SaaS Outbound, Run Through Apollo
Apollo is unusual in the outbound stack: it's the data layer and the engagement layer in one product. SaaS teams prospect directly inside Apollo's B2B contact database, save ICP searches, enrich records, and drop contacts straight into sequences — no CSV shuffling between a data vendor and a sending tool.
What Apollo doesn't provide is the sending infrastructure itself. Every sequence sends from mailboxes you connect, and Apollo's deliverability is only as good as those mailboxes. This guide covers how SaaS teams pair the two — provisioning sending infrastructure on ColdRelay, linking it under Apollo's Settings → Mailboxes, and running prospect-to-sequence workflows that never touch your primary @company.com domain.
Why Run Apollo on ColdRelay Infrastructure
Because Apollo bundles data and sequencing together, many SaaS teams make the same shortcut: they connect their primary Google Workspace accounts under Settings → Mailboxes and start sequencing. It works — until the first spam complaints accumulate against the same domain that sends your product, billing, and support email.
Apollo sends from whatever mailboxes you link; it doesn't provision domains or protect their reputation. That's the infrastructure layer's job, and it's exactly where ColdRelay fits. You order dedicated mailboxes on isolated Azure tenants with dedicated IPs, fully DNS-configured (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), ready in about an hour — then connect those to Apollo instead of your real workspace.
The pairing is additive, not competitive: Apollo stays your database, enrichment, and sequencing engine; ColdRelay supplies mailboxes built to land. You keep the all-in-one workflow that made Apollo attractive — you just stop betting your product domain on it.
Visit Apollo →Connecting ColdRelay Mailboxes to Apollo
Provision mailboxes on ColdRelay
Pick secondary domains related to but separate from your primary SaaS domain. ColdRelay supports 100-150 mailboxes per domain — most SaaS teams start with 50-200 mailboxes across 1-3 domains. Everything provisions on isolated Azure tenants with dedicated IPs in about an hour, with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC already configured.
Link the mailboxes under Settings → Mailboxes
In Apollo, go to Settings → Mailboxes and connect each ColdRelay mailbox. Once linked, the mailboxes become available as senders for your sequences, and on higher Apollo plans you can enable email account rotation so sends distribute across the full pool automatically.
Set Apollo's deliverability limits to match
In Apollo's deliverability settings, cap each linked mailbox at 2 outbound emails per day. That mirrors ColdRelay's per-mailbox budget — 4 sends/day total, split 2 outbound + 2 warmup. ColdRelay's warmup runs continuously in the background, so don't stack additional warmup volume on top inside Apollo.
Build ICP saved searches and enrich
This is the step that doesn't exist with pure sending platforms. Use Apollo's database to build saved searches per ICP — industry, headcount, tech stack, funding stage — enrich the records, and keep the searches saved so new matching accounts flow in over time.
Sequence and launch
Add contacts from your saved searches into an Apollo sequence with email, call, and LinkedIn steps. Assign your ColdRelay mailbox pool as the senders. With 50 mailboxes you have 100 outbound emails/day of capacity; scale mailboxes on ColdRelay as pipeline demands grow.
The SaaS Apollo Playbook
Never link your real workspace
The most common Apollo mistake for SaaS teams: connecting primary Google Workspace accounts under Settings → Mailboxes because it's one click. Every cold send then accrues against your product domain. Link ColdRelay mailboxes on secondary domains instead — onboarding, billing, and support email stay walled off.
Let saved searches feed the sequence
Apollo's edge is that prospecting and sending share one database. Build a saved search per ICP segment, review the net-new accounts it surfaces weekly, and push qualified contacts into the matching sequence — a standing pipeline instead of one-off list pulls.
Use multi-channel steps, but let email carry volume
Apollo sequences support email, call, and LinkedIn task steps. Reserve calls and LinkedIn touches for high-intent segments and let email carry the volume — it's the only step that scales with your mailbox pool rather than rep hours.
Match sequence capacity to mailbox count
At 2 outbound sends/day per mailbox (within the 4/day total alongside 2 warmup sends), your active sequence enrollment should track your pool size. Enrolling 1,000 contacts against 25 mailboxes just builds a backlog — add mailboxes on ColdRelay before you add enrollment.
Typical SaaS Outbound Benchmarks (Apollo + ColdRelay)
| Metric | Benchmark | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Inbox placement rate | 95%+ | Dedicated IPs and isolated tenants outperform shared Google/Microsoft pools |
| Reply rate | 2-5% | Tight ICP saved searches + a demo-first CTA; varies by persona seniority |
| Outbound capacity per mailbox | 2/day | 4 sends/day total per mailbox — 2 outbound + 2 warmup |
| Time to first sequence | Same day | ~60 minutes to provision, plus saved-search and sequence setup in Apollo |
| Domain reputation risk to product domain | Zero | Outbound runs entirely on separate ColdRelay infrastructure |
What It Costs: Apollo + ColdRelay
You pay per mailbox per month for the infrastructure, with volume tiers that drop as you scale (see the table below). DNS, IPs, and isolated Azure tenants are included.
Apollo is billed separately on its own per-seat plans, which bundle database access, enrichment credits, and sequencing — email account rotation unlocks on higher tiers.
Infrastructure cost scales with mailbox count; Apollo's cost scales with seats and credit usage. The two stack cleanly — one bill for sending capacity, one for the data and engagement platform on top.
| Mailboxes | ColdRelay price / mailbox / month |
|---|---|
| 1–199 | $1.00 |
| 200–999 | $0.85 |
| 1,000–4,999 | $0.70 |
| 5,000+ | $0.55 |
Each mailbox sends 4 emails per day — 2 outbound to prospects + 2 warmup. ColdRelay provisions mailboxes on isolated Azure tenants with dedicated IPs; Apollo handles the sending, sequencing, and inbox rotation on top.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does ColdRelay replace Apollo?
No. They're complementary layers. Apollo is the data and engagement platform — B2B database, enrichment, saved searches, and sequences. ColdRelay is the infrastructure underneath: the secondary domains, mailboxes, and dedicated IPs those sequences actually send from. You use them together.
Can't I just connect my Google Workspace to Apollo?
You can, and that's the problem — every cold send then counts against the domain your product, billing, and support email depend on. Connecting ColdRelay mailboxes on secondary domains under Settings → Mailboxes keeps outbound reputation completely separate from your primary @company.com domain.
Do I need a warmup period before sending from ColdRelay mailboxes in Apollo?
No waiting period. Warmup runs continuously as part of each mailbox's 4 sends/day budget — 2 outbound + 2 warmup — so mailboxes are ready to take Apollo sequence volume from day one. Just cap Apollo's per-mailbox daily limit at 2 outbound emails to match.
How many mailboxes does a SaaS team need for Apollo sequences?
It depends on enrollment volume. At 2 outbound sends/day per mailbox, 50 mailboxes gives 100 sends/day, 200 gives 400/day. Size the pool to your active sequence enrollment, and scale mailboxes on ColdRelay — with up to 100-150 per domain — as pipeline targets grow.