Custom domains are uniquely branded and identify with your company and brand. When you use a custom domain in your email campaigns, you can promote brand consistency and trust.

The custom domain:

• aligns the hover links and URLs in the emails with your branding,
• allows individual recipients to better recognize and validate link branding before clicking,
• functions as a "From domain" as it is authenticated with DKIM/SPF for verification in the eyes of ISPs.

Custom domains vs From domains

Example domain configuration setup:

If your company A has the corporate/root domain as companyA.com, your domains can be as follows:

Option 1. You can have the following custom domain:

• • Custom domain - email1.companyA.com, which will also include the following:
    • Bounce domain or envelope sender - bounce. email1.companyA.com
    • Reply domain - reply. email1.companyA.com
    • Open tracking pixel URL - open.email1.companyA.com or links.email1.companyA.com
    • Links - links.email1.companyA.com

    This custom domain can also have multiple IPs. Multiple IPs mean multiple VMTAs because each IP needs its own VMTA.

You can have the following From domains:

• • From domain 1 - email1.companyA.com
    Note: The custom is used as a "From domain".
  • From domain 2 - email.brandAlpha.com, this domain can only be used as a From domain and is not configured fully with A, MX, and SPF records.

Now, if you have multiple brands, say brands Alpha, Beta, and Delta, you must use a different From domain to have separate campaigns for the different brands. In this case, you can create "From domains" for each brand as follows:

From domain 3 - email.brandBeta.com, this domain can only be used as a From domain and is not configured fully with A, MX, and SPF records.

From domain 4 - email.brandDelta.com, this domain can only be used as a From domain and is not configured fully with A, MX, and SPF records.

To set up a custom domain, contact the Acoustic sales team or your account executive.

The provisioning team will configure the custom domain for your organization, along with configurations performed by your IT or domain host provider.

Note: A custom domain for email cannot be the same domain used for a custom landing page domain due to how DNS records work with domain security.
Additionally, we only accept subdomain choices for custom domains, such as email.yourparentdomain.com or info.yourparentdomain.com. In these examples, "yourparentdomain.com" is your company's root or parent domain. Having subdomain choices is considered a best practice for deliverability and recipient verification of branding. You can contact our deliverability team for more insights on best practices.

You may choose to implement the subdomain onto your current sending IP or add a new IP. Ensure to indicate all of the details of your desired configuration, including the pod location and organization name, when requesting a new domain.

Note: IP reputation warming will be needed if you're setting up a new IP or ramping up to much higher volumes on an existing IP.

Based on your subdomain choice, Acoustic provides the appropriate DNS records.

Note: If Acoustic is not hosting the domain DNS records, these DNS records will include SPF, MX, bounce, reply, DKIM records, and more. If Acoustic hosts the DNS records, we will provide our name server records to implement in your domains' DNS records, and Acoustic will implement the SPF, MX, bounce, reply, DKIM records, etc., after the name server records have been applied to your domain's DNS environment.

SSL certificates

Acoustic provides auto-renewing SSL certificates for your subdomain to secure your links in preparation for future browser security changes and to provide an extra layer of security for your emails. SSL certificates require a second set of DNS CNAME records to be implemented with your IT or domain hosting provider once the initial DNS records detailed above have been validated. If your organization has multiple subdomains, we will combine the domains into a single SAN certificate per Campaign Org. After your IT or domain host implements the CNAME records, we will install the SSL certificate, securing the subdomain URLs used in emails using that subdomain VMTA.

Warning: After a custom domain is configured, it cannot be repurposed or updated. Hosting DNS records requires you to work with your IT team or DNS provider to implement the DNS records we provide in the DNS environment of your domain. Acoustic hosting requires you to have your IT team or DNS provider implement the name server records we provide and allow us to host the DNS records of the domain.

Implementation of our provided DNS records and successful validation of your domain ensures your domain(s) are authenticated in the eyes of ISPs.

Provision custom domain

Warning: Do not follow the steps below until your account representative or client success director places the order and a case is raised. Implementing these steps can cause harm to your system. Do not complete until directed by a provisioning specialist. When an order is not required, a provisioning support case can be opened first by the client, then provisioning notifies the customer success director if an order is required.

1. A provisioning case is opened:
   • for you by the Acoustic team from the custom domain order (or)
   • by you if the custom domain is included with a previous active order. In this case, provide the pod number (if your organization is already configured), organization name, custom domain, and IP setup specifications (new IP, re-brand an existing IP, or add/brand an IP existing IP pool).
2. The provisioning team validates the information given before configurations and provides the appropriate DNS records to you.
3. Provide the DNS records to your IT team or domain-hosting provider.
4. Your IT team or domain-hosting provider implements the DNS records for the subdomain.
5. Confirm in the case after the DNS records are implemented.
6. The provisioning team adds the domain to the custom domain settings and from your organization's domain/email response settings.
7. The provisioning team performs an end-to-end validation check on your domain, which includes a request to send us an email from the domain/VMTA within the Campaign organization to validate DNS/authentication.

   Note: A successful validation confirms that you implemented our DNS records correctly. This validation ensures that records in our internal system match what was implemented publicly. If the DNS records are not validated, it typically means the DNS records are not yet published or there is an error, in which case the next steps are provided.

8. Upon DNS/authentication validation, the DNS CNAME records are provided for email URL/link security.
9. Provide the DNS records to your IT team or domain-hosting provider.
10. Your IT team or domain-hosting provider implements the DNS records for the subdomain.
11. Confirm in the case after the DNS records are implemented.
12. The Provisioning team performs an end-to-end validation check of the DNS records, which includes a request to send us an email from the domain/VMTA within the Campaign organization to validate link security and email authentication.

Note: Upon setting up a custom domain for email, if you are also using a new IP (or adding/sending significant new volumes with the new domain), ensure you are performing the appropriate IP reputation warming program for your volumes and use-case to avoid deliverability issues.

Acoustic support and service experts can help you navigate your new organization and utilize your domains. Reach us by opening a support case or contacting your account executive.