A cold email agency builds things that outlast any single campaign: domains, warmed inboxes, copy that’s been tested, and a market that’s been mapped. Ali’s point in this video is that all of that is an asset, so make sure it’s under your name. These are the two questions he’d ask before signing up, plus a bonus one.
Which questions should you ask a cold email agency?
Two, before anything else: who owns the tech stack, and who pays for it. Agency checklists usually cover results, process and price. These two decide what you keep, and what you’re billed for, once the work starts.
| Question | Why it matters | Our answer |
|---|---|---|
| Who owns the tech stack? | It decides what you keep if you leave | You do: the accounts are in your name from day one |
| Who pays for it? | It decides whether tools are billed on top | The retainer covers domains, inboxes, data and the sequencer |
| What gets built in your name? | It shows what you’re building | Warmed inboxes, proven copy and a market you know how to reach |
Who owns the tech stack?
Ask whose name each account is in: the domains, the inboxes, the data tool and the sequencer. With us, you own them. When we start working together, you set up the accounts under your name and we add our company card to them, so everything we build sits in your accounts from day one.
That’s what makes leaving simple. If you decide to take cold email in-house one day, you swap the card. There’s nothing to rebuild.
Whichever agency you talk to, ask for the name on each account, not just who manages it. If the domains or inboxes sit in the agency’s accounts, so does everything built up in them.
Who pays for the tech stack?
Ask whether the tools are inside the retainer or billed on top of it. With us, the retainer pays: domains, inboxes, data and the sequencer are all covered, so you don’t get an extra bill for every tool.
To see what that infrastructure looks like at your volume, the Inbox Calculator shows how many inboxes and domains it takes, and what Google and Azure inboxes cost.
What actually gets built in your name?
Over time: warmed inboxes, proven copy and a market you know how to reach. Here’s how it builds up with us:
- Month one: your inboxes warm up while we map your market and write your copy.
- Then: we launch, start testing, keep what works and drop what doesn’t.
- Over time: what’s left is warmed inboxes, proven copy and a market you know how to reach.
That’s the asset. You own the tech stack, and your retainer pays for it.
What else should you settle before signing?
What you bring to the table. Ownership is one half of the decision. The other is covered in Ali’s four things to prepare before hiring a cold email agency: your ICP, pain points, lead magnet and call to action. To see what this would look like for your business, book a strategy call or read how we run cold email.
Questions
Who owns the domains and inboxes when you hire a cold email agency?
It depends on the agency, so ask before you sign. With DFY Automation, you do: you set up the accounts in your own name and we add our company card to them. If you take cold email in-house, you swap the card and keep everything that was built.
Does a cold email agency's retainer include domains and inboxes?
Not always, so ask whether tools are inside the retainer or billed on top. Ours covers them: domains, inboxes, data and the sequencer are all included, so there's no extra bill for each tool.
Can I take cold email in-house after working with an agency?
Yes, if the accounts are in your name. With us, taking cold email in-house means swapping our company card for yours on accounts you already own. The domains, inboxes and sequencer stay as they are, so there's nothing to rebuild.
What happens in the first month with a cold email agency?
With us, month one is setup: your inboxes warm up while we map your market and write your copy. After that we launch and start testing, keeping what works and dropping what doesn't.
What do you own at the end of a cold email engagement?
The asset Ali describes: warmed inboxes, proven copy and a market you know how to reach, all in accounts under your own name.
Read the video transcript
Your cold email agency is building an asset. Make sure it's under your name.
If you're thinking about hiring a cold email agency, here are two questions that I'd ask before signing up. One, who owns a tech stack, and two, who would pay for it?
Let's start with the first question. Who owns a tech stack? Well, with us, you do. When we start working together, you set up the accounts under your name. We just add our company card to it. So everything that we build is going to be under your name from day one. So one day if you decide to take cold email in-house, you just swap the card. There's nothing to rebuild.
Now the second question, who pays for the tech stack? Well, the retainer does. Domains, inboxes, data, sequencer are all covered inside of your retainer. So you're not getting an extra bill for every tool on top of it.
Here's the bonus question. What actually gets built in your name? In month number one, your inboxes warm up while we map your market and write your copy. After that, we launch, start testing, keep what works and drop what doesn't. Over time that becomes warmed inboxes, proven copy and a market you know how to reach.
That's the asset. You own the tech stack and your retainer pays for it. If you want to see what this would look like for your business, link is in the comments.
Lightly edited for clarity.