When you create a custom from address (CFA), there are some words to avoid, and some we recommend using.
Words to avoid to help prevent triggering spam filters:
offers
special
promotions
info
credit
Words that can work well:
news
events
latest
email
updates
marketing
transactional
Some full CFA examples:
Your CFA can’t contain accented characters. The subdomain must only consist of a combination of the letters a-z, the numbers 0-9 and the hyphen sign (-), but can’t start with the hyphen sign.
Use a subdomain for a custom from address
To use a subdomain for your CFA, you must check with your IT department and/or domain provider whether your subdomain can be pointed to us. This is because some domain providers don't allow subdomains to be pointed to different name servers to those of the parent domain.
If allowed, then you need to create specific NS records that point to us.
Learn how in Delegate a subdomain to our servers.
Can I provide MX records for my existing domain?
Can I provide MX records for my existing domain?
No. We require the NS records to be pointed to us rather than just the MX records.
This is because we need to set up some other services on the subdomain, such as the hosting of landing pages, and the enhanced reporting of opens, clicks and bounces. If the subdomain is delegated to us only using the MX records instead of the NS records it isn't possible to do this.
Can I run a domain myself by being given the DNS records or a copy of the zone file?
Can I run a domain myself by being given the DNS records or a copy of the zone file?
Yes, however this option is only available if you can’t delegate your subdomain to us. You must speak to your Customer Success representative before using this feature.
While we recommend delegating the DNS records to our name servers for optimal performance and ease of updates, we understand that self-hosting might be the only choice in some situations, for example, due to domain registrar restrictions. To accommodate various needs, we do support self-hosting as an option.
You must be aware that self-hosting comes with some risks, such as requiring you to perform timely manual updates for infrastructure changes. We strongly encourage you to consider delegating the DNS records to our name servers for a more seamless experience.
If you decide to proceed with self-hosting, we provide the necessary DNS records for the sub-domain to work in Dotdigital. You must inform your Customer Success representative before using this feature, as they need to add the CFA to the account for you.
Purchase a new domain for my custom from address
It's possible to have a variety of different CFAs to send from, as well as multiple sending domains.
To purchase a new sending domain:
Expand the User menu, then go to Settings > Email > From addresses.
This page lists your available sending addresses. Each address could be Active and therefore available to use in campaigns, or Pending which means the from address is currently being set up.
Select PURCHASE NEW ADDRESS.
Option not available?
If this page isn’t visible in your account, it’s likely that the feature is not enabled. Contact us to discuss adding a new from address.
On the Address purchasing page you can:
Set up a whole new sending domain
This gives you exclusive use of a domain name, such as email-mycompany.com.
Set up an alias for a domain that you already own
If, for example, you already have news@email-mycompany.com, you could create updates@email-mycompany.com.
You can purchase domain names in the platform which end with:
.com
.net
.org
.uk.com
.org.uk
.co.uk
.com.mx
.mx
.in
Other domain names are available through alternative purchase methods. Contact your Customer Success representative to discuss options.
Purchase a new sending from domain name
⚠️Sending from a new domain
We strongly recommend that you don't send from a newly purchased domain for 30 days. This is because mailbox providers treat brand new from domains as a bad reputation indicator. Sending from it before 30 days have passed could adversely affect your deliverability.
Enter the email address you want to send campaigns from.
The domain name needs to be one that you don't already own, and that no one else owns. To check if it's available, select CHECK AVAILABILITY. If your chosen domain is not available, we suggest some alternatives.
When you’re ready to purchase the new domain name, you need to provide some contact information. Your name, address, and contact details are made publicly available for anyone looking up the owner of a domain. Enter your details.
The name you enter cannot contain accented characters.Select PURCHASE ADDRESS. You're asked to confirm your choice, and can see the details of the cost for the new domain.
Once we have your details, we charge your account and start setting up the new address.
Domain verification
You must verify your domain within 15 days of having purchased it, otherwise the domain becomes suspended.
An email containing a verification link is sent to the email address you registered the domain with, so it's important to make sure this email address is entered correctly.
These verification emails are not sent from or by Dotdigital.
All generic top-level domains (TLDs) receive an email from registrant-verification@ispapi.net.
.uk domains receive an email from serviceapplications@nominet.org.uk.
Dotdigital are able to request the resending of a verification email for all top-level domains except .co.uk.
You can tell if a domain has been suspended by looking at the NS records. If suspended, they read:
ns1.registrant-verification.ispapi.net 194.50.187.225
ns2.registrant-verification.ispapi.net 194.0.182.225
ns3.registrant-verification.ispapi.net 193.227.117.225
If a .uk domain is suspended, you need to contact Nominet. Unfortunately, we aren’t able to assist you.
Purchase an alias for a domain already in your account
Let's say, for example, you already have the sending address news@email.company123.com.
This means purchasing a new alias, such as updates, enables you to send from updates@email.company123.com.
Aliases and deliverability
The alias is the bit before the @ in your CFA and this doesn't have a technical impact on inbox placement.
Mailbox providers and filtering or security applications don't look at this portion of the sending address to determine reputation; they look at the reputation of the sending domain: the reputation of support@emails.example.com is going to be the same as the reputation for marketing@emails.example.com, as they both use the same emails.example.com domain.
However, your recipients might be paying attention to the alias, which could influence whether they open your email. They might also add your email address to their safe list or a specific folder or label, so if you change the alias you're sending from, this could impact whether or not they see your emails.
Recipient engagement determines your sender reputation with a mailbox provider, so choose an alias that your recipients can trust and interact with – and stick to it.
To purcahse a new alias:
Enter the alias you want to use.
This is the portion of the CFA that comes before the @ symbol.Expand the drop-down menu and select the domain name you want the address to be sent from.
Select PURCHASE ALIAS. You're asked to confirm your choice, and can see the details of the cost for the new alias.
This charges your account.
It can take up to 30 minutes to set up the new alias. This setup time ensures all of our servers are ready to receive replies and responses to your campaigns.
After this time, you can use the alias as one of your custom from addresses.
Domain security
All domains purchased through Dotdigital, including those that have been purchased with us in the past, are secured with SSL, ensuring security best practice. Increasingly, non-SSL websites are being red-flagged by browsers. Users expect to see the secure padlock icon when visiting a page.
All email links, unsubscribe pages, landing pages, surveys, signup forms and preference centres under your branded domain benefit from this security.
Change the registrant details for a domain post-purchase
Expand the User menu and go to Settings > General > Domain names.
Select the Edit icon under View and edit registrant for the domain you want to edit details for.
Enter the new details, then select SAVE.
You may be required to reverify your domain if you change the registrant details. If so, you receive an email sent from either ICANN or Nominet to the email address listed under Registered owner details for the domain.
It's not always the case that re-verification is required, but it's best to keep a lookout for this email, otherwise your domain could become suspended.
Change the renewal status for a domain
Expand the User menu and go to Settings > General > Domain names.
Select the Edit icon under Renewal options for the domain you want to change.
Select the Renew domain check box to renew the domain.
Select the Auto renew check box to ensure the domain is renewed every year automatically.
Select SAVE.
Can I change the DNS records for my purchased domain or delegated subdomain?
No. Because our DNS records are all uniform, our domains are constantly managed and optimised for correct email delivery. Therefore, it's not possible to make any changes to those DNS records.
After registering a new custom from address
If you've purchased a brand new domain for sending, then we recommend waiting for at least 30 days before you start sending. This is because mailbox providers treat brand new from domains as a bad reputation indicator and this can adversely affect deliverability.
This grace period is not required for newly created subdomains of an existing domain, as long as the existing parent domain was created more than 30 days ago.
Whether you've purchased a completely new domain or you're using a subdomain, you need to ramp up. This means gradually increasing the volume you send through your new CFA over time, targeting engaged recipients to build a good sender reputation with mailbox providers. We can work with you to create and execute a comprehensive ramp up strategy that gives the best chances of success; you can contact your Customer Success representative or our Support team to discuss this.
Find and manage custom from addresses
You can find your custom from addresses in two places:
To use a CFA for a campaign send, once available, you can select your chosen address from the From address drop-down menu during the Create stage of the campaign creation process.
Learn more in Campaign setup.
To view or manage your CFAs, expand the User menu and go to Settings > Email > From addresses. Here, you can set a default from address for the account and edit your custom from addresses.
Can I have a dynamic alias in my CFA?
No, not currently. Our infrastructure doesn't support dynamic aliases. You can, however, use a personalised Friendly from name by using the relevant personalisation placeholder.
You can set this in the Create stage of the campaign creation process.
For example, you could insert a contact data field such as @ASSIGNED_TO@ which includes the name of the contact’s allocated account manager or advisor. As long as the staff member’s name is included as a value in the contact data field against the contact, then this value dynamically populates when the email is sent.
Contact data fields have an option to set a default value when setting them up, so if there's an instance where a contact doesn't have a staff member assigned to them, then the default value, for example Your [company name] advisor, is used instead.
Replies and emails sent to my CFA
Replies to your email campaigns can be viewed in the Replies drilldown report in email reporting.
Learn more in Replies report.
Other options for managing replies:
a custom reply-to address, set at either CFA or campaign level.
Learn more in the section Set a custom reply address.at campaign level by using forwarding address when setting up a campaign.
set an automatic response at an account or campaign level.
Learn more
Set a custom reply address
To set a custom reply-to address for a CFA:
Expand the User menu and go to Settings > Email > From addresses.
Select the Edit icon for the CFA.
In the Custom reply-to address field, enter the email address you want replies to be sent to.
Optionally, select the Add to existing campaigns checkbox.
Select this option to apply your custom reply-to address to all existing unsent standard campaigns, as well as any ongoing sends of triggered campaigns, which use this from address. This does not apply to already sent campaigns, or campaigns currently sending.
Changes can take up to 30 minutes to apply. This change in not reversible.
Select SAVE.
Learn more about setting a reply-to address at a campaign level in Campaign setup.
Transfer a custom from address registered with Dotdigital to a new registrar
It is possible to transfer a CFA to a new registrar. How this works depends on the type of domain the CFA uses.
For .co.uk domains: You need to provide us with the TAG code of your new registrar and we then push the domain to them on your behalf.
For any other domains: We provide you with your domain's authorisation code and you need to give this to your new registrar to initiate the transfer.
It could be the case that you're transferring the domain so that you own it, but you still wish to use it in your account with us.
If so, you need to be aware of the following:
You can't use the domain whilst the transfer process is taking place.
Once the domain is transferred, you need to point the name servers to us.
You must let accounts@dotdigital.com know when the domain is with your new registrar, so that we can check to see that the domain is ready to use.