#1 - Set-up Sender Domain & Profile

STEP 1: Set Up a Sending Domain

Without a verified domain, your emails are far more likely to land in spam — or be blocked entirely.

Why This Matters

Even though AudienceSend is an ESP, you still need your own domain for these reasons:

  • “From” Domain: It controls the visible sender email (e.g. sarah@yourcompany.com)
  • Deliverability: DNS records like SPF and DKIM authorize AudienceSend to send on your behalf — required by inbox providers
  • Trust: Gmail, Outlook, etc., use your domain’s reputation to determine inbox vs. spam
  • Branding: Recipients trust yourname@yourbrand.com more than a generic shared domain
  • Compliance: Gmail and Yahoo block non-authenticated traffic starting in 2024

How to Set It Up

  1. Log into AudienceSend
  1. Go to Settings → Domains
  1. Click Add Domain
  1. Enter your domain (e.g. yourcompany.com)

AudienceSend will now provide 2–3 DNS records:

vbnet
CopyEdit
Type: TXT
Host: @
Value: v=spf1 include:audiencesend.io ~all

Type: TXT
Host: audiencesend._domainkey
Value: (DKIM key provided)

Type: CNAME
Host: bounce
Value: return.audiencesend.io

  1. Go to your DNS provider (Cloudflare, GoDaddy, Namecheap, etc.)
  1. Add the provided TXT and CNAME records
  1. Wait 5–15 minutes for DNS to propagate
  1. Click Verify in AudienceSend — once complete, you’ll see a Verified status
 
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Last updated on August 6, 2021