Spotlight 20: Domain authentication for better email deliverability

For most event organizers, emails are the primary—if not the only—communication channel. Whether updating attendees with the latest event information before the event or staying in touch with them after the event, almost everything happens through emails. So it's important that your emails reach your attendees without being sent to the spam folder.

When you send an email with a custom domain as your primary contact address, there are a lot of chances that it might get sent to your attendee's spam folder due to security reasons. Phishing and forgery are also possible. To avoid such cybersecurity hassles, it's important that you update the DMARC policies and authenticate your domain accordingly.

DMARC is a set of protocols that ensure safe email practices to avoid cyber crimes. By complying with the terms, you guarantee that your emails are secure and you are responsible for them.

In Backstage, you can authenticate your domain name using two verification systems, namely Sender Policy Network (SPF) and DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM). While it's not necessary to verify your email's domain in both systems, we recommend that you do so to be on the safer side.

So how do you authenticate your email's domain? First, add the domain name to Backstage in the Domain authentication tab. For instance, if your email address is lucas.hunter@zylker.com, then zylker.com is its domain name. Once you've added the domain name, you can then verify it.

Verifying SPF for the domain

SPF (Sender Policy Framework) is an open, DNS-based email authentication system that allows your email domain to choose which IP addresses can send emails on your behalf. Basically, it lets your domain state which servers can send emails on its behalf. In this case, it allows Backstage to send emails.

To verify SPF for your domain, go to the Settings tab of your portal. Then, click the Verify link in the SPF section of the Domain Authentication tab to generate the required TXT records. Next, add the TXT record value to the SPF record in your domain's DNS settings to verify it. The DNS setup usually takes around 24-48 hours to be updated. Your email domain will be verified once the update is complete.

Verifying DKIM for the domain

DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) is an open, DNS-based email authentication system that is used to ensure that an email has not been altered in transmission. This proves the legitimacy of your email and tells people that there is no malicious content there. In other words, you tell the receiver the email hasn't been spoofed.

To verify the DKIM record for your domain, go to the Settings tab of your portal. In the Domain Authentication tab, click the Verify link to get the host name and TXT records. Paste both of these values to the DKIM record in your domain's DNS settings to verify it. It usually takes around 24-48 hours to be updated in your DNS settings. After this period, your email's domain will be DKIM-verified.

Learn more about domain authentication and make sure your emails reach your attendees without being phished, forged, or spoofed.

Subscribe to our forum to be updated with the latest Backstage news. If you have any feedback or questions, please write to us at support@zohobackstage.com.

Happy organizing!

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