How to Build the Perfect Infrastructure Stack for Your AI Sales Agent
- Cold Email Infrastructure: It's the backbone of your AI SDR (Sales Development Representative), ensuring high-volume emails are delivered successfully. This includes private domains, mailboxes, IP addresses, and email authentication (SPF, DKIM, and DMARC).
- Why It's Important: AI SDRs send hundreds of emails daily - far more than humans. Without a proper system, spam filters will block your emails, halting your outreach efforts.
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Key Setup Steps:
- Use multiple private domains (e.g., 5 domains for $70/year).
- Configure DNS for email authentication.
- Warm up new domains and mailboxes to build a strong sender reputation.
- Spread email traffic across domains and mailboxes to mimic human behavior.
- Scaling Safely: Limit each domain to 15 emails/day and use tools like Infraforge for domain management and Megaforge for multi-ESP routing.
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Tools to Simplify the Process:
- Infraforge: Starts at $40/month for 10 mailboxes, automates setup, and provides monitoring.
- Warmforge: Automates email warm-up to boost deliverability.
- Megaforge (available only with Agent Frank): Adds redundancy with multi-ESP routing.
Bottom Line: A solid email infrastructure ensures your AI SDR operates smoothly, avoids spam filters, and scales effectively. Follow these steps to set up a reliable system and keep your outreach on track.
Setting Up Private Domains and Mailboxes
Building your AI sales agent's email infrastructure starts with private domains and mailboxes. Unlike shared systems, private domains give you complete control over your email reputation and deliverability. This means your success isn’t tied to the behavior of other users.
Getting Private Domains with Infraforge
Infraforge simplifies domain management, making it easy to create a reliable setup for your AI sales agent. To ensure smooth operations, start with multiple domains. This approach spreads your email volume across several domains, protecting your primary domain from potential issues.
Here’s a cost-effective strategy: purchase five .com domains for just $70 per year. This gives you a strong multi-domain foundation without stretching your budget. Infraforge takes care of domain registration, transfers, and management in one place, so you don’t have to juggle different registrars.
When choosing domains, opt for professional names. Avoid using numbers or sales-related terms that might trigger spam filters. Infraforge’s domain search tool can help you find suitable options quickly.
Already own domains? No problem. You can transfer them to Infraforge and manage everything in one centralized platform. This makes tasks like DNS updates or scaling your infrastructure much simpler.
Setting Up DNS for Email Authentication
Once your domains are ready, the next step is to verify them through DNS configuration. Infraforge automates this process, but understanding the basics can help you troubleshoot and fine-tune your setup.
Three key authentication records are essential for email security and deliverability:
- SPF (Sender Policy Framework): Defines which IP addresses can send emails on your domain’s behalf.
- DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail): Adds a digital signature to confirm your emails haven’t been tampered with.
- DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance): Instructs receiving servers on how to handle emails that fail authentication.
Infraforge makes configuring these records straightforward. They provide clear DNS record values, which you simply copy into your domain registrar's settings. Plus, their bulk DNS update feature allows you to manage multiple domains at once - a huge time-saver as your infrastructure grows.
Most DNS changes take 24–48 hours to propagate, though some providers may update faster. Infraforge’s dashboard keeps you informed, showing the verification status of each domain so you know when everything is set up correctly.
Once authentication is complete, you’re ready to set up mailboxes and manage your sending strategy.
Creating Mailboxes and Planning Slots
Infraforge uses a slot-based pricing model, starting at $40 per month for 10 mailbox slots when billed quarterly, or $33 per month with annual billing. Each slot equals one mailbox, which you can distribute across your domains as needed.
To avoid spam filters, keep each domain limited to 2–3 mailboxes. For example, with 10 slots, you could allocate 3–4 domains, each with 2–3 mailboxes. This setup mimics natural email patterns, ensuring your messages appear legitimate while maintaining manageable email volumes.
Stick to standard email formats like firstname.lastname@domain.com or sales@domain.com. Avoid names that scream automation, such as ai-sdr@domain.com or bulk-sender@domain.com.
Infraforge also offers pre-warmed domains and mailboxes. These come with some sending history already established, giving your AI sales agent a head start. That said, it’s still important to follow proper warm-up procedures to optimize deliverability.
To keep campaigns organized, Infraforge provides workspaces. These allow you to separate sending identities by campaign or client, ensuring better management and clarity.
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Warming Up Your Email Infrastructure
When you set up new domains and mailboxes, you can't dive straight into high-volume emailing. Building a solid sender reputation takes time, and email providers like Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo keep a close eye on new senders. Without a proper warm-up, your emails are more likely to land in spam folders.
Why Warm-Up Is Crucial for Deliverability
Email providers use advanced algorithms to assess sender reputation. If you're starting from scratch with a new domain and mailboxes, your reputation is non-existent. Sending too many emails too soon can raise red flags, making providers label you as a potential spammer. This can hurt your email deliverability for a long time.
A warm-up strategy mimics natural email activity by gradually increasing your sending volume while ensuring healthy engagement. This step-by-step approach builds trust with email providers, helping them see your domain as a legitimate sender. Starting slow and maintaining consistent behavior allows you to scale up responsibly. Providers track metrics like bounce rates, spam complaints, and engagement levels, so warming up properly ensures these metrics stay within acceptable limits.
Abrupt spikes in email volume can look unnatural and suspicious, especially compared to typical human email activity. To make this process smoother, tools like Warmforge can automate the warm-up for you.
How Warmforge Simplifies the Warm-Up Process
Warmforge takes the hassle out of warming up your email infrastructure. It simulates natural email activity by sending, receiving, and replying to messages automatically. The platform creates engagement signals by interacting with emails across its network - opening, reading, and replying - to gradually build your sender reputation.
To get started, begin the warm-up phase at least two weeks before launching your outreach campaigns. During the first week, Warmforge sends only a handful of emails per day from each mailbox. Over time, the platform increases the sending volume to match the levels you'll need for your campaigns.
Once you link your Infraforge mailboxes, Warmforge handles the rest. It varies sending times, uses different email templates, and simulates authentic interactions to maintain natural patterns. For best results, avoid sending manual emails or running campaigns during this phase to keep your sending metrics clean.
After completing the warm-up and establishing a strong sender reputation, you're ready to scale your email operations and implement advanced strategies to secure your infrastructure.
Scaling and Protecting Your Infrastructure
Once your domains are warmed up and distributed, the next step is all about maintaining deliverability while scaling up. Scaling your AI SDR operations effectively means avoiding spammy practices and steering clear of blacklists. The trick? Focus on distribution and redundancy - spread your email load across multiple domains and build safeguards against potential disruptions.
Scaling with Multiple Domains and Mailboxes
Sending a high volume of emails from a single domain is a recipe for trouble. Instead, spread your email traffic across several domains to replicate natural behavior.
Here's a good rule of thumb: limit each domain to about 15 emails per day. For example, if your goal is to send 300 emails daily, you'll need roughly 20 domains, each capped at 15 emails. Adding 2–3 mailboxes per domain further spreads the workload, ensuring your outreach doesn't raise any red flags.
When setting up domains through Infraforge, think strategically about your domain structure. Use variations of your main brand or choose professional-looking domains that align with your industry. Avoid obvious patterns like sequential naming, which email providers might flag. Infraforge’s multi-workspace feature helps you keep campaigns or client accounts neatly organized in one dashboard, making it easier to track performance as you scale.
Take it slow when activating new domains. Instead of launching a large batch all at once, add 3–5 domains every few weeks. This gradual rollout feels more organic and gives you time to monitor performance, making adjustments before scaling further. Once your domains are distributed, add an extra layer of protection with multi-ESP routing.
Adding Redundancy with Megaforge Multi-ESP Routing
Distribution is just one piece of the puzzle - redundancy is equally important. Megaforge’s multi-ESP routing ensures your emails keep flowing, even if one provider runs into issues. Relying on a single Email Service Provider (ESP) can leave you exposed to problems like throttling or temporary blacklists, which could disrupt your outreach.
Megaforge steps in by monitoring ESP performance in real time. If one provider starts underperforming - whether it’s due to Gmail bounces or throttling - Megaforge automatically reroutes traffic to other providers. This keeps your outreach steady and minimizes interruptions.
With multi-ESP routing and dedicated IP support, Megaforge strengthens your infrastructure, ensuring your campaigns stay on track no matter what.
Building Deliverability Layers for a Reliable Stack
Creating strong deliverability layers is the final step in setting up a reliable email system for your AI sales agent. A dependable email infrastructure hinges on three key elements: authentication, ongoing monitoring, and ESP diversification. These components work together to enhance deliverability and minimize the risk of service disruptions.
Email Authentication: SPF, DKIM, and DMARC
Email authentication acts as a safeguard, confirming your identity as a legitimate sender while protecting your domains from misuse. Tools like Infraforge simplify this process by automatically configuring SPF, DKIM, and DMARC protocols.
Here’s how they work together:
- SPF (Sender Policy Framework) ensures that only approved servers can send emails on your behalf.
- DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) adds a digital signature to your emails, verifying they haven’t been altered.
- DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance) builds on SPF and DKIM. It provides instructions to email servers on how to handle messages that fail authentication.
Start with a DMARC monitoring policy (p=none) to collect data on email performance. As your authentication improves, gradually transition to stricter policies like quarantine or reject to enhance security.
With authentication in place, the next focus is monitoring performance to quickly address potential issues.
Monitoring Performance and Reputation
Ongoing monitoring is essential to spot and resolve deliverability issues before they affect your email campaigns. Keep an eye on key metrics like:
- Delivery rate: Tracks the percentage of emails successfully delivered.
- Bounce rate: Shows how often emails fail to reach recipients.
- Spam complaint rate: Measures how many recipients mark your emails as spam.
- Open rate and click-through rate: Provide insight into recipient engagement.
Infraforge’s Masterbox offers a centralized dashboard that provides real-time data across all your domains and mailboxes. This unified view makes it easier to detect underperforming domains or unusual bounce patterns that may indicate problems.
Before launching a campaign, test your emails against major spam filters to catch potential issues early. If you notice a drop in reputation, pause sending from affected domains and investigate the cause immediately.
ESP Diversification for Uninterrupted Operations
Even with strong monitoring, relying on a single email service provider (ESP) can leave your system vulnerable to outages or disruptions. Diversifying your ESPs ensures that your outreach remains uninterrupted.
Successful companies use a mix of email solutions to spread out risk. For example:
- Use Infraforge for private infrastructure and maximum control.
- Leverage Primeforge to integrate Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 features.
- Opt for Mailforge as a cost-effective option with shared infrastructure.
To further safeguard your operations, keep additional domains and mailboxes in a warming phase. This allows you to quickly replace any that become compromised. Distribute your workload strategically by:
- Limiting daily sends to 30–40 emails per mailbox.
- Using 3–4 mailboxes per domain.
- Staggering send times throughout the day to mimic natural human behavior and avoid triggering spam filters.
Conclusion: Building Your AI SDR Email Infrastructure
Creating a solid email setup for your AI sales agent takes careful planning and the right tools. This guide has walked you through the essentials: setting up private domains, warming them up, scaling strategically, and maintaining strong deliverability.
The key to success lies in bringing all these elements together. Private domains from Infraforge lay the groundwork, while Warmforge handles reputation building during those crucial first two weeks. With authentication protocols like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC in place, your sender reputation stays intact. Diversifying your email service providers (ESPs) ensures your operations can continue smoothly, even if challenges arise.
To keep your AI SDR sending like a human, limit each domain to 15 emails per day. Use multiple mailboxes and monitor everything closely with Masterbox. This keeps your outreach running smoothly without triggering spam filters or deliverability problems.
For just $40 per month, Infraforge offers 10 mailbox slots, giving you a scalable foundation for growth. Whether you're sending 100 emails or scaling up to 10,000, the same principles apply: authentication, reputation management, and diversification.
A strong infrastructure is the backbone of successful AI-driven sales. By following these best practices and using Infraforge's suite of tools, you're setting your email campaigns up for consistent results and reliable deliverability. Start building your resilient AI SDR infrastructure today with Infraforge's all-in-one solution.
FAQs
How does Infraforge make it easier to manage private domains for AI sales agents?
Infraforge simplifies private domain management by providing a dedicated hosting solution that eliminates the need for shared IPs. This helps improve email deliverability and maintain a strong sender reputation. With Infraforge, you can create private domains and mailboxes tailored for AI sales agents, reducing the risks of throttling or blacklisting.
It also works seamlessly with tools like Warmforge to automate email warm-up. This ensures your domains are ready for campaigns in as little as two weeks. The setup supports multi-domain configurations, offering both redundancy and scalability while enabling a professional, human-like email cadence.
Why are email authentication protocols like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC important for AI-driven email campaigns?
Email authentication protocols like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC play a key role in verifying your email sender’s identity. These tools help safeguard against spoofing, protect your domain’s reputation, and reduce the chances of your emails being marked as spam.
When you set up these protocols, you build trust with email providers, boost deliverability rates, and create a secure framework for AI-powered email campaigns. This allows your AI sales agent to work seamlessly, avoiding interruptions or damage to your brand’s credibility.
Why is it necessary to warm up new domains and mailboxes before starting large-scale email campaigns?
When starting with new domains and mailboxes, warming them up is a crucial step. This process helps you build trust with email service providers (ESPs) by gradually increasing email activity. By doing so, you replicate natural, human-like email behavior, which strengthens your sender reputation and boosts email deliverability.
If you skip this step, your emails risk being marked as spam or, worse, blocked entirely. A well-executed warm-up process ensures your emails land in inboxes as intended, safeguarding your domain's reputation and enhancing your campaign's engagement potential.