Cold DM Pre-Launch Checklist

How to use this checklist

Treat this as the gate immediately before you start sending at campaign volume. Complete every group in order; do not jump to the message before the account is confirmed, because a great message on a throttled account delivers nothing. Sign off each group with a date and an owner so the launch is auditable later.

Accounts and safety

The account group is first because it is foundational. If warmup is incomplete or a cap is unset, you are launching into a restriction, and the rest of the checklist is moot. Safety first is not caution for its own sake; it is what lets the campaign survive long enough to produce data.

• Warmup complete or on a documented schedule.
• Per-account daily and weekly caps configured.
• Restriction alerts enabled and owned.
• Backup account ready if launch depends on one.

List and targeting

Confirm the list is specific enough to personalize and small enough to fit capacity. A list that is too big for your safe volume tempts you to exceed the cap, and a list with no fit signal produces replies you cannot use. The list check protects both the account and the message.

Message and offer

The launch message should be the tightened version of your test, not a fresh rewrite. Confirm it opens on the recipient, states the offer in one line, and carries proof. A launch is not the time to experiment with a brand-new angle; that is what the learn phase was for.

1. 1Opens with the recipient's context, not your name.
2. 2Offer in one sentence under fifteen words.
3. 3One personalization hook that is real.
4. 4Proof or credibility present where relevant.
5. 5No links or attachments in the first message.

Tracking and KPIs

If you cannot measure the launch, you cannot improve it. Confirm the pipeline, the KPI tracker, and the report cadence are live before the first send, so week one produces a number you can act on. A launch with no tracking is a launch you will have to repeat blindly.

Compliance sign-off

The final group is compliance: terms, privacy, and the red lines you will not cross. Confirm the message and the process respect platform rules and any region-specific expectations. Compliance signed off late is compliance skipped, and the account pays the price, not the checklist.

• Message respects platform terms and norms.
• No guaranteed-outcome or regulated claims.
• Personal data handled only as needed.
• Opt-out or stop honored promptly if requested.

Staggered launch plan

Launching every account at full volume on day one turns a single mistake into a total loss. Stagger the start so a problem on one account is contained and diagnosable, and so the first day's data can inform the rest. A phased launch costs a little speed and buys a lot of safety.

First-week monitoring plan

The launch gate does not end when the first message sends; the first week is when problems surface. Set the monitoring cadence in advance so week one produces a decision rather than a surprise. Knowing what to watch and when converts a nervous launch into a controlled one.

1. 1Check delivery and restriction alerts daily for the first week.
2. 2Compute reply rate at day 3 to catch a broken message early.
3. 3Confirm the pipeline is logging every send and reply correctly.
4. 4Hold a short end-of-week review to decide scale up, hold, or fix.

A rollback plan if something breaks

Even a well-run launch can hit a warning, a broken message, or a list that converts far below plan. Decide in advance what each of those means and what you will do, so a bad first day triggers a calm, pre-agreed response instead of a panic. A rollback plan is what turns a launch problem into a pause rather than a loss.

Post-launch review

The launch checklist earns its keep when you close the loop after week one. A short review of what the gate caught, what it missed, and what the first week's numbers say turns a single launch into a better process for the next one. The checklist should evolve with each campaign, not stay frozen.

1. 1Note any item that failed at launch and why it slipped through.
2. 2Compare week-one rates to the forecast to catch surprises early.
3. 3Add a new checklist line for any failure the gate missed.
4. 4Confirm the launch record is stored with owner and date.

The go / no-go decision

The checklist exists to produce one binary call: launch or hold. Make that decision explicit rather than letting it happen by default when someone starts sending. A clear go/no-go with named criteria stops the two failure modes — launching with an open safety item, and stalling forever polishing a message that is already good enough.

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Quick checklist

• Accounts warmed with caps set and alerts owned.
• List fit-checked, deduped, and within safe capacity.
• Launch message opens on recipient with one hook.
• Offer and proof confirmed, no first-message links.
• Pipeline and KPI tracking live before first send.
• Compliance and privacy items signed off.
• Launch owner and date recorded on the checklist.

Frequently asked questions