This article is for WebinarJam and EverWebinar.

This article is part of a series dedicated to helping you set up DKIM, SPF, and DMARC records to authenticate the custom domain email addresses you use to send emails with WebinarJam Mail.

What is DMARC? DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance) records tell mail servers what to do with emails that could not be verified as legitimate, based on a sorting policy that you define. They are published in the DNS settings for the domain.

Using this guide, create a DMARC policy to monitor DKIM and SPF alignment for your domain(s) and set up reporting so you stay informed. DMARC alignment refers to how closely a message From: header matches the sending domain specified by either DKIM or SPF.

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Step 1: Identify Your Sender Domain(s)

Start by identifying the domain(s) you want to protect. Your domain is the part of your email address that comes after the ‘@’ symbol, such as yourcompany.com.

The person identified as the Webinar Host & Presenter is used as the sender for all notification emails for a particular event (the host is shown in the following image as “John Smith”).

To protect all the email domains you use for your webinars, look at the primary host information each time you create a new event. The email addresses associated with each host are the ones you must authenticate.

It is not necessary to authenticate the email domains for secondary presenters (ie, “Jane Doe” in the following image is a secondary presenter).

Remember: If you add different hosts with different email address domains to your webinars, DMARC records must be added to the DNS settings for each one.

 

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Step 2: Login to Your Domain Host

Your DNS (Domain Name System) provider is where your domain’s settings are managed. Popular providers include GoDaddy, Namecheap, or Cloudflare, but there are many similar services your domain could be registered through.

Once logged in, find the DNS settings or management section of your account. Look for an option like “DNS Management” or “DNS Settings.”

Example of Advanced DNS settings in Namecheap domain management
Source: How do I add TXT/SPF/DKIM/DMARC records for my domain?

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Step 3: Create Your DMARC Record

Now, you’ll need to define the DMARC policy. A basic DMARC record includes the following components:

• v=DMARC1: The DMARC version.
• p=none: DMARC policy, example value set to “none.” This instructs mail servers to monitor emails but take no action if the sender cannot be authenticated.
• rua=mailto:[email protected]: Specifies the email address where aggregate reports of mailing activity for the domain should be sent. In your record, replace “[email protected]” with the email address where you want to receive DMARC reports. The address must be located on the same domain as the DMARC record OR be issued by a DMARC monitoring service.

A finished DMARC record value with these components looks like this:

v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:[email protected];

Note: If you sign up for a DMARC monitoring service, most will generate a DMARC record for you. They will provide the exact record and instructions to add it to your DNS. Otherwise, you can create the record manually as shown above.

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Step 4: Publish Your DMARC Record

Create a TXT record for your domain and add the policy defined in the previous step.

1. Go to the DNS Settings or DNS Management area.
2. Locate the domain(s) you use to send email.
3. Add a new TXT record to the domain and enter the DMARC details:
   • “Host” or “Name”: _dmarc
   • “Value” or “Content”: enter the DMARC record details you defined at the previous step.

Note that the terminology you see in your account for the record fields can vary depending on your hosting service. If you’re not sure how to follow these steps in your DNS console, your domain host support will be able to help.

After publishing the DMARC record, wait about an hour for the changes to propagate through the internet.

 

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Step 5: Test Your DMARC Record

Before testing the DMARC, make sure you also have valid DKIM or SPF records set up for your domain. Remember, DMARC works to validate and report on DKIM and SPF authentication, so all the pieces must be in place before you test.

If you have not configured and tested DKIM or SPF records yet, stop here and do that now:

• Create DKIM authentication records
• Create SPF authentication record (integrated SMTP only)

When all your sender authentication records are complete, use a DMARC Record Check tool to confirm that the DMARC record is correct. Your domain host may provide one, or you can use an online service like DMARC Check Tool from MxToolBox. There are lots of free tools available online to help you test!

 

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Step 6: Monitor and Analyze Reports

Sign up for a DMARC monitoring service and regularly check the mail server reports sent to the email address specified in your record’s rua tag.

The monitoring service will distill the information contained in each report into usable insights – without it, the XML reports can be difficult to understand. The information you get from the reports will help you review any email authentication failures and fine-tune your DMARC policy over time.

There are many services online that you can use to monitor DMARC reports. One example to get you started with a free monitoring tier is Valimail.

This article is for WebinarJam and EverWebinar.

Integrated SMTP Users Only

STOP: If you configured DKIM in your WebinarJam account in the previous step in this guide, SPF has already been provided for you. Skip this guide completely and do not add an additional SPF record.

If you are using an integrated SMTP service like MailGun or Postmark, however, you may need to add a separate SPF record. If that is the case, proceed with this guide.

This article is part of a series dedicated to helping you set up DKIM, SPF, and DMARC records to authenticate the custom domain email addresses you use to send emails with WebinarJam Mail.

What is SPF? An SPF (Sender Policy Framework) record is a list of services that are authorized to send mail on behalf of a specific domain. It is published in the DNS settings for the domain.

Before diving into the technicalities, let’s understand the basics. An SPF record is like a safelist for your emails, telling receiving mail servers that a particular server is allowed to send emails on behalf of your domain. This helps prevent cybercriminals from forging your email address and sending malicious emails.

Using this guide, add or update an SPF record for your domain to designate your integrated SMTP as a service authorized to send mail on your behalf.

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Step 1: Identify Your Sender Domain(s)

Start by identifying the domain(s) you want to protect. Your domain is the part of your email address that comes after the ‘@’ symbol, such as yourcompany.com.

The person identified as the Webinar Host & Presenter is used as the sender for all notification emails for a particular event (the host is shown in the following image as “John Smith”).

To protect all the email domains you use for your webinars, look at the primary host information each time you create a new event. The email addresses associated with each host are the ones you must authenticate.

It is not necessary to authenticate the email domains for secondary presenters (ie, “Jane Doe” in the following image is a secondary presenter).

Example of the email sender settings in a webinar configuration

Remember: If you add different hosts with different email address domains to your webinars, SPF records must be added to the DNS settings for each one.

 

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Step 2: Check for Existing SPF Records

In some cases, your domain may already have an SPF record in place. To check, you can use an online SPF record-checking tool or log in to your domain registrar account to review the DNS records that already exist. If you’re not sure how to understand the existing records, your domain provider’s support can help.

If there is no SPF record for your domain, you will need to create one. If there is already a record, you must edit the existing record instead. You can only have one SPF record per domain.

 

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Step 3: Create Your SPF Record

If you don’t have an SPF record, it’s time to create one. The finished record will be added to your domain’s DNS (Domain Name System) settings. Contact your SMTP service to find out how to add their information to your SPF record. They may provide an IP address or a domain for you to include.

A basic SPF record looks like this:

v=spf1 include:samplesmtp.net ~all

Note: The domain “samplesmtp.net” is provided for demonstration only. Do not copy and paste that value into your own record.

 

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Step 4: Publish Your SPF Record

Once you’ve created your SPF record, you need to publish it by updating your DNS settings. To do this, log in to the account where you manage your domain and locate your DNS management panel.

1. Log into your DNS management console
2. Locate the domain you use to send email
3. Add a new TXT record to the domain and enter the SPF details:
   • Host: @
   • Value: Paste or type your SPF record in the Value or Content field. Get these details from your SMTP provider.
   • TTL: Default/Automatic
4. Save the record to publish it

 

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Step 5: Test Your SPF Record

After publishing your SPF record, it’s a good idea to test it to ensure everything is working correctly. Online SPF record testing tools like Free SPF Record Checker can help you verify if your SPF record is correctly set up. (There are lots of options available! Find one or more than you like and test your record.)

Note that you might need to wait a little while before you can fully confirm that the record is set up correctly. The newly published SPF record may take up to 1 hour to propagate before appearing in the results of your checker tool.

This article is for WebinarJam and EverWebinar.

This article is part of a series dedicated to helping you set up DKIM, SPF, and DMARC records to authenticate the custom domain email addresses you use to send emails with WebinarJam Mail.

What is DKIM? DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) is an email authentication method used to confirm that a message was sent by the domain attached as the sender. Think of it as a digital signature that cannot be forged. It is published in the DNS settings for the domain.

Pro Tips

• The interface and terminology for DNS settings will vary depending on what service you use to manage your domain.
• When browsing your domain registrar’s knowledge base, search for help with adding domain records in the CNAME format.