needed
19
active sending inboxes
Domains Needed
7
lookalike domains to purchase
Cost Per Email
$0.0064
amortized over 12 months
Total Annual Cost
Domains + mailboxes, 12 months
$1,473
$105 domains + $1,368 mailboxes
Infrastructure layout
Each tile = 1 domain. Each yellow dot = 1 mailbox.
How to read this: Mailboxes are the constraint. Domains are the wrapper. If your daily volume jumps, add mailboxes first (up to 3 per domain) before adding new domains. New domains require 4 to 6 weeks of warm-up before they hit full speed.
04 / Setup
Setup checklist.
Click each step as you complete it. This is the exact sequence for going from a purchased domain to a connected, warming-up Apollo mailbox. Allow about 90 minutes per domain end-to-end.
Phase 1: Domain Purchase
✓
1.1Run the domain candidate through reputation checks
MXToolbox blacklist check, SpamHaus DBL, and archive.org history. Walk away from anything with prior spam history.
✓
1.2Purchase domain from a tier-1 registrar
Namecheap, Google Domains, Cloudflare Registrar. Enable WHOIS privacy. Set auto-renew on.
✓
1.3Set domain to redirect to your brand site
301 redirect getpeoplefluent.com to peoplefluent.com. If the prospect clicks the sender domain, they land on your real site.
Phase 2: Mailbox Provisioning
✓
2.1Create Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 tenant for the domain
Google Workspace Business Starter at $6 per user per month. Microsoft 365 Business Basic is the equivalent.
✓
2.2Create 2 to 3 mailboxes per domain
Use real-sounding names: jenna.miller@, marcus.chen@, sarah.okonkwo@. Avoid generic names like sales@, info@.
✓
2.3Set up forwarding from each mailbox to a central inbox
Forward replies to your real inbox or a shared SDR mailbox. Set bounce notifications to the same destination.
✓
2.4Add a signature with the primary brand site link
Use the brand the prospect already knows. Link to peoplefluent.com, not the lookalike.
Phase 3: DNS Authentication
✓
3.1Configure SPF record
TXT record:
v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all (Google) or include the Microsoft equivalent.✓
3.2Configure DKIM (Google/Microsoft generates the key)
Generate the DKIM key in your mail provider admin console. Publish the TXT record at the prescribed selector.
✓
3.3Configure DMARC record
Start with monitoring:
v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:dmarc@peoplefluent.com. Move to quarantine or reject after 30 days of clean reports.✓
3.4Verify with MXToolbox
Run the SPF, DKIM, and DMARC tools at MXToolbox to confirm propagation. DNS takes 4 to 24 hours to update globally.
Phase 4: Apollo Connection
✓
4.1Add each mailbox in Apollo
Settings → Email Accounts → Connect Mailbox. Use OAuth (Google/Microsoft) rather than IMAP/SMTP when possible. OAuth gives Apollo deliverability signals it cannot get from SMTP.
✓
4.2Set the daily send limit per mailbox
Start at 10 per day. Increase weekly per the warm-up plan in tab 5. Apollo enforces the limit so the mailbox cannot overspend.
✓
4.3Enable mailbox warming (Mailbox Health feature)
Apollo's built-in mailbox warming sends inter-network conversational emails to build positive reputation signals during ramp.
✓
4.4Group mailboxes into a sender pool
In Apollo, create one sender pool per brand: PeopleFluent, OpenLMS, and Rustici Software. Sequences pull from the brand-matched pool, rotating sends across mailboxes automatically.
✓
4.5Configure bounce + reply handling
Apollo auto-pauses on hard bounces. Set the reply notification to route to your shared SDR or RevOps inbox.
Tip: Once Phase 1 to 3 are done for one domain, the rest take about 30 minutes each. Block a half day to set up your first three domains end-to-end and you will have the playbook for the rest.
05 / Ramp
Mailbox warm-up plan.
A new mailbox sending 50 cold emails on day one is a spam-trap pattern. Real mailboxes start small and ramp over weeks. This 8-week plan brings each mailbox from cold to full production speed.
Daily cold sends per mailbox, by week from activation.
Weekly schedule
| Week | Daily Cold Sends | Apollo Warming | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | On (full) | Only send to engaged, replied, or known-good contacts. No bulk lists yet. |
| 2 | 10 | On (full) | Add a small sequence to a curated 50-contact list. Watch reply and bounce rates daily. |
| 3 | 18 | On (75%) | Add a second sequence. Bounce rate under 3% is the goal. |
| 4 | 28 | On (50%) | Open rate should be 40%+ at this point. If under 25%, pause and audit content. |
| 5 | 38 | On (25%) | Production sequences kick in. Continue monitoring reply rate. |
| 6 | 45 | On (light) | Approaching full speed. Verify deliverability with Glock Apps or MailTester weekly. |
| 7 | 50 | Off | Full production. Mailbox is warm. Maintain steady volume to keep reputation. |
| 8+ | 50 | Off | Ongoing. Monitor monthly. Spike volume only with 1 to 2 week notice via gradual increase. |
Health checks during warm-up
Daily check
Bounce rate
Under 3% = healthy. 3 to 5% = pause and audit list quality. Over 5% = stop, clean, restart from a lower send volume.
Weekly check
Reply rate
2 to 5% reply rate = working. Under 1% on a warm mailbox = content problem, not deliverability problem.
Weekly check
Spam complaints
Over 0.1% complaint rate = immediate pause. Google flags at 0.3%. One bad week can burn the mailbox for months.
If a mailbox burns: Pause it for 30 days. Do not delete. Resume from week 1 of the warm-up plan. Most mailboxes recover. If 2 mailboxes on the same domain burn back-to-back, retire the whole domain.
06 / Launch
End-to-end launch timeline.
From purchase order to full production sending is about 10 weeks. Most of that is warm-up time, not setup time. Plan accordingly.
Week 0: Pre-launch
Decide volume target and approve budget
Use the calculator on tab 3 to size the infrastructure. Get sign-off on annual cost. Identify owners for domain, mailbox, Apollo admin.
Week 1: Foundation
Purchase domains, configure DNS
Buy all domains in one batch. Set up DNS, SPF, DKIM, DMARC for each. Allow 24 hours for propagation. Verify with MXToolbox.
Week 2: Mailboxes
Provision Google Workspace tenants
Create one tenant per domain. Add 2 to 3 mailboxes per tenant. Configure forwarding, signatures, and reply routing.
Week 3: Apollo
Connect all mailboxes to Apollo
Use OAuth connection. Group into sender pools by brand (PeopleFluent pool, OpenLMS pool). Enable Apollo mailbox warming.
Weeks 4 to 9: Warm-up
Ramp daily volume from 5 to 50 per mailbox
Follow the 8-week schedule from tab 5. Run small curated sequences. Monitor bounce, reply, and spam complaint rates daily.
Week 10: Production
Full production sending
All mailboxes at 50 per day. Apollo warming disabled. Full sequences live. Monthly deliverability review cadence begins.
Ongoing: Operate
Maintain, rotate, expand
Monthly: check bounce, reply, spam rates per mailbox. Quarterly: retire underperformers, add new domains as volume grows. Annual: review total spend and domain reputation.
Critical path: The 6-week warm-up is the long pole. If LTG needs production volume by a specific date, count back 10 weeks and start there. Skipping or compressing warm-up is the #1 reason cold programs fail.
Ownership map
| Role | Owns | Cadence |
|---|---|---|
| RevOps Admin | Domain purchases, DNS records, mailbox provisioning | One-time setup; quarterly audit |
| Apollo Admin | Mailbox connection, sender pools, warming config | Setup + monthly health review |
| SDR Manager | Sequence content, send volume, list quality | Daily during ramp; weekly steady-state |
| Marketing Ops | Domain selection, brand alignment, signature templates | Setup + as new domains added |
| Apollo CSM | Quarterly deliverability review, escalation path | Quarterly |