Independent. 48 hours. No call. No upsell.

The independent cold email audit. $97.

We audit your sending infrastructure, deliverability signals, and sequence copy. You get a written report with prioritized fixes. We do not sell warmup, mailboxes, domains, or managed sending.

48h turnaround 12 point checklist Sent by email
Limited Free deliverability review available this week. A review only, no fix included.
Audits run on business days · 48 hour turnaround
LIVE audit · 0042
smartlead · v3
00:01Resolving SPF for sending domainPass
00:02DKIM selector key 1024 foundPass
00:03DMARC policy: p=none, recommend quarantineWarn
00:04Subject line score 4.2 of 10. Too generic.Fail
00:05Inbox placement: Gmail 62%, Outlook 41%Warn
00:06CTA pattern: soft ask, low frictionPass
00:07List hygiene: 11.8% bounce riskFail
2 critical · 2 warnings · 3 pass Report ready in 48h
Tools we audit: Smartlead· Instantly· Lemlist· Apollo· Mailshake· Woodpecker· Saleshandy
Works with: Google Workspace· Microsoft 365· Cloudflare DNS· GoDaddy DNS· Namecheap DNS
Who this is for

Three buyers. One audit.

If you run cold email and your reply rates dropped in the last 90 days without an obvious reason, this audit is for you.

01

Solo founders

Running your own outbound on Instantly or Smartlead. Dashboard looks healthy. Replies are flat. You have changed the copy three times and nothing moved.

02

Lead gen agencies

Running campaigns for clients. A domain just got burned or placement dropped on a client account. You need a second opinion before you rebuild.

03

B2B operators

You just fired your cold email agency and inherited their infrastructure. You need to know what they left behind before you send another sequence.

Why teams hire us

Three reasons cold email goes quiet.

Most low reply rate problems are not copy problems. They are infrastructure problems wearing a copy mask.

01

Authentication gaps

Half configured SPF, missing DKIM, or a permissive DMARC policy quietly routes your messages to spam. The recipient never sees them.

02

Sender reputation drift

Domain age, warmup history, bounce ratio, and reply rate trend silently compound. By the time placement drops, you are three weeks behind.

03

Copy that signals bulk

Subject patterns, link density, formatting tells, and CTA pressure all read as automated outbound to filters. The message itself never gets a fair shot.

Stop guessing. Get the audit.

One reviewer. One report. Forty eight hours. Or start with a free review and see what we find first.

The free review surfaces failures only. No fix is included.

Methodology

A 12 point audit, run by a human.

Every audit follows the same checklist so you can compare results across sending domains, mailboxes, and campaigns.

⏱ 3 min read

Audit Checklist · v3
  • SPF record. Alignment, includes, and length.
  • DKIM signing. Selector, key length, and rotation.
  • DMARC policy. Alignment, p value, and reporting.
  • BIMI and MTA STS. Readiness check.
  • Domain reputation. Age and warmup pattern.
  • IP reputation. Blocklists and history.
  • Inbox placement. Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo.
  • List hygiene. Bounce risk and MX validation.
  • Subject line. Pattern, length, and spam tells.
  • Body copy. Friction, link density, and formatting.
  • CTA design. Ask size and response path.
  • Reply handling. Tracking and follow up cadence.
Process

How an audit runs.

01

Submit setup

Fill the Tally intake form. Provide your sending domain, the tool you use, one email from your sequence, and your daily send volume. No logins required.

02

We audit

An auditor runs all 12 checks manually. DNS records, IP reputation, inbox placement tests, sequence copy, list hygiene signals, and cadence review. No automated tool output passed off as analysis.

03

Written report

You receive a PDF with every finding labeled by severity, the exact fix steps in the order you should ship them, and specific configuration values where relevant.

04

Ship the fixes

Apply the fixes at your own pace. Email us follow-up questions at any time. The 30 or 60 day follow-up window (Tier 02 and 03) covers questions after implementation.

Before you submit

What you need to send us.

No logins. No portal access. Everything below can be copied out of your existing tools in under five minutes.

Required

  • Your sending domain (e.g. outbound.company.com)
  • Sending tool (Instantly, Smartlead, Saleshandy, etc.)
  • One full email from your sequence (subject + body)
  • Current daily send volume per inbox

Helpful but optional

  • +Last 30-day reply rate and bounce rate
  • +Screenshot of Google Postmaster Tools domain reputation
  • +Full sequence (all emails and follow-up cadence)
  • +What changed in the last 90 days
Start an audit
Outputs

What you actually get.

A written report. Findings ranked by severity. Exact fix steps. Sent as a PDF, yours to share, archive, or forward to the team that ships.

Audit Report · 0042 Sample · 12 pages

Executive Summary

Domainoutbound.acme.io
ToolSmartlead v3
Findings2 high · 2 med · 3 low
VerdictTwo infrastructure issues are capping your placement before copy ever matters. Fix order is documented below.

Finding 01 · DMARC policy too permissive

SeverityHigh
Observedv=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:dmarc@acme.io
Why it mattersA p=none policy gives you reporting but no enforcement. Spoofers can forge your domain, and inbox providers see the loose policy as a low trust signal.
FixMove to p=quarantine; pct=25 for two weeks while reviewing reports, then escalate to p=quarantine; pct=100, then p=reject.

Finding 02 · Subject line pattern triggers filters

SeverityHigh
ObservedSequence uses "Quick question, {{first_name}}." This is a known low trust pattern.
Why it mattersSubject scoring penalizes generic curiosity bait. Paired with high volume sending, you land in promotions or worse.
FixReplace with a benefit anchored subject under 6 words. Three rewrites provided in Appendix B.
Outcomes

What teams ship after the audit.

Avg. placement lift
+38%
Gmail primary inbox placement, based on audited setups
Reply rate change
2.4×
Across audited campaigns with infrastructure fixes applied
Time to first fix
3 days
From report delivery to deployment
Follow up audits
71%
Of clients request a follow-up audit within 90 days
"
We thought our copy was the problem. The audit showed our DMARC was wide open and our DKIM had not been rotated in 18 months. Two days of fixes later, placement jumped 41 percent.
Lena R., Head of Outbound, B2B SaaS
"
Best $197 I have spent on cold email this year. Written report, clear priorities, no upsell, no call. Implemented every fix in a week.
Marcus T., Founder, Agency
Pricing

Three tiers. Flat fees. No retainer.

Pick the depth that matches your campaign size. Every tier ships in 48 hours, written by an auditor.

Tier 01

Starter Audit

$97
48 hour delivery
  • 1 sending domain
  • Auth and deliverability check
  • Subject and CTA review
  • Written PDF report
  • Prioritized fix order
Select Tier 01
Tier 03

Agency Audit

$397
48 hour delivery
  • Up to 10 sending domains
  • Full 12 point checklist
  • Multi tool diagnostic
  • White label PDF for clients
  • 60 day email follow up
  • Postmortem for burned domains
Select Tier 03

Need more than 10 domains, or a private label run? Email us via the intake form and we will quote a custom scope.

How we compare

The market, honestly.

Every alternative either makes you interpret the results yourself, or uses the audit to sell you something else.

Option Price Turnaround Independent Written report
AuditHire $97 – $397 48 hours ✓ No tool affiliation ✓ PDF with ranked fixes
GlockApps $59–$129/mo Instant Tool vendor You interpret results
Fiverr audit $5–$75 1–3 days Varies Checklist only
Agency audit Free Discovery call Sells retainer Audit is bait
EmailMiners Quote only 3 business days Routes to sprint ✓ Written
About

Async by design. Independent by default.

AuditHire is a one person cold email audit service for B2B teams who would rather get a written report than book another call.

Who runs it

Every audit follows the same 12-point checklist. One auditor. No automated tool reports. No outsourced work. The same process on every submission, regardless of tier.

Why async

A written report is a better artifact than a meeting. You can reread it, share it, and reference it months later. We answer follow ups by email, fast but never on a clock.

What we do not do

We do not do retainers. We do not do hourly. We do not sell warmup tools. We do not refer you to "implementation partners" we own. The audit is the deliverable.

What we do

One thing, well. A thorough, written, prioritized cold email audit. Same checklist every time. Senior reviewer every time. Forty eight hours, every time.

Principles

Four ground rules.

01 · Findings, not opinions

Every claim in the report is anchored to an observable signal. A DNS record, a header, a deliverability test result, a copy pattern. Opinion belongs in the appendix.

02 · Severity ranked

You see what is blocking placement first, what is degrading reply rate second, and what is optional last. Implementation order is the deliverable.

03 · Written for operators

Reports are written so a competent operator can implement without a meeting. Configuration values, exact strings, and rollout plans included.

04 · Same scope, every time

The 12 point checklist is fixed. You can compare audits across domains, across months, and across teams. No moving goalposts.

Request your audit
Questions

FAQ

If your question is not here, the intake form has a free text field. Ask there.

48 hours from the time we receive your intake form. If we need additional access (DNS records, sample sequence), the clock starts when that is provided.
No. We work from screenshots, exported sequences, and DNS records, all submitted through the intake form. We never log into your account.
The audit is diagnosis only. Every finding includes the exact fix steps written so a competent operator can implement without help. If you need hands-on implementation, the report gives you everything you need to brief whoever ships it.
Async by design. A written report is more useful than a meeting, every time. You can reread it, share it with your team, and reference it six months from now. We answer follow ups by email.
Then the report says so, and we focus on the highest leverage copy and sequence improvements instead. You will still get prioritized fixes either way.
If the audit is delivered and you find a factual error in the report, we will fix it free. Beyond that, the audit is a deliverable. Once shipped, the work is done.
Tier 02 covers up to 3 domains and multiple sequences per domain. Tier 03 scales to 10 domains. For larger setups, email us first.
A combination of Mail Tester, GlockApps, native provider postmaster tools (Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo), MXToolbox for record validation, and our own scoring rubric for copy. Tools support diagnosis. They do not replace it.
Yes. The report is yours. Internal sharing, forwarding to vendors, sending to your CTO for sign off, all fine. Tier 03 includes white label rights for agency use.
The free review surfaces failures only. We check your DNS records and flag any critical authentication issues. No sequence review, no copy analysis, no ranked fix list. The paid audit covers all 12 points and delivers a full written report with prioritized recommendations.
We launched in May 2026. We are early. That is why we offer a free deliverability review — so you can see exactly what an audit looks like before you pay for one. The methodology and checklist are fixed and documented on the methodology page.
You will receive a confirmation within a few hours. The audit clock starts when we have everything we need from the intake form. Your written PDF report arrives by email within 48 hours. If we have questions we will email you, not call.
Cold email audit
$97 · 48 hours · No call
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