This article explains the importance of using a business domain email as opposed to a personal email address (sometimes known as a “freemail” address) as your sender or RSVP email address. As of February 2024, domain authentication is more strictly enforced by Google and Yahoo. To avoid potential deliverability issues, authentication must be set up for your sender email address domain. See this article on DKIM setup for more information.
Occasionally, inbox providers like Google, AOL, and Yahoo change their authentication records for @gmail.com, @yahoo.com, @aol.com, and other related domains. This will negatively affect the delivery rates of anyone who uses those types of email addresses as their sender address or “From” address when sending from an email service provider (ESP). If you are currently using a freemail address as your sender address, you will need to change it to an address with a unique domain that you own.
Use a unique domain for your sender address
If you are currently using an @gmail.com, @yahoo.com, or other personal email address, you will need to change your sender address to an email address with a domain that you have more control over and is a stronger representation of your brand. For example, [email protected] instead of [email protected]. Otherwise, your email deliverability rates will suffer and your beautifully-designed campaign may never make it to the intended inboxes.
If you do not currently own a domain or if you’re not sure what that means, please refer to our Domain names and registrars article.
Fallback domain
If you continue using any freemail address as your sender email, you will be required to use a unique, system-generated fallback address when you send a campaign. The fallback process converts a freemail address such as [email protected] to the.company.yahoo@#.e2ma.net. The # represents an account-specific subdomain to help improve delivery and so we can monitor bouncing. Replies to that fallback address will still go to [email protected].
Information about the fallback process can also be found in the warning that appears on the Review & send page. This warning will not prevent you from sending.
The fallback process is designed to help you avoid the immediate, serious delivery issues that are caused by sending from a freemail address. However, you will need to inform your recipients ahead of time so that they can add this temporary address to their address books.
The fallback process is not a permanent solution. Ultimately, you must update your sender email to a domain that you own and have authenticated.
Unauthenticated private domains
If you are sending from a domain that you own, but you have not yet set up DKIM and DMARC, then you will also see the fallback sender warning on the Review & send page. However, unlike those sending from freemail addresses, you can choose to not use the fallback domain. If you do not want to use the fallback domain, you must uncheck the box in the fallback sender warning. This much be done for each individual campaign that you send until you set up DKIM.
Frequently asked questions
Can I ignore the sender address warning?
No, the fallback is required for anyone who is sending from a freemail address. If you are sending from a domain that you own, but have not authenticated yet, then you may choose not to use the fallback domain. However, you must make that selection each time you send a campaign and we recommend that you set up DKIM and DMARC as soon as possible.
What is DMARC and how does it factor into deliverability rates?
Inbox providers use an authentication technology called DMARC, which combines DKIM and SPF to give more comprehensive protection to a domain. Yahoo, for example, has set one parameter of DMARC to tell all mail servers that if DMARC authentication fails for yahoo.com, the message should be rejected. At this time, any mail server checking for DMARC authentication will refuse any message sent through an ESP using a yahoo.com email address as the sender.
Some major inbox providers now also require that anyone sending through an ESP have DMARC set up on their domain. To prevent potential deliverability trouble as a result of this requirement, we strongly recommend that you set up DMARC and DKIM, at minimum. For more information about DMARC, check out our DMARC and SPF setup article. For more information about authentication requirements, check out our email authentication resources.
How do I help prevent future issues?
Once you change your sender address to a branded domain you manage, you will need to set up a DMARC policy and DKIM-signing in your account. Please check out our email authentication resources for more information.