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Use a custom sending domain

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By default, the address used to send emails from Privy is offers@privymktg.com. However, this address can be updated to reflect your specific domain and brand instead. If your DNS provider is Domain.com,  GoDaddy,  NameCheap, or Shopify, please follow their platform-specific instructions instead. 

Additionally, please ensure that you meet the following requirements:

  • You must own a domain name. It isn't possible to use this feature with free email addresses from providers like Gmail or Yahoo.
  • You must have the ability to update the DNS records of your domain.
  • You must be hosting a website at the root of the domain.

Note: The approach to updating DNS records varies from one provider to another. If you encounter issues locating these settings, please contact the provider directly.

Add the domain

 To add a new sending domain:

  • In your Privy account, select the Account dropdown menu from the navigation bar. Your business name appears here. 
  • Select the Business Information option from the dropdown menu.
  • In the sidebar, select Sending Domain under the Email Settings section. 
  • Click the + Add Sending Domain button in the upper right. 
  • In the prompt, enter your domain name (e.g., example.com) and click the Save button. The provided domain must be a root domain, not a subdomain (e.g., mail.example.com). 

Add_a_custom_sending_domain.gif

Update your DNS information

After completing the previous steps, DNS records are generated for your domain. The records are automatically presented to you after saving the domain for the first time. However, if you navigated away from the page, the records can be easily accessed by returning to your Sending Domain settings, locating the domain, and clicking the DNS Records button.

Once you've accessed the records:

  • Add each of them to your DNS provider. There is a mix of CNAME and TXT records.
  • Return to the records in Privy and click the Verify button next to the domain. This action will check if the DNS records were updated correctly. If they were, green checkmarks appear. If they weren't, the red X marks remain. To troubleshoot issues with verification, check out these resources. 

Verify_DNS_records.png

Note: It can take up to 48 hours for the DNS records to propagate and properly verify.

Send emails with the domain

After your sending domain is verified, you need to update the default "from" address for emails sent from your account. To update this setting: 

  • In your Privy account, select the Account dropdown menu from the navigation bar. Your business name appears here. 
  • Select the Business Information option from the dropdown menu.
  • In the sidebar, select Sender Options under the Email Settings section.
  • Input the desired address before the "@" symbol in the 
  • Select the custom domain from the dropdown menu that reads privymktg.com.

Completion of this process will update all emails that you create moving forward. Check out this example from our friends at Bitch New York who decided to use "bark" combined with their custom sending domain to create their default email From Name. 

Example_custom_sending_domain.png

To update this setting for emails set up before the change: 

  • Go into the email editor and click on the From option under the Sender Info section.
  • Enter the desired address information and select a verified domain from the dropdown menu.
  • Click Save. 

Edit_an_email_s_FROM_address.png

Troubleshoot common issues

Invalid records

Typically, we'd suggest that you copy and paste the host values provide in your account:

scph1218._domainkey
s1._domainkey
s2._domainkey
privy-sg
privy._verification

However, some providers will not verify when your brand domain and top-level domain are excluded from these host values. For example, if you enter privy-sg in the Host Name, the provider will throw an error because it expects privy-sg.yourdomain.com instead.

To troubleshoot this issue, add your domain information to each host value and input those values instead. After adding your domain to the records, they will look something like the following:

scph1218._domainkey.yourdomain.com
s1._domainkey.yourdomain.com
s2._domainkey.yourdomain.com
privy-sg.yourdomain.com
privy._verification.yourdomain.com

Note: It's okay if the TXT record for scphXXXX._domainkey is not verified. In some cases, your domain will use the hosting provider's DKIM instead.

Pending verification

In most cases, the records should verify almost immediately when entered into the host correctly. However, some changes will require up to 48 hours to take effect. If your records have not been verified after 48 hours, please do the following: 

  • Review the "Why won't my DNS records verify?" guide.
  • Attempt the verification process again.
  • Contact your web host for assistance.

Additional resources

Privy Partner Program

You can contact a vetted Privy partner and have them make these changes on your behalf.

Privy Support

Leave the Support Team a voicemail containing your DNS-related question at 619-431-4373. The team will return your call between 9 AM and 5 PM EST - excluding weekends and holidays.

Note: This phone number is only for DNS questions. All other inquiries should be directed to Privy's Support Team via email or via the chat widget at the bottom right of this screen.

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