SPF and DKIM are authentication protocols that are a requirement in any modern email marketing effort. Without SPF and DKIM authentication, your emails might be rejected because of the lack one or both authentication protocols.

Note
Both SPF and DKIM protocols are used for DMARC.

SPF allows the owner of a domain to specify which computers are authorized to send email that uses the "From" addresses in that domain. A single IP address, a range of IP addresses, or host names can be used. Define your SPF record as narrowly as possible for the greatest security.

DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) allows for cryptographic signing of a portion of the email. Using DNS, the receiver can verify that the sender is allowed to send mail by using the domain that is specified in the DKIM signature and can verify that the signed portions did not change during transport. It uses both public and private keys. Acoustic Campaign uses 1024-bit encryption for its DKIM keys.

The TXT records for SPF and DKIM reside in the DNS zone file for the sending domain. These records are crucial parts of deliverability, so do not send any emails without them.

Adding a DKIM record

A zone file has many DNS records, and this task shows how to add a single text record.

Note
Improper DNS changes that are made to other DNS records might impact website visibility or email delivery. Contact your IT department or website hosting service if you have any concerns.

1. Open the DNS Manager, select your domain, and click Edit Zone.
2. Scroll down to find your current TXT record. Click Quick Add to add the new DKIM.
3. Add the following text to the record.
   • Enter the new selector spop1024._domainkey.
   • Copy the new record from the Support Portal and paste it into the record.
4. Click Save.
5. After you validate the new record, delete the old record.

More information

Several online tools are available, some of which can be found at the following websites:

• For SPF syntax help, see http://www.openspf.org/SPF_Record_Syntax.
• For other SPF tools, see http://www.openspf.org/Tools.
• For a DKIM verifier tool, see http://mxtoolbox.com/dkim.aspx.
• For more information on DKIM, see http://dkim.org/