# The Cold Outbound Playbook

> Independent, sourced guides and software reviews for B2B cold email, by Lokendar (India), plus a 59-page field guide (2026 Edition, v1.0). Software reviews are built from each vendor's own pages, with a source URL and check date for every fact; there are no affiliate links or paid placements.

## Guides

- [Why your cold emails go to spam (and how to fix it)](https://coldoutboundplaybook.com/guides/cold-emails-going-to-spam/): Seven checks for cold emails landing in spam, in the order to run them: authentication, blocklists, bounces, warm-up, provider, copy, reputation.
- [SPF, DKIM and DMARC for cold email: every record you need](https://coldoutboundplaybook.com/guides/cold-email-dns-setup/): Every SPF, DKIM, DMARC and MX record for cold email on Google Workspace and Microsoft 365, with the common mistakes and a quick test.
- [Cold email benchmarks 2026: reply rates, bounces, limits](https://coldoutboundplaybook.com/guides/cold-email-benchmarks/): Cold email benchmarks for 2026, with sources: reply rates, bounce and spam-complaint limits, sends per mailbox and sequence length.
- [How many cold emails per mailbox per day? (2026)](https://coldoutboundplaybook.com/guides/cold-email-sending-limits/): How many cold emails to send per mailbox per day in 2026: start at 10, settle at 15–25, never above 30. Plus mailboxes per domain, spares and the ramp.
- [Is cold email legal? B2B rules by country (2026)](https://coldoutboundplaybook.com/guides/is-cold-email-legal/): Is B2B cold email legal? The rules in the US, UK, EU, Germany, Austria, Canada, Australia, India and Singapore, with the official sources. Not legal advice.
- [Cold email from India to US, UK and EU clients (2026)](https://coldoutboundplaybook.com/guides/cold-email-from-india/): Selling from India by cold email: the reply-window problem, a time-zone table in IST for summer and winter, pricing, and which country’s law applies.
- [How many cold email follow-ups? What the data says](https://coldoutboundplaybook.com/guides/cold-email-follow-up-sequence/): How many follow-ups a cold email sequence should have, where Instantly, Belkins and Hunter disagree, and a sensible default with what each step should do.
- [Google Workspace vs Microsoft 365 for cold email (2026)](https://coldoutboundplaybook.com/guides/google-workspace-vs-microsoft-365-cold-email/): Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 for cold email? Cost, placement, suspension risk, DKIM setup, when to use both, and how to vet done-for-you inboxes.
- [How to warm up a cold email domain (and for how long)](https://coldoutboundplaybook.com/guides/cold-email-warm-up/): How long to warm up a new cold email domain and mailbox, a week-by-week schedule, the settings that matter, and whether to keep warm-up on after launch.

## Software reviews

- [All reviews](https://coldoutboundplaybook.com/reviews/): method, evidence labels and an at-a-glance table.
- [Apollo review](https://coldoutboundplaybook.com/reviews/apollo/): A B2B contact database (240M+ contacts) with sequencing, a dialer and a free plan; pricing is per user with credits. Entry price: Free plan; paid plans not verified (checked 2026-10-24).
- [Instantly review](https://coldoutboundplaybook.com/reviews/instantly/): A sending platform priced by contacts and emails, not by mailbox: its Growth and Hypergrowth plans list unlimited email accounts and warm-up. Entry price: $47/mo (checked 2026-10-24).
- [lemlist review](https://coldoutboundplaybook.com/reviews/lemlist/): Per-user pricing, built-in lemwarm warm-up on every plan, and LinkedIn automation on the Multichannel plan. Entry price: $69/mo per user (checked 2026-10-24).
- [Mailshake review](https://coldoutboundplaybook.com/reviews/mailshake/): Plans that cap mailboxes (1, 2 or 10), include warm-up, add a phone dialer on the top plan, and have no free trial. Entry price: $29/mo (checked 2026-10-24).
- [Saleshandy review](https://coldoutboundplaybook.com/reviews/saleshandy/): Prospect-and-volume pricing with unlimited email accounts, warm-up and API access on every self-serve plan, and a 7-day trial. Entry price: $41/mo (checked 2026-10-24).
- [Smartlead review](https://coldoutboundplaybook.com/reviews/smartlead/): A sending platform with unlimited email accounts on every plan and paid client workspaces, which makes it a common pick for agencies. Entry price: $39/mo (checked 2026-10-24).
- [Woodpecker review](https://coldoutboundplaybook.com/reviews/woodpecker/): Outreach tool priced by emails sent, with unlimited email accounts, three warm-ups included and LinkedIn on the Multichannel plan. Entry price: Not verified (checked 2026-10-24).

## Comparisons

- [Instantly vs Smartlead](https://coldoutboundplaybook.com/compare/instantly-vs-smartlead/)
- [Instantly vs lemlist](https://coldoutboundplaybook.com/compare/instantly-vs-lemlist/)
- [lemlist vs Smartlead](https://coldoutboundplaybook.com/compare/lemlist-vs-smartlead/)
- [Instantly vs Saleshandy](https://coldoutboundplaybook.com/compare/instantly-vs-saleshandy/)
- [Saleshandy vs Smartlead](https://coldoutboundplaybook.com/compare/saleshandy-vs-smartlead/)
- [lemlist vs Woodpecker](https://coldoutboundplaybook.com/compare/lemlist-vs-woodpecker/)
- [Apollo vs Instantly](https://coldoutboundplaybook.com/compare/apollo-vs-instantly/)
- [Mailshake vs Saleshandy](https://coldoutboundplaybook.com/compare/mailshake-vs-saleshandy/)
- [Cold email software with unlimited mailboxes (2026)](https://coldoutboundplaybook.com/best/unlimited-mailboxes/)
- [Cold email software for agencies: client workspaces (2026)](https://coldoutboundplaybook.com/best/for-agencies/)
- [Cold email software with LinkedIn steps (2026)](https://coldoutboundplaybook.com/best/with-linkedin/)
- [Cold email software with a lead database (2026)](https://coldoutboundplaybook.com/best/with-lead-database/)
- [Cold email software with a free trial (2026)](https://coldoutboundplaybook.com/best/with-free-trial/)

## Data

- [Software data (JSON, CC BY 4.0)](https://coldoutboundplaybook.com/data/software.json): plans, limits and features with sources and check dates.
- [Pricing index](https://coldoutboundplaybook.com/pricing/) · [Statistics](https://coldoutboundplaybook.com/statistics/) · [Methodology](https://coldoutboundplaybook.com/methodology/)

## Tools

- [Cold email calculator](https://coldoutboundplaybook.com/tools/cold-email-calculator/): mailboxes, domains, verified market and monthly cost for a meetings goal.
- [SPF, DKIM and DMARC checker](https://coldoutboundplaybook.com/tools/dns-checker/): checks a sending domain's records in the browser.
- [DMARC record generator](https://coldoutboundplaybook.com/tools/dmarc-generator/) · [Cold email checker](https://coldoutboundplaybook.com/tools/email-length-checker/) · [Software cost calculator](https://coldoutboundplaybook.com/tools/cost-calculator/) · [Glossary](https://coldoutboundplaybook.com/glossary/)

## Product

- [The Cold Outbound Playbook](https://coldoutboundplaybook.com/): 59-page PDF, sold on Gumroad.
- [Free cheat sheets](https://gtmlab.gumroad.com/l/reply-stack-cheat-sheets): four printable pages.

## Key facts

- Does cold email still work in 2026? Yes, when it’s targeted and relevant. In Instantly’s 2025 platform data the average reply rate was about 3.4%, while the top tenth of senders cleared 10%. The book argues the gap comes from targeting and offer, not volume.
- How many cold emails can I send per mailbox per day? The playbook’s default is to start at 10, settle at 15 to 25, and never go above 30 per mailbox per day. To send more, add mailboxes and domains rather than pushing more volume through each one.
- Should I send cold email from my main domain? No. Use look-alike secondary domains, such as getbrand.com, with 2 to 3 mailboxes each. If one gets flagged, your company’s everyday email is unaffected.
- Is cold email legal? It depends on where the recipient is. B2B cold email is allowed in the US under CAN-SPAM rules; the UK allows it to corporate addresses; most of the EU allows it with care under legitimate interest; Germany, Austria, Canada and Australia generally require consent. It’s general information, not legal advice.
- Is cold email legal in India? India’s DPDP Act has no legitimate-interest basis, and its Rules phase in by 13 May 2027. After that, outreach to identifiable people will generally need consent unless an exemption applies. Get legal advice for your situation.
- What’s the difference between the free cheat sheets and the playbook? The cheat sheets are four printable pages: ten rules, the numbers, the spam ladder and the launch checklist. The playbook explains how and why, with setup steps, templates, scripts, the scaling maths and the sources.