Skip the spam folder with your technical setup (tutorial)
Whether your emails will land in spam doesn’t just depend on their content. Of equal importance is your technical setup.
Your technical setup primarily consists of DNS records that help authenticate your emails.
Only the domain owner (you!) has access to these records, which helps internet service providers know that the sender (you again;-)) is legit.
On this page, we’ll help you get your technical setup in order so that you’ll have a much better chance of avoiding the spam folder.
Scroll to your Email provider to get the right tutorial.
Google
SPF setup
SPF is an email authentication protocol that allows you to specify which email servers can send through your domain. Email coming from other servers will fail authentication and potentially not get delivered.
Step 1: Sign in to your domain provider
It can sometimes be called “DNS Management”, “Name Server Management”, or “Advanced Settings”.
Step 3: Check your current setup
Check that you don’t already have an SPF setup. An SPF record looks like this:
TYPE: TXT
HOST NAME: @
VALUE: v=spf1
HOST NAME: @
VALUE: v=spf1
If your domain already has an SPF record, please check with your IT and/or provider to see where the problem comes from.
Only 1 SPF should be created per domain. Deleting an existing SPF can disconnect other tools that require it.
Step 4 (if you have 2 or more tools that require SPF):
Add an SPF record for 2 tools. It should look like this:
Copy-paste the following text and replace “[tool-domain]” by the tool’s domain url:
TYPE: TXT
HOST NAME: @
VALUE: v=spf1 include:_spf.[tool-domain] include:_spf.[tool-domain] ~all
Step 4 (if you have 1 tool that require SPF):
Add an SPF record for 1 tools. It should look like this:
Copy-paste the following text:
TYPE: TXT
HOST NAME: @
VALUE: v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all
Step 5: Check that your new setup works
Go to the “DNS checks” section of lemwarm to test your domain again.
It can take up to 72 hours to take effect and have the right status in lemwarm.
DKIM setup
DKIM checks if an email has been tampered with during transit. If the email content isn’t authentic, it will fail DKIM authentication.
Step 1: Sign in to the Google Admin console
Step 3: Sign in to your domain provider
It can sometimes be called “DNS Management”, “Name Server Management”, or “Advanced Settings”.
Step 5: Add your DKIM to your DNS records
It should look like this:
Copy-paste the following text:
TYPE: TXT
HOST NAME: google._domainkey
VALUE : [your-google-TXT-record-value]
Replace [your-google-TXT-record-value] by the content you have here:
Step 4: Check that your new setup works
Go to the “DNS checks” section of lemwarm to test your domain again.
It can take up to 48 hours to take effect and have the right status in lemwarm.
MX records setup
MX records ensure that incoming email is routed to the correct server. In other words, without properly configured MX records, you won’t be able to receive replies.
Step 1: Sign in to your domain provider
It can sometimes be called “DNS Management”, “Name Server Management”, or “Advanced Settings”.
Step 3: Delete any existing MX records
Take a screenshot of all your DNS records before deleting any. This way you can revert back if needed.
Step 4: Add the following MX records
Copy-paste the following text:
TYPE MX
HOST NAME @
VALUE ASPMX.L.GOOGLE.COM
PRIORITY 1
TYPE MX
HOST NAME @
VALUE ALT1.ASPMX.L.GOOGLE.COM
PRIORITY 5
TYPE MX
HOST NAME @
VALUE ALT2.ASPMX.L.GOOGLE.COM
PRIORITY 5
TYPE MX
HOST NAME @
VALUE ALT3.ASPMX.L.GOOGLE.COM
PRIORITY 10
TYPE MX
HOST NAME @
VALUE ALT4.ASPMX.L.GOOGLE.COM
PRIORITY 10
Step 5: Check that your new setup works
Go to the “DNS checks” section of lemwarm to test your domain again.
It can take up to 48 hours to take effect and have the right status in lemwarm.
DMARC setup
A DMARC record determines what to do with unauthorized emails if they fail authentication. DMARC can let the unauthorized email pass normally, send it to spam, or not deliver it at all.
Step 1: Sign in to your domain provider
It can sometimes be called “DNS Management”, “Name Server Management”, or “Advanced Settings”.
Step 3: Add your DMARC to your DNS records
They will look something like this:
TYPE TXT
HOST NAME _dmarc
VALUE v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:[your-email-address]; pct=90
You only need to create the DMARC for 1 of your email addresses. It will apply to all other emails on the same domain.
Step 5: Check that your new setup works
Go to the “DNS checks” section of lemwarm to test your domain again.
It can take up to 48 hours to take effect and have the right status in lemwarm.
Custom tracking domain (CTD)
Email sending tools, like lemlist and Mailchimp, use tracking domains to track stats like open and click rates. Since many of their customers use the default tracking domain, which may have a spammy reputation, your deliverability may suffer. To prevent this, use your own custom tracking domain.
Step 1: Sign in to your domain provider
It can sometimes be called “DNS Management”, “Name Server Management”, or “Advanced Settings”.
Step 3: Add your CTD to your DNS records
They will look something like this:
TYPE CNAME
HOST NAME trail
VALUE custom.lemlist.com.
You only need to create the CTD for each domain. It will apply to all emails on the same domain.
Step 5: Check that your new setup works
Go to the “DNS checks” section of lemwarm to test your domain again.
Microsoft
SPF setup
SPF is an email authentication protocol that allows you to specify which email servers can send through your domain. Email coming from other servers will fail authentication and potentially not get delivered.
Step 1: Sign in to your domain provider
It can sometimes be called “DNS Management”, “Name Server Management”, or “Advanced Settings”.
Step 3: Check your current setup
Check that you don’t already have an SPF setup. An SPF record looks like this:
TYPE: TXT
HOST NAME: @
VALUE: v=spf1
If your domain already has an SPF record, please check with your IT and/or provider to see where the problem comes from.
Only 1 SPF should be created per domain. Deleting an existing SPF can disconnect other tools that require it.
Step 4 (if you have 2 or more tools that require SPF):
Add an SPF record for 2 tools. It should look like this:
Copy-paste the following text and replace “[tool-domain]” by the tool’s domain url:
TYPE: TXT
HOST NAME: @
VALUE: v=spf1 include:spf.protection.outlook.com include:_spf.[tool-domain] ~all
Step 4 (if you have 1 tool that require SPF):
Add an SPF record for 1 tool. It should look like this:
Copy-paste the following text:
TYPE: TXT
HOST NAME: @
VALUE: v=spf1 include:spf.protection.outlook.com ~all
Step 5: Check that your new setup works
Go to the “DNS checks” section of lemwarm to test your domain again.
Check your setup with lemwarm
It can take up to 72 hours to take effect and have the right status in lemwarm.
DKIM setup
DKIM checks if an email has been tampered with during transit. If the email content isn’t authentic, it will fail DKIM authentication.
Step 1: Sign in to the Microsoft 365 admin center
Step 2: Go to the DKIM page and select your domain
Step 3: Click on “Create DKIM keys”
This will show the CNAMEs you need to publish.
Step 4: Sign in to your domain provider
It can sometimes be called “DNS Management”, “Name Server Management”, or “Advanced Settings”.
Step 6: Add your DKIM to your DNS records
It should look like this:
TYPE: CNAME
HOST NAME: selector1._domainkey
VALUE: [your-microsoft-CNAME-record-value]
Copy-paste the following text:
TYPE: CNAME
HOST NAME: selector2._domainkey
VALUE: [your-microsoft-CNAME-record-value]
Replace [your-microsoft-CNAME-record-value] by the content you have here:
Publish CNAMEs (in the Microsoft 365 admin center)
Step 7: Check that your new setup works
Go to the “DNS checks” section of lemwarm to test your domain again.
It can take up to 48 hours to take effect and have the right status in lemwarm.
MX records setup
MX records ensure that incoming email is routed to the correct server. In other words, without properly configured MX records, you won’t be able to receive replies.
Step 1: Sign in to your domain provider
It can sometimes be called “DNS Management”, “Name Server Management”, or “Advanced Settings”.
Step 3: Delete any existing MX records
Take a screenshot of all your DNS records before deleting any. This way you can revert back if needed.
Step 4: Add the following MX record
TYPE: MX
HOST NAME: @
VALUE: yourdomain-com.mail.protection.outlook.com.
PRIORITY: 0
Step 5: Check that your new setup works
Go to the “DNS checks” section of lemwarm to test your domain again.
It can take up to 48 hours to take effect and have the right status in lemwarm.
DMARC setup
A DMARC record determines what to do with unauthorized emails if they fail authentication. DMARC can let the unauthorized email pass normally, send it to spam, or not deliver it at all.
Step 1: Sign in to your domain provider
It can sometimes be called “DNS Management”, “Name Server Management”, or “Advanced Settings”.
Step 3: Add your DMARC to your DNS records
They will look like this:
TYPE: TXT
HOST NAME: _dmarc
VALUE: v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:[your-email-address]; pct=90
You only need to create the DMARC for 1 of your email addresses. It will apply to all other emails on the same domain.
Step 5: Check that your new setup works
Go to the “DNS checks” section of lemwarm to test your domain again.
It can take up to 48 hours to take effect and have the right status in lemwarm.
Custom tracking domain (CTD)
Email sending tools, like lemlist and Mailchimp, use tracking domains to track stats like open and click rates. Since many of their customers use the default tracking domain, which may have a spammy reputation, your deliverability may suffer. To prevent this, use your own custom tracking domain.
Step 1: Sign in to your domain provider
It can sometimes be called “DNS Management”, “Name Server Management”, or “Advanced Settings”.
Step 3: Add your CTD to your DNS records
They will look like this:
TYPE: CNAME
HOST NAME: trail
VALUE: custom.lemlist.com.
You only need to create the CTD for each domain. It will apply to all emails on the same domain.
Step 5: Check that your new setup works
Go to the “DNS checks” section of lemwarm to test your domain again.
Zoho Mail
SPF setup
SPF is an email authentication protocol that allows you to specify which email servers can send through your domain. Email coming from other servers will fail authentication and potentially not get delivered.
Step 1: Sign in to your domain provider
It can sometimes be called “DNS Management”, “Name Server Management”, or “Advanced Settings”.
Step 3: Check your current setup
Check that you don’t already have an SPF setup. An SPF record looks like this:
TYPE: TXT
HOST NAME: @
VALUE: v=spf1
If your domain already has an SPF record, please check with your IT and/or provider to see where the problem comes from.
Only 1 SPF should be created per domain. Deleting an existing SPF can disconnect other tools that require it.
Step 4 (if you have 2 or more tools that require SPF)
Add an SPF record for 2 tools. It should look like this:
Copy-paste the following text and replace “[tool-domain]” by the tool’s domain URL:
TYPE: TXT
HOST NAME: @
VALUE: v=spf1 include:spf.[tool-domain] include:spf.[tool-domain] ~all
Step 4 (if you have 1 tool that require SPF)
Add an SPF record for 1 tool. It should look like this:
Copy-paste the following text:
TYPE: TXT
HOST NAME: @
VALUE: v=spf1 include:spf.zoho.com ~all
Step 5: Check that your new setup works
Go to the “DNS checks” section of lemwarm to test your domain again.
It can take up to 72 hours to take effect and have the right status in lemwarm.
DKIM setup
DKIM checks if an email has been tampered with during transit. If the email content isn’t authentic, it will fail DKIM authentication.
Step 1: Sign in to the Zoho Admin panel
Step 3: Select the domain for which you wish to enable DKIM
Step 4: Sign in to your domain provider
It can sometimes be called “DNS Management”, “Name Server Management”, or “Advanced Settings”.
Step 6: Add your DKIM to your DNS records
It should look like this:
TYPE: TXT
HOST NAME: zoho._domainkey
VALUE: [your-zoho-TXT-record-value]
Replace [your-zoho-TXT-record-value] by the content you have here:
Step 7: On Zoho, click on “Verify”
Step 8: Check that your new setup works
Go to the “DNS checks” section of lemwarm to test your domain again.
It can take up to 48 hours to take effect and have the right status in lemwarm.
MX records setup
MX records ensure that incoming email is routed to the correct server. Without properly configured MX records, you won’t be able to receive replies.
Step 1: Sign in to your domain provider
It can sometimes be called “DNS Management”, “Name Server Management”, or “Advanced Settings”.
Step 3: Delete any existing MX records
Take a screenshot of all your DNS records before deleting any. This way you can revert back if needed.
Step 4: Add the following MX records
Copy-paste the following text:
TYPE: MX
HOST NAME: @
VALUE: mx.zoho.eu.
PRIORITY: 10
TYPE: MX
HOST NAME: @
VALUE: mx2.zoho.eu.
PRIORITY: 20
TYPE: MX
HOST NAME: @
VALUE: mx3.zoho.eu.
PRIORITY: 50
Step 5: Check that your new setup works
Go to the “DNS checks” section of lemwarm to test your domain again.
It can take up to 48 hours to take effect and have the right status in lemwarm.
DMARC setup
A DMARC record determines what to do with unauthorized emails if they fail authentication. DMARC can let the unauthorized email pass normally, send it to spam, or not deliver it at all.
Step 1: Sign in to your domain provider
It can sometimes be called “DNS Management”, “Name Server Management”, or “Advanced Settings”.
Step 3: Add your DMARC to your DNS records
They will look something like this:
TYPE: TXT
HOST NAME: _dmarc
VALUE: v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:[your-email-address]; pct=90
You only need to create the DMARC for 1 of your email addresses. It will apply to all other emails on the same domain.
Step 5: Check that your new setup works
Go to the “DNS checks” section of lemwarm to test your domain again.
It can take up to 48 hours to take effect and have the right status in lemwarm.
Custom tracking domain (CTD)
Email sending tools, like lemlist or Mailchimp, use tracking domains to track stats like open and click rates. Since many of their customers use the default tracking domain, which may have a spammy reputation, your deliverability may suffer. To prevent this, use your own custom tracking domain.
Step 1: Sign in to your domain provider
It can sometimes be called “DNS Management”, “Name Server Management”, or “Advanced Settings”.
Step 3: Add your CTD to your DNS records
They will look something like this:
TYPE: CNAME
HOST NAME: trail
VALUE: custom.lemlist.com.
You only need to create the CTD for each domain. It will apply to all emails on the same domain.
Step 5: Check that your new setup works
Go to the “DNS checks” section of lemwarm to test your domain again.
It can take up to 48 hours to take effect and have the right status in lemwarm.
Other provider
SPF setup
SPF is an email authentication protocol that allows you to specify which email servers can send through your domain. Email coming from other servers will fail authentication and potentially not get delivered.
Step 1: Sign in to your domain provider
It can sometimes be called “DNS Management”, “Name Server Management”, or “Advanced Settings”.
Step 3: Check your current setup
Check that you don’t already have an SPF setup. An SPF record looks like this:
TYPE TXT
HOST NAME @
VALUE v=spf1
If your domain already has an SPF record, please check with your IT and/or provider to see where the problem comes from.
Only 1 SPF should be created per domain. Deleting an existing SPF can disconnect other tools that require it.
Step 4 (if you have 2 or more tools that require SPF)
Add an SPF record for 2 tools.
Copy-paste the following text and replace “[tool-domain]” by the tool’s domain url:
TYPE TXT
HOST NAME @
VALUE v=spf1 include:_spf.[tool-domain] include:_spf.[tool-domain] ~all
Step 4 (if you have 1 tool that require SPF)
Add an SPF record for 1 tool. It should look like this:
Copy-paste the following text:
TYPE TXT
HOST NAME @
VALUE v=spf1 include:_spf.[email-provider].com ~all
Step 5: Check that your new setup works
Go to the “DNS checks” section of lemwarm to test your domain again.
It can take up to 72 hours to take effect and have the right status in lemwarm.
DKIM setup
DKIM checks if an email has been tampered with during transit. If the email content isn’t authentic, it will fail DKIM authentication.
Step 1: Sign in to your email service provider’s admin console
Step 3: Find the DKIM settings within your domain’s settings
Step 4: Generate a new DKIM record
Step 5: Specify a selector for the DKIM record if prompted
Step 6: Obtain the DKIM record (TXT record name and value)
Step 7: Sign in to your domain provider
Step 8: Create a new TXT record using the DKIM details
It should look like this:
TYPE TXT
HOST NAME [selector]._domainkey
VALUE [your-provider-TXT-record-value]
Replace [selector] and [your-provider-TXT-record-value] with the values provided by your email provider.
Step 9: Check that your new setup works
Go to the “DNS checks” section of lemwarm to test your domain again.
Check your setup with lemwarm
It can take up to 48 hours to take effect and have the right status in lemwarm.
MX records setup
MX records ensure that incoming email is routed to the correct server. In other words, without properly configured MX records, you won’t be able to receive replies.
Step 1: Sign in to your domain provider
It can sometimes be called “DNS Management”, “Name Server Management”, or “Advanced Settings”.
Step 3: Delete any existing MX records
Take a screenshot of all your DNS records before deleting any. This way you can revert back if needed.
Step 4: Add the MX records given by your email provider
For instance, if Google is your email provider, it looks like this:
TYPE MX
HOST NAME @
VALUE ASPMX.L.GOOGLE.COM
PRIORITY 1
TYPE MX
HOST NAME @
VALUE ALT1.ASPMX.L.GOOGLE.COM
PRIORITY 5
TYPE MX
HOST NAME @
VALUE ALT2.ASPMX.L.GOOGLE.COM
PRIORITY 5
TYPE MX
HOST NAME @
VALUE ALT3.ASPMX.L.GOOGLE.COM
PRIORITY 10
TYPE MX
HOST NAME @
VALUE ALT4.ASPMX.L.GOOGLE.COM
PRIORITY 10
Step 5: Check that your new setup works
Go to the “DNS checks” section of lemwarm to test your domain again.
Check your setup with lemwarm
It can take up to 48 hours to take effect and have the right status in lemwarm.
DMARC setup
A DMARC record determines what to do with unauthorized emails if they fail authentication. DMARC can let the unauthorized email pass normally, send it to spam, or not deliver it at all.
Step 1: Sign in to your domain provider
It can sometimes be called “DNS Management”, “Name Server Management”, or “Advanced Settings”.
Step 3: Add your DMARC to your DNS records
They will look something like this:
TYPE TXT
HOST NAME _dmarc
VALUE v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:[your-email-address]; pct=90
You only need to create the DMARC for 1 of your email addresses. It will apply to all other emails on the same domain.
Step 5: Check that your new setup works
Go to the “DNS checks” section of lemwarm to test your domain again.
It can take up to 48 hours to take effect and have the right status in lemwarm.
Custom tracking domain (CTD)
Email sending tools, like lemlist or Mailchimp, use tracking domains to track stats like open and click rates. Since many of their customers use the default tracking domain, which may have a spammy reputation, your deliverability may suffer. To prevent this, use your own custom tracking domain.
Step 1: Sign in to your domain provider
It can sometimes be called “DNS Management”, “Name Server Management”, or “Advanced Settings”.
Step 3: Add your CTD to your DNS records
They will look something like this:
TYPE CNAME
HOST NAME trail
VALUE custom.lemlist.com.
You only need to create the CTD for each domain. It will apply to all emails on the same domain.
Step 5: Check that your new setup works
Go to the “DNS checks” section of lemwarm to test your domain again.
Check your setup with lemwarm
It can take up to 48 hours to take effect and have the right status in lemwarm.