No coding knowledge, no problem. Setting up your domain for email marketing requires no programming prowess, although it does involve some technical know-how. Luckily, all of it can be done by following step by step guides, provided by popular email providers like Google Workspace.
Set up one email domain for old outreach and you can do it again and again. It’s not a complicated process, but one that requires following instructions to a tee.
Alternatively, Instantly has a DFY (done-for-you) automated email setup service that you can take advantage of. We’ll get into that in detail near the end of the article, so just skip over to that section if you don’t feel like setting up your email domains yourself.
In this blog, you’ll learn how to set up an email domain for outreach campaigns, from choosing a domain name to all the DNS records needed for high deliverability. But first, let’s start with the foundation.
Why You Need a Dedicated Email Domain for Outreach
If you run cold outreach campaigns from your primary domain, you’re running the risk of permanently damaging your sending reputation. For example, if enough people marked a campaign as spam, you could get blocked from sending additional emails, cold outreach or not.
In email marketing, it's wise to use a dedicated domain for any cold outreach efforts. This approach safeguards your main domain, preventing any potential damage to deliverability and reputation that may occur from being flagged as spam. Using a separate domain sidesteps this risk altogether, allowing you to run outreach campaigns stress-free.
It would be a particularly painful day to see your primary domain that you’ve worked so hard on to get banned from your email provider, as you would need to migrate all your efforts to a secondary domain. Imagine doing SEO for years, only for your email to become unusable because of one bad email outreach campaign. If that’s not a risk you’re willing to take, you’re better off using dedicated outreach domains.
Having email domains specifically for outreach will allow you to closely monitor and manage your sending reputation. The worst case scenario in this approach is that a domain is burnt and you start over on a new outreach domain. While the actual setup of email domains can be confusing, especially for first timers, it’s a one-time setup that saves you bigger headaches in the long run.
Choosing the Right Domain Name
When it comes to choosing a domain for email outreach, it's crucial to align it closely with your brand name.
By selecting a domain that mirrors your brand, you establish consistency and credibility in your communications. Customers are more likely to engage with emails coming from a domain that reflects your brand identity because of previously established trust.
Choosing an on-brand domain name for cold email outreach campaigns can significantly boost important KPIs like open and reply rates. Consistency between your outreach domain and brand also helps in maintaining a positive sender reputation for long-term success.
Email Deliverability Explained
Email deliverability refers to the ability of an email to reach the recipient's inbox successfully. It encompasses various factors such as sender reputation, content quality, and recipient engagement.
High email deliverability means that your emails are more likely to avoid spam folders and actually land in the recipient's primary inbox.
To strengthen email deliverability, it's essential to follow best practices like using authenticated email domains, creating engaging content, and maintaining a positive sender reputation. Monitoring and testing deliverability are standard practices for anyone serious about email outreach and is a crucial part of ensuring your campaigns are successful.
Setting Up Your Email Domain
Technical setup of an email domain (for cold outreach) involves setting up DNS (domain name system) records. There are 4 types of records you’ll need to configure to set up your email domain for scalable outreach campaigns.
How to Set Up MX Records
MX records (mail exchanger records) are a foundational part of setting up an email domain for cold outreach. Their role is to tell email servers where to deliver emails, meaning they are the routing codes that make sure emails end up in the correct inbox. Without properly set up MX records, your emails won’t arrive in recipients’ inboxes.
Here are the resources you can use to set up MX records with a few popular providers:
- For Google workspace, you can refer to this documentation.
- For Microsoft Office 365, you can refer to this guide.
Once you’ve finished the steps from either resource, you can use MX Toolbox's SuperTool to check its validity or check it from the Instantly dashboard.
How to Set Up SPF Records
SPF records (sender policy framework records) are security measures for emails that authenticate that emails are coming from legitimate sources. Having SPF records set up prevents spoofing and phishing attempts while improving your email deliverability.
Setting up SPF records will vary depending on your email provider. You can check out the following links for your SPF setup needs:
- For Google Workspace, you can use this guide.
- For Microsoft Office 365, you can refer to this resource.
After you’ve completed SPF setup, you can use MX ToolBox's SPF Lookup tool to see if it’s properly configured or test it from the Instantly dashboard.
How to Set Up DKIM Records
DKIM records (domain keys identified mail records) are an email authentication method that adds a signature to emails, making them easier to track and also to prevent spoofing. If you’re ever wondering why emails are being sent to spam, it’s likely your DKIM records aren’t set up correctly.
Here are a couple resources for setting up DKIM records with the most popular email providers:
- For Google Workspace, refer to this link.
- For Microsoft Office 365, you can use this guide.
After following the steps outlined in the resources, you can check if it’s been set up properly using Easy DMARC's Domain Scanner or you can check its status from the Instantly dashboard.
How to Set Up DMARC
DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance) is an email authentication, policy, and reporting protocol to detect and prevent malicious email activity. Essentially, it authenticates emails to let servers know they’re coming from a legitimate source. It’s the last piece of the puzzle in setting up your email domain for cold outreach.
Important Note: DMARC should be activated after DKIM and SPF records are configured. It is recommended that both are authenticating emails from 48+ hours before turning on DMARC.
Getting set up with DMARC is simple with these resources:
- For Google Workspace, you can use this guide.
- For other providers, you can use a DMARC provider from Postmark.
You can check if DMARC is set up properly using Easy DMARC’s Domain Scanner or through the Instantly dashboard.
Email Warmup
After you have your MX, SPF, DKIM, and DMARC configured correctly, it’s time for email warmup, the process of establishing a reputation to increase its email sending limit. Every email provider has email sending limits, which can be quite limiting if you want to do outreach at scale.
However, brand new domains don’t have the reputation needed to even come close to these hard limits. For example, Google Workspace allows you to send a maximum of 2,000 emails per day, but it’s more likely that you’d only be able to send 15-30 emails daily without ending up in the spam folder. Increasing your actual email sending limit involves improving your sending reputation, which can be done automatically through email warmup in Instantly.
Instantly.ai Automated Email Setup
Running campaigns at scale can be a time-consuming headache, from purchasing new domains to setting up inboxes and configuring all the DNS records we went over in this blog.
Fortunately, we've simplified this process significantly with our automated email setup feature, allowing you to complete these tasks with just a few clicks.
This new Instantly feature can save you countless hours in your workflow. For those running large-scale campaigns, the time savings is a no-brainer. And for those just starting out, it’s a great shortcut you can take to get your first campaign off the ground.
We created a YouTube video explaining how to set it up, which you can watch below. Alternatively, we wrote a step-by-step guide to accessing the automated email setup from the Instantly dashboard, which you can read here.
Key Takeaways
Proper email domain setup is a critical step you have to take care of before launching an email outreach campaign. Whether or not you handle it yourself using the steps we outlined in this blog or through our automated email setup service is up to you.
- Email deliverability is the measure of an email’s ability to reach the primary inbox instead of spam folders.
- Choosing a domain name that’s aligned with your brand will improve key performance metrics and improve long-term deliverability.
- Technical email setup involves creating DNS records, but does not require any coding experience.
- Email warmup can be automated for establishing reputation and maintaining it over time.
Ready to streamline your email setup and warmup process?
Say goodbye to manual configurations and hello to efficiency with Instantly! Our automated email setup service takes care of everything, from domain configuration to DNS records, ensuring your emails land in the primary inbox. Plus, our automated email warmup feature helps establish and maintain your reputation effortlessly.
