Before you can send from you@yourdomain.com, you need to prove to inbox providers that you actually own that domain. This involves adding a few DNS records — we'll give you the exact values, and you paste them into your registrar. Takes 5–10 minutes.
Why it matters
Inbox providers like Gmail, Outlook, and Apple Mail check your domain's DNS records every time your email arrives. If the records are missing or wrong, your email goes to spam — or gets silently dropped.
Deliverability
Properly authenticated email lands in the inbox. Unauthenticated email goes to spam. It's that direct.
Trust signals
Gmail shows a 'via' warning if your domain doesn't match the sender. Authentication removes that warning.
Anti-spoofing protection
DMARC tells inbox providers what to do if someone fakes your domain in the From address. Without it, anyone can impersonate you.
How email authentication works
There are three standards that work together. You don't need to understand them deeply — just know that each one does a different job:
SPF
Says "only these servers are allowed to send email on behalf of my domain." Covered as part of the custom MAIL FROM setup.
DKIM
Adds a cryptographic signature to every email you send, so inbox providers can verify the message wasn't tampered with and really came from your domain.
DMARC
Tells inbox providers what to do if an email claims to be from your domain but fails SPF or DKIM checks. Starts in monitor mode — you can tighten it later.
Time estimate
5–10 minutes to add the DNS records at your registrar
1–48 hours for DNS to propagate before PristineSend can verify your domain. Most providers update within 30 minutes.
What you'll need
Access to your domain registrar — the place where you bought your domain (GoDaddy, Namecheap, Cloudflare, Google Domains, etc.). You'll be adding DNS records there.
Your PristineSend account open — the exact record values are generated per workspace in Settings → Sending domain.
A domain you own. You cannot send from gmail.com, hotmail.com, or any domain you don't control.
Step-by-step guides
Follow these guides in order. DKIM is required to send. DMARC and custom MAIL FROM are strongly recommended before you send to a large list.