One of the first questions you should ask yourself when building your cold email infrastructure is which email provider you’ll use for cold outreach.

You’re probably familiar with Gmail (Google Workspace) and Outlook (Microsoft 365), as they are commonly used for professional email. However, cold outreach requires specific features and extreme attention to email deliverability (i.e., ensuring that your emails land in the primary inbox). Depending on your strategy, volume requirements, and budget, you need to carefully consider your options to optimize open rates and maximize the ROI of your cold email campaigns.

Keep in mind that for all these options, Mailpool handles the technical setup (SPF, DKIM, and DMARC authentication) and provides an all-in-one solution for domain and inbox management.

Mailpool supports multiple providers to accommodate different business needs, technical requirements, and scale of operations.

Here are the five options provided by Mailpool:

We’ll break down each option, outlining its advantages, drawbacks, and ideal use cases.

Emails need to be sent from specific servers called SMTP servers. These servers are identified by IP addresses, which are used to send emails. Most inboxes use shared networks to send emails.

This means that the IP address used to send your email is also used by thousands of other people around the world and is provided by your Email Service Provider (ESP), such as Google or Microsoft.

The main advantage of a shared IP is that it is easy to get started with, affordable, and safe to use, as ESPs take great care of their IP reputation.

However, you do not have full control over the sender reputation of your email infrastructure, as you are sharing your IP with other users who may damage its reputation.

A managed solution utilizing a network of rotating IPs and the highest standards for email deliverability, with pre-configured authentication.

Advantages:

Drawbacks:

Sending Limits:

Best For:

Google Workspace mail service utilizes a network of high-reputation IPs with excellent deliverability.

Advantages:

Drawbacks:

Sending Limits:

Best For:

Microsoft 365 mail service offers a network of high-reputation IPs with excellent deliverability.

Advantages:

Drawbacks:

Sending Limits:

Best For:

While most inboxes use shared networks, some businesses and senders opt for a Private IP network.

A Private IP is an IP address dedicated exclusively to your email infrastructure, meaning it is not shared with other users. Unlike shared IPs, which are provided and managed by Email Service Providers (ESPs) like Google or Microsoft, a Private IP is assigned to and controlled entirely by you.

The main advantage of a Private IP is that it gives you full control over your sender reputation. Since no other users can affect its standing, your email deliverability depends solely on your sending practices. However, maintaining a good reputation requires consistent sending volumes and proper email management, as ESPs do not manage Private IP reputations for you.

A fully customizable solution with a dedicated IP, offering unmatched flexibility and control.

Advantages:

Drawbacks:

Sending Limits:

Best For:

A customized solution for large agencies, outreach tools, or AI sales agent solutions. This setup provides a private infrastructure with dedicated IPs shared across clients and users.

Advantages:

Drawbacks:

Sending Limits:

Best For:

As you can see, there’s no “one-size-fits-all” solution for building a cold email infrastructure. Your choice should be based on factors such as team size, budget, required sending volume, integration needs, and scalability requirements.

Once you've chosen your provider, refer to our setup guides for detailed configuration steps. Each guide includes comprehensive instructions tailored to the provider’s specific requirements and features.