Cold Emailing
Jan 6, 2026
CEO and co-founder
Integrate Inframail with Instantly.ai: Complete Setup Guide
Why integrate Inframail with Instantly?
Google Workspace charges $7-8.40 per inbox monthly. At 50 inboxes, that’s $350-420/month before your sending platform. Scale to 200 inboxes and infrastructure alone costs $1,400-1,680/month.
Our flat-rate model changes this math. You pay $129/month for unlimited inboxes on dedicated US-based IPs. For 50 inboxes, infrastructure drops to approximately $163/month (platform fee plus amortized domain costs). That’s roughly $257/month in savings.
Note on Scalability: Inframail's $129/mo flat rate remains the same whether you have 50 or 400+ inboxes. You only pay for the additional domains. All other providers charge per inbox, meaning your costs explode as you scale.
Instantly complements this with its peer-to-peer warmup network and campaign automation. We format CSV exports specifically for Instantly’s bulk import. No manual IMAP/SMTP data entry. No copy-pasting credentials across dozens of accounts.
For a visual walkthrough, watch our Inframail Walkthrough video showing the complete integration process.
Prerequisites: What you need before starting
Before you begin the integration, confirm you have:
Inframail requirements:
Active account (Unlimited Plan at $129/month or Agency Pack at $249/month)
Domains already provisioned with inboxes created
Nameserver changes propagated (typically 24-48 hours, though some changes complete faster)
**Instantly.ai requirements:**
Active Instantly workspace with Email Outreach plan access
Both IMAP and SMTP protocols enabled
DNS access (optional, for custom tracking domains):
Login credentials for your domain registrar (Namecheap, GoDaddy, Cloudflare)
Critical timing note: As per warmup documentation, do not upload your CSV file to your sending platform until nameserver changes have fully propagated. Upload too early and you’ll see connection errors across your entire inbox batch.
For a complete setup overview, our Ultimate Cold Email Infrastructure Guide covers prerequisites in detail.
Step 1: Export your inbox credentials
Accessing the inbox management dashboard
After logging in, navigate to the domain management section where your provisioned inboxes appear. Our platform allows you to set up 15+ inboxes in mere minutes and generates a CSV file with all IMAP details.
The export function lives in the migration flow interface. From our Help Center documentation:
Complete domain setup and inbox provisioning
Configure warmup settings (optional but recommended)
Select your sending platform from the dropdown
Download the formatted CSV
Using the Export for Instantly feature
On the File Exports step, select your sending platform from the dropdown menu. We support export to Instantly.ai, Smartlead, ReachInbox, Plusvibe, SalesHandy, Reply.io, and Woodpecker.
When prompted “Would you like to turn on warmup automatically?”, select Yes to embed warmup parameters directly into your CSV. The system then asks how many warmup emails you want to start with (options: 5, 10, or 15).
Warmup settings embedded in CSV:
Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
Warmup Enabled | true |
Warmup Limit | 5, 10, or 15 |
Warmup Increment | 1 email increase per day |
Once you download your CSV file, warmup settings are embedded and active. To modify warmup parameters after download, edit the CSV manually or restart the migration flow with different settings.
For a visual demonstration, our How to send 1000+ Cold Emails Per Day video shows the complete export process.
Step 2: Import inboxes into Instantly.ai
Navigating to the Accounts tab
Open your Instantly workspace and locate the Email Accounts section in the left sidebar. According to Instantly’s bulk import documentation:
Click Email Accounts in the left sidebar
Click Add New
Select Connect existing accounts
Choose Any Provider (IMAP/SMTP)
Select Bulk Import from CSV
Uploading the CSV file
Drag and drop your CSV file into the upload area or click to browse. Upload completes in under 30 seconds for files with 50+ accounts. When you upload your CSV, Instantly automatically detects the columns and attributes a variable for each field.
CSV format requirements from **Instantly’s help docs:**
No more than 50 custom variables selected
Column names under 20 characters
Remove any extra empty columns
Save and upload as UTF-8 encoding
Mapping fields
We format our exports specifically for Instantly, so field mapping should be automatic. Verify that each column maps correctly: email address, password, IMAP server/port, and SMTP server/port.
Step 3: Verify connection and SMTP settings
Checking connection status
After import completes (typically 2-3 minutes for 50 accounts), check your Email Accounts dashboard. Green checkmarks mean you’re ready. Red error indicators mean you need to troubleshoot credentials or DNS.
Instantly’s bulk settings documentation explains that you can download a CSV and filter accounts by status to quickly identify problem accounts.
We use Microsoft 365 infrastructure with these settings:
Protocol | Server | Port | Encryption |
|---|---|---|---|
SMTP | 587 | STARTTLS | |
IMAP | 993 | SSL |
According to Microsoft’s SMTP documentation, Port 587 begins with a standard connection then upgrades to encryption using STARTTLS.
Troubleshooting immediate connection failures
If accounts show “Failed” status immediately after import:
IMAP test: Navigate to Microsoft’s connectivity test tool
SMTP test: Use GMass SMTP tester
According to Instantly’s hostname documentation, if the test fails, share a screenshot of the result page with your provider to investigate.
Step 4: Configure custom tracking domains
Custom tracking domains improve deliverability by routing click tracking through your own domain instead of Instantly’s shared infrastructure. This step is optional but recommended for campaigns exceeding 500 emails daily.
Creating the CNAME record
According to Instantly’s tracking domain setup guide, add a CNAME record in your domain’s DNS zone:
Field | Value |
|---|---|
Host/Name | inst |
Points to/Value | |
TTL | Default or 3600 |
Linking in Instantly settings
After adding the DNS record:
Go to Email Accounts dashboard
Click on the email account > Settings
Enable Custom tracking domain
Enter inst.yourdomain.com
Click Check Status
CNAME records can take 24-72 hours to propagate. Use DNS Checker to verify before enabling in Instantly.
Step 5: Validate DNS and send a test email
Using Mail-Tester to verify SPF/DKIM/DMARC
Mail-Tester provides a comprehensive deliverability report. Send an email from one of your accounts to the unique address provided, then check your score.
Mail-Tester analyzes headers, blacklist reputation, and SPF records. Scores range from 0 (bad) to 10 (excellent). The free version allows up to 3 tests per day.
Target scores:
9-10/10: Ready to send campaigns immediately
8/10: Acceptable, but review flagged issues
Below 8: Do not send campaigns until you fix authentication issues
Our automated setup typically achieves 9.5/10 on Mail-Tester with properly configured domains.
Sending a live test from Instantly
According to Instantly’s test email documentation:
Navigate to your campaign’s Sequences section
Click Preview
Add test email addresses (comma-separated)
Select a sending account
Send and verify arrival in inbox
Troubleshooting common integration issues
“Authentication Failed” errors
Authentication failures indicate credential or protocol issues. Common causes:
Invalid credentials: Username (full email address) or password incorrect
Unsupported encryption: Server requires SSL/TLS but connection uses plain text
Disabled SMTP AUTH: Microsoft blocks SMTP in some tenants by default
Resolution steps:
Verify the email address in your CSV matches the exact format from inbox creation
Check that IMAP is enabled in Microsoft 365 admin settings
Confirm no special characters in passwords causing parsing issues
According to Courier’s SMTP error documentation, Microsoft no longer supports Basic Authentication in all tenants. Verify your inboxes use Modern Authentication (OAuth 2.0).
SMTP connection timeouts
Timeout errors indicate network or port issues rather than credential problems. Wait 15-30 minutes and reduce sending rate. If timeouts persist, verify your firewall allows outbound connections on port 587.
For persistent error code 421, implement exponential backoff and reduce concurrent connection attempts.
DNS propagation delays
DNS changes require 24-72 hours to propagate globally. If your CSV import fails across all accounts, DNS propagation is the likely cause.
Use WhatsmyDNS to check propagation status. Wait for green checkmarks across most geographic locations before re-attempting your CSV import.
Next steps: Warmup and campaign launch
With your inboxes connected, start warmup immediately. According to Instantly’s cold email strategy guide, warm up emails for at least 2 weeks before launching campaigns.
Warmup timeline:
New domains: 14-day warmup minimum
Daily limits: 30 campaign emails + 10 warmup emails per account
Once warmup completes, the recommended sending limits are 30 campaign emails per account per day plus 10 warmup emails. For 50 accounts, that’s 1,500 campaign emails daily.
For campaign strategy, watch My Full Cold Email Setup And Strategy covering the complete workflow.
Checklist: Integration steps
Active account with domains provisioned
Waited for DNS propagation after domain setup (verify with DNS Checker)
Exported CSV with warmup settings enabled
Verified CSV is saved as UTF-8 with no empty columns
Imported CSV via Instantly > Email Accounts > Bulk Import
Confirmed all accounts show “Connected” status
Created CNAME record for custom tracking domain (optional)
Sent test email to Mail-Tester and achieved 8+/10 score
Enabled warmup on all accounts
Waited 14 days before launching campaigns
Start connecting your inboxes
Our Instantly integration removes the technical complexity from cold email infrastructure. With automated DNS, bulk CSV import, and embedded warmup settings, you can connect your accounts quickly.
To calculate your potential savings, compare your current Google Workspace costs against our flat-rate model. For 50 inboxes, infrastructure costs drop from $350-420/month to approximately $163/month.
Ready to start? Sign up today to provision your first 10 domains, then return to this guide to complete your Instantly integration.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to enable IMAP manually?
We handle IMAP/SMTP enablement automatically during provisioning. If you see IMAP disabled errors, contact our support team.
Can I import more than 50 inboxes in a single CSV?
Instantly does not publish explicit row limits. For batches over 100 accounts, split into multiple CSV files to avoid timeout errors during processing.
How long until I can send campaigns after import?
New domains need 14 days of warmup. Sending immediately after import risks deliverability damage across your domain portfolio.
Why did my entire CSV fail to import?
Most batch failures result from DNS propagation issues. Use DNS Checker to verify propagation status before retrying.
Is warmup included or do I need external tools?
Warmup is included in Instantly’s Email Outreach plans. The warmup settings embedded in your CSV export configure Instantly’s peer-to-peer warmup automatically.
Can I bulk import Microsoft 365 accounts purchased through GoDaddy?
No. According to Instantly’s connection documentation, these require the Microsoft connector using OAuth instead. Standard Inframail inboxes work with bulk CSV import.
Key terms glossary
IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol): Protocol for receiving emails. Uses port 993 with SSL encryption. Instantly requires IMAP access for reply detection and peer-to-peer warmup.
SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol): Protocol for sending emails. Uses port 587 with STARTTLS encryption. Both IMAP and SMTP are required for full Instantly integration.
CNAME record: DNS record type that points a subdomain to another domain. Used for custom tracking domains.
DNS propagation: Time required for DNS changes to update across global nameservers. Typically 24-72 hours for full propagation.
Warmup: Process of gradually increasing sending volume on new email accounts to build sender reputation. Industry standard is 14 days minimum.
