Send Emails From Your Domain

Sending from your own domain is a great way build a reputation with inbox providers like Gmail/Outlook/etc. and present yourself as a legitimate business to subscribers.

It can also improve your deliverability considerably. Here's how to set it up:

1. Go to Settings > Domains > New

You can setup Audienceful to send emails from your root domain (yourdomain.com) or a subdomain (like mail.yourdomain.com).

Once you add the domain/subdomain you want to send from, Audienceful will give you records to add to your domain.

Pro tip: If you have no way to receive email at the domain you send from (you haven't added Google Workspace, Zoho, Microsoft 365 etc) it looks suspicious to inbox providers. Make sure you have either MX records from your inbox provider, or add the optional MX records we provide. Don't add both; they will conflict.

2. Add the records to your DNS provider

Head to where the DNS for your domain is hosted (more info below). Add the records provided by Audienceful and then wait a few minutes.

Then click the verify button on the Audienceful side. You should see a green checkmark on all of the records. If any checkmarks are missing, confirm you added everything correctly and try again.

If you're having trouble, your DNS provider or domain registrar should have a guide for how to add DNS records in their system. Also feel free to reach out to us (support@audienceful.com).

Not sure where your DNS is hosted? Start where you purchased your domain from (usually a domain registrar like Godaddy, Namecheap, etc). If your DNS appears to be hosted elsewhere, lookup your domain using DNSbuddy. In the 'NS records' section, you'll see what server is hosting your DNS. If it's not named something obvious, usually a quick Googling will tell which DNS provider uses that server.

3. Update your identity & do a test

Once your domain is verified and you see green checkmarks on ALL records, open any draft. Click Publish > New Task > Send as Email (We won't actually email everyone).

Click the "From:" dropdown and update it to use your domain.

Now use the Send test button and email yourself. Wait a few minutes, if the email arrives and isn't in spam, your authentication is likely passing.

Want to double check? Use the "Show original" option of your inbox to reveal the raw code of your email. For example, on Gmail desktop, you click the dot menu in the top right and select Show HTML or Show Original. Ctrl+F to find 'SPF' and 'DKIM,' you should see the phrase PASS next to each. If not, go back to step 2 and try again.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Here's a few of the most common problems we see when authenticating a domain via DNS:

• Is your domain on GoDaddy? You might already have an spf TXT record (referencing secureserver.net) that GoDaddy inserts by default to make it easier for them to upsell you stuff. Adding ours separately will break emailing since you can't have multiple spf records. You're safe to delete GoDaddys, or you can combine theirs with ours into one record as instructed in our domain modal.
• Are links in your emails causing browsers to pop a security warning? Reach out to our support about getting the right SSL setup dialed in for your click tracking. We can help.
• Are your links not working at all or is data missing on send reports? This is likely due to a missing CNAME record. Make sure you have a green checkmark next to all the records we provide after verifying.
• Are you now having trouble receiving email? You may have added our optional MX records to a domain that already has MX records. You can only have one set of MX records, so if you already have them, no need to add ours.
• Are your emails landing in spam? There's an issue with one or multiple of your DNS records. Use DNSbuddy to lookup your domain, that will show you what inboxes see. Make sure the records match up with what was given by our system. If you're still unsure of the issue, reach out to support@audienceful.com.

If you're certain the records were added correctly, but they still aren't verified, try coming back in 24 hours to verify again.

Sometimes DNS changes can take a while to propagate (show up).

What the heck is DNS and why do I have to do this? I thought you guys were all about good UX?? ARGGHH!

We totally get it, DNS is annoying and we'd redesign it if we could. It's the 1980s backbone to the internet...so not the most user friendly.

However, if you care about sending emails that don't land in spam, you have to authenticate your domain via DNS. There is no other way.

The good news; we're here to help you through it and you only need to set this up once.

If you're still having trouble, reach out to support@audienceful.com. We can even login to your DNS provider to add the records for you if necessary!

Fun fact: Some email marketing tools (cough MailMonkey cough) dodge all this DNS stuff by literally spoofing your domain at first, which results in you permanently landing in spam at some inopportune time in the future. We want you to have long-term success; we don't want to take your money in the short-term and trick you.