Set up your sending domain and sender the right way
Before your first campaign, verify your domain with three DNS records, add DMARC and create a sender people will recognise. Here's how, step by step.
Every iResendly campaign goes out from your own domain, signed so that inbox providers can tell the mail really comes from you. Getting this right once is the single most useful thing you can do before you send anything. It takes a few minutes of work and, at worst, a short wait while DNS updates.
Before you start#
- Access to your DNS. That's wherever your domain's records are managed: your registrar, your hosting company or a service such as Cloudflare. If someone else looks after it, ask them now; it's the step that usually holds things up.
- The domain you'll send from, such as
yourcompany.com. Use the domain your readers already know from your website. - A postal address for your business. Anti-spam law (CAN-SPAM) requires one in the footer of marketing email, and iResendly asks for it when you add a sender.
Add the domain and publish the records#
- 1Open Settings → Email & domains
Choose Add domain and type it, for example
yourcompany.com. - 2Copy the three records into your DNS provider
Copy each value exactly from the console rather than retyping it. If we recognise your DNS provider, the console says so.
- 3Choose Verify domain
We check straight away and keep checking afterwards. DNS can take up to 48 hours to update, though it's often much quicker.
| Type | Name | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| TXT | iresendly._domainkey | DKIM: signs every email so receivers can check it wasn't forged or changed. |
| MX | send | Receives bounce reports on a send subdomain. |
| TXT | send | SPF for that bounce address: v=spf1 include:amazonses.com ~all. |
The MX and SPF records sit on the send subdomain, so they don't interfere with the mail you receive at your main address. If you already have email on your domain, it carries on working as before.
Add a DMARC record#
DMARC isn't required to send, but inbox providers trust domains that have one. If your domain doesn't have a DMARC record yet, add a TXT record named _dmarc with the value v=DMARC1; p=none;. That starting policy asks receivers to report on your mail without blocking anything, so it's a safe first step.
_dmarc already exists, leave it as it is rather than adding a second one.Reading the status#
| Status | What to do |
|---|---|
| Verifying · Pending | Nothing yet: we're waiting to see the records. |
| Verified | You're ready. Add a sender. |
| Failed | A record wasn't found. Compare it with the console, fix it, then choose Check DNS again. |
| Can't send | The domain is verified but sending from it is blocked. Contact support. |
Each record also shows Verified, Not found or Not checked, so you can see exactly which one needs attention. The most common mistakes are a typo in a long DKIM value and a DNS provider that adds your domain to the end of the name for you, turning send into send.yourcompany.com.yourcompany.com.
Create a sender people recognise#
Once the domain shows Verified, open its Senders tab and choose Add sender.
- Email address: it must end in your domain. Pick something that reads well and that you won't change, such as
news@yourcompany.com. - Display name: what people see in their inbox. Your company name, or a person's name with the company, works best. Keep it the same from one campaign to the next.
- Physical address: shown in the footer of your emails.
- Reply-to address (optional): where replies go. Point it at an inbox someone actually reads; replies are a good sign, and they deserve an answer.
From the sender's menu, choose Send test email to see it arrive, and Set as default so new campaigns start with it. You can then pick it on a campaign's review step, or enter a from name and address manually as long as the address is on a verified domain.
Good to know#
- Standard plans allow 25 sending domains and Premium unlimited; the free trial includes 1.
- A domain belongs to one iResendly account, and it's shared with Business Email and the Developer API, so you only verify it once.