Set Up a Marketing Domain to Protect Campaign Deliverability

Overview

Campaigns use your authenticated marketing domain to send your emails. Before you send your first campaign, add and authenticate a marketing sending domain so your emails can pass domain authentication checks.

Apollo recommends using a subdomain instead of your root domain. A subdomain helps separate your marketing sender reputation from your primary domain, website, and sales email. Some domain providers also restrict the records you can add to a root domain, so a subdomain keeps setup simpler.

Check out the following sections to set up and authenticate a marketing sending domain, add a sender identity, and protect your campaign deliverability.

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Set Up a Marketing Domain

When you add a marketing domain, Apollo generates the DNS records you need for authentication. You can add these records automatically through a connected provider or manually through your DNS provider.

To set up a marketing sending domain:

1. Launch Apollo and click Settings > Outbound > Email setup and health > Marketing domains > Add domain.

2. Enter the subdomain you want to use for marketing emails, such as email.acme.com, then click Add domain.
3. Choose how to add the DNS records:
   • Connect with Entri: Add the required records automatically. Apollo recommends this path for supported providers.
   • Set up manually: Copy the records from Apollo, then add them to your domain provider.

Connect with Entri

Connect your DNS provider and allow Apollo to add the required records automatically.

3. Click Connect with Entri. Apollo shows a list of supported providers.
4. Select your provider, then click Continue.

5. Enter your login credentials, then click Connect.

Apollo authenticates and connects your domain.

Set up manually

Connect your domain with Apollo by providing the DNS records to your domain provider.

3. Click Set up manually.

4. Apollo shows the DNS records. Copy each name and value, and add them in your domain provider's dashboard.

 

One SPF Record Is Plenty

If your domain already has an SPF record, don't create another one. Add include:spf.apollo.io to the existing record. Multiple SPF records can cause authentication and delivery failures.

Apollo authenticates a marketing domain with four records. Check out the following table to understand what each record does.

Record	Purpose
Return-path (CNAME)	Authenticates the return-path and mail-handling record for your domain.
DKIM 1 (CNAME)	Helps mailbox providers verify that Apollo sent the email and that no one changed it in transit.
DKIM 2 (CNAME)	Provides a second DKIM key so Apollo can rotate keys without interrupting authentication.
DMARC (TXT)	Tells mailbox providers how to handle messages that fail authentication and helps protect your domain from impersonation. If your domain has no DMARC record, Apollo suggests a starting policy of v=DMARC1; p=none;.

5. When you're done, click Verify records.

You have now added your marketing sending domain. Wait for Apollo to verify the DNS records before you increase your campaign sending volume.

Check Domain Authentication Status

After you add a domain, Apollo shows its authentication status so you know when it's ready to send. Check out the following table to understand each status.

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Verify a Sender Identity

A sender identity controls the sender name and email address that recipients see. The sender email address must use your verified marketing sending domain.

To verify a sender identity:

1. Launch Apollo and click Settings > Outbound > Email setup and health > Marketing domains.
2. Click Add sender address.
3. Select a marketing sending domain.
4. Enter the sender name and email address. The email address can include letters, numbers, and the characters . _ + -.
5. Click Save.

6. Open the confirmation email that Apollo sends to the sender address, then click the verification link.

After Apollo verifies the sender identity, you can select it when you create a campaign. You can add multiple sender identities and choose a different identity for each campaign.

You have now verified a sender identity.

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Protect Campaign Deliverability

Apollo requires an authenticated marketing sending domain instead of a connected sales mailbox for campaigns. Authentication protects your sender reputation and helps your emails reach the inbox.

Follow these practices to protect your subscribers and your sender reputation:

• Import only subscribers who provided any consent required by applicable laws.
• Complete DNS authentication before you increase your sending volume.
• Keep your suppression lists current. Apollo enforces unsubscribes automatically.
• Allow Apollo to warm up a new marketing sending domain gradually.

Monitor Your Sending Health

Apollo shows a sending-health status for each domain so you can spot deliverability problems early. Check out the following table to understand each status.

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Next Steps

Now that your marketing domain is authenticated, put it to work and keep your sending in good shape.

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