Set up a custom "Sent from" email to let your customers know that the referral marketing emails they're receiving are coming from you. This enhances email deliverability, prevents your emails from landing in the spam folder, and boosts your referral email open rate.
By default, referral emails sent on your behalf use our default sender address (for example, postman@candymail.co).
Where to find your Custom Email Domain settings
Depending on how you access ReferralCandy, follow the steps below to reach the Custom Email Domain page used in this guide:
If you use ReferralCandy on Shopify
In your Shopify admin, go to:
Apps → Referral Candy → Account → Custom email domain
Or open:https://admin.shopify.com/apps/referralcandy/account/custom-email-domainIf you use ReferralCandy on other platforms (or log in directly)
In your browser, log in to ReferralCandy and go to:
Campaigns → Settings → Custom Email Domain
Or open:https://my.referralcandy.com/campaigns/setting
Verification methods
There are three email verification and authentication steps available in ReferralCandy:
Step 2: DMARC verification (To confirm if DMARC may already be configured in your DNS for your domain)
Step 3: DKIM authentication (Using ReferralCandy generated keys)
The table below shows what the sender email address would look like for each step when verified and not verified. The text in gray are the default email username and domain.
Verification method | ✅ Verified | ❎ Not verified |
Not configured (Default) | - |
|
Step 1: Sender email |
|
|
Step 2: DMARC |
|
|
Step 3: DKIM (ReferralCandy DKIM) |
|
|
You can send referral emails as long as Step 1 (sender email) is complete, but adding DMARC (Step 2) and DKIM (Step 3) significantly improves deliverability and helps prevent emails being marked as spam.
If you skip Steps 2 or 3, ReferralCandy will still send your emails using the candymail.co sender (or postman@candymail.co if the sender email isn’t verified yet), but you won’t get the full authentication benefits of DMARC and DKIM.
Note: DMARC and DKIM verifications require technical expertise and admin access to your domain's DNS configuration.
Step 1: Verify sender email
To set up a sender email, you must add the sender and reply-to email addresses and complete the verification steps.
Open your Custom Email Domain page using the steps in the section above.
In the Sender (From) Email Address field, enter your sender email address.
Optionally, set a reply-to email address if you want replies to be sent to a different email address. Uncheck Use this as your reply-to email, then enter the email in the Reply-to email address field.
Save the changes.
Click Send verification email.
A verification email is sent to the email address. Go to your mailbox and click the verification link to complete the step.
A confirmation email is sent once the email address is successfully verified, and a green check that says Verified appears on the Custom email domain page.
If you don't see the green check after verification, refresh your page.
Step 2: DMARC Verification
Once your sender email address is verified, you are asked to verify your DMARC settings. DMARC relies on SPF and/or DKIM records for authentication, so make sure your domain already has SPF and/or DKIM set up before you verify DMARC.
Note: The DMARC verification step occurs before DKIM authentication because it is possible that your DNS already has an existing DMARC record added.
In the DMARC Verification section, click Verify DMARC.
ReferralCandy makes a verification check of your domain's public DMARC record. You may also check your domain's DMARC record for confirmation from this site.
A green check that says Verified appears if DMARC verification is successful.
If you don't see the green check after verification, refresh your page.
Important: Google requires a DMARC policy in place to send emails to Gmail personal accounts. DMARC verification is highly recommended if you're using a custom sender email address.
Step 3: DKIM authentication
The DKIM authentication removes the "via candymail.com" tag from your emails and allows you to use your own domain, instead of the default @candymail.co. This improves your reputation with email service providers and boosts email deliverability.
The steps can differ based on your domain hosting platform. Here are some of the most common (non-exhaustive list):
Note: To set up DKIM authentication, you'll need access to your DNS settings and the ability to add CNAME records. You might require assistance from a developer to complete this process.
To configure the DNS settings:
In the Start DKIM authentication section, click Create Keys.
The CNAME values for your DNS configuration are provided. Use the guide from your domain hosting platform to complete the authentication.
Note: DKIM Authentication may take up to 72 hours to validate.
Once the setup is complete, a confirmation email is sent to your email address.
A green check that says Authenticated appears after successful authentication.
Authenticated emails
Once verifications are complete, emails sent by ReferralCandy on your behalf show your store's name and your verified sender email address with your custom domain.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if DKIM was successful?
How do I know if DKIM was successful?
In addition to the confirmation email and green checks, you will also see a banner confirming that the emails are going to be sent via the domain you selected.
What do I do if DKIM is unsuccessful?
What do I do if DKIM is unsuccessful?
Please check with your domain provider to ensure that your DNS settings are properly configured.
Can ReferralCandy configure my DNS for me?
Can ReferralCandy configure my DNS for me?
No. You may need developer assistance to complete the necessary steps. Contact your domain provider for any questions related to setting up DNS on your domain hosting platform.
Why are my CNAME records being rejected by my DNS provider?
Why are my CNAME records being rejected by my DNS provider?
Some DNS providers use a slightly different format for CNAME records than the standard format we provide. If the record is being rejected, check with your DNS provider to confirm the exact format they require. You may need to adjust how the Host/Name or Value/Target fields are entered based on their specifications.
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