This guide covers the steps most senders follow to set up email marketing so their messages reach inboxes rather than spam folders. As you work through it, keep in mind which platform you'll send from (for example, Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign, or Constant Contact). It's general guidance based on typical setups, not platform-specific instructions.

✅ What you'll need

• Access to your DNS provider, where your domain records are managed.
• Admin access to your email marketing platform (ESP).
• The "from" email address you want to send from (for example, [email protected]).

Step 1: Choose a marketing sending domain

Many businesses separate marketing email from their primary corporate email to reduce risk and see performance more clearly. Two common approaches:

• A subdomain — for example updates.yourdomain.com, sending from [email protected]. Most people find this easier to manage while keeping branding consistent.
• A separate marketing-only domain — for example yourdomainmail.com. Sometimes used when a subdomain isn't possible, but it usually takes extra care to maintain trust and recognition.

Step 2: Set your sending identity

Inbox providers and recipients both look for clear, recognizable sender details. Most senders use:

• A From name that matches their brand or a real person associated with it.
• A From address on the same domain or subdomain they're sending from.

Addresses that discourage replies or don't clearly match the brand often see lower engagement.

Step 3: Add email authentication records

Authentication helps mailbox providers confirm your emails are legitimate. There are three records:

• SPF (Sender Policy Framework) — tells inbox providers which systems can send email on your behalf. Your platform provides an SPF value to add to DNS. Most senders already have an SPF record, so merge new values into it rather than creating a second one.
• DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) — adds a cryptographic signature to your emails. Your platform supplies one or more DKIM records, added to DNS exactly as provided. Once verified, the platform shows DKIM as active.
• DMARC — builds on SPF and DKIM and reports on authentication results. Many senders start with a monitoring-only policy (p=none) to collect data, then tighten it once they're confident all sending sources are authenticated. DMARC records are added as TXT records in DNS.

Important: Only one SPF record should exist per domain or subdomain. If you already have one, merge the new values in rather than adding a second record.

Step 4: Keep domains and links consistent

Mailbox providers weigh overall consistency when judging trust. Most senders align:

• The sending domain.
• Link tracking domains, if the platform supports them.
• Image hosting domains.

Using clearly related domains throughout your emails helps avoid mixed signals.

Step 5: Prepare your contact list

List quality plays a major role in deliverability. Most senders:

• Email only contacts who have clearly opted in.
• Remove invalid addresses automatically.
• Separate engaged and unengaged contacts.
• Avoid uploading old or unverified lists without cleaning them first.

Poor list quality is one of the most common causes of spam filtering.

Step 6: Gradually ramp up sending on new domains

New domains and subdomains have no sending history yet. Most senders:

• Start by emailing their most engaged contacts.
• Increase volume gradually over several sends.
• Monitor results before sending to larger segments.

Sudden high-volume sends from a new domain often lead to filtering issues.

Step 7: Confirm bounces, complaints, and unsubscribes are handled

Most modern platforms manage this by default, but it's worth checking that:

• Hard bounces are suppressed immediately.
• Spam complaints stop future sends to that contact.
• Unsubscribes are processed instantly and without friction.

Step 8: Test before sending broadly

Before a large send, many senders:

• Send test emails to inboxes on different providers, such as Gmail and Outlook.
• Confirm links, images, and formatting are correct.
• Check that authentication is passing in the inbox headers.

Step 9: Maintain ongoing domain hygiene

Deliverability depends on long-term behavior, not just setup. Most senders regularly:

• Remove or suppress contacts who never engage.
• Keep sending patterns consistent.
• Review engagement trends and investigate sudden drops.
• Adjust frequency or segmentation when engagement declines.

🔧 Common issues and what to check

• Authentication not passing — DNS records may be missing, incomplete, or still propagating; SPF may need merging rather than duplicating; DKIM may not match exactly what the platform provided.
• Emails landing in spam — too much volume too quickly, low engagement or high complaint rates, or inconsistent domains and misleading content.
• Declining engagement — lists may include inactive contacts, content or frequency may need adjusting, or segmentation may be too broad.

💡 Quick setup overview

• Use a dedicated domain or subdomain for marketing email.
• Authenticate with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC.
• Start with engaged contacts and increase volume gradually.
• Maintain list hygiene over time.

Need help? Email us at [email protected]. Please include your account details and a brief description of your issue.