Inbox Volume Test: How Many Emails Can You Really Send Per Day?

There’s a common belief in the email outreach world that sending 30 emails per day is the safest approach. Some argue that going beyond this can damage deliverability, while others point to Google’s official 2,000-per-day limit as proof that inboxes can handle more. So, I decided to put this to the test.

The Experiment: Pushing the Limits

A friend of mine needed to send a large volume of emails but couldn’t use their usual account. Their list wasn’t completely cold—everyone had opted in at some point. The only major difference was that we would be using a different domain. Given that the messaging would be similar, I assumed spam complaints would be minimal.

Here’s how we ran the test:

• Step 1: Set up Smartlead and tested a single email to myself – it landed in the primary inbox.

• Step 2: Sent 1,000 emails over the course of a day.

• Step 3: The next day, tested deliverability again by sending an email to a different Google Workspace account – still landed in the primary inbox.

Key Takeaways

This experiment wasn’t about proving we can send more emails from a single inbox without consequences. Instead, it reinforced one key lesson:

✅ Spam complaints are the real enemy—not volume.

What Matters More Than Volume:

• 📌 Spam Reports: The more people mark your email as spam, the worse your deliverability.

• 📌 Engagement: If people open and engage with your emails, inbox placement improves.

• 📌 Domain Reputation: A strong sender reputation matters more than sheer volume.

• 📌 Gradual Scaling: Instead of jumping to high volumes immediately, ramp up carefully.

Adjusting Our Strategy Moving Forward

While we won’t be sending 1,000 cold emails from a single inbox every day, this test showed us that we can be more flexible with our limits. Instead of sticking strictly to 30 emails per day, we might push it up to 60+ if a campaign is performing well and engagement is high.

Best Practices for Scaling Outreach:

✔ Start with 30 emails per day to warm up the inbox.
✔ Monitor engagement and spam complaints closely.
✔ If performance is strong, slowly increase volume while watching deliverability.
✔ Keep your messaging personalized and relevant to avoid spam complaints.
✔ Use multiple domains and inboxes for high-volume campaigns.

Final Thoughts

This test proves there’s no magic number when it comes to email sending limits. Instead of obsessing over arbitrary caps, focus on maintaining good engagement, avoiding spam complaints, and scaling strategically. If your emails provide value, you can likely send more than you think.

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