You don't own gmail.com, so you can't publish DNS records for it the way you would for your own domain. Instead, we confirm the single address you want to send as: Amazon, who deliver our mail, email that address a link, and once you click it your campaigns can go out from it.
Which addresses work
- Gmail (gmail.com), Outlook (outlook.com, live.com) and Hotmail (hotmail.com) addresses can be used.
- Yahoo, AOL, iCloud and older googlemail.com addresses can't. Those providers tell receiving servers to reject or spam-folder mail sent from their addresses through other services, so your campaigns would bounce or never be seen. You'll see a message saying so when you try to add one.
- When you add an address we check its provider's current policy, so if one of the providers above ever starts rejecting this kind of mail, you'll be told before anything is set up.
Adding the address
During setup, choose Use my email address on the Sending address step. If you signed up with a Gmail, Outlook or Hotmail address, it's filled in for you. There's no DNS step - the confirmation email is sent as soon as your account is set up.
Later, from Settings → Email, click Add FROM address, choose My email address, and type the address along with the From name recipients should see. The confirmation email is sent straight away.
Confirming it
- Open the inbox of the address you added and find the email asking you to confirm it - it's sent by Amazon Web Services, who deliver our mail. Check Spam and Promotions if you can't see it.
- Click the link in it. You'll come back to Settings → Email, where the address now shows as Verified.
- That's it - your campaigns can now be sent as that address, and replies come straight back to it.
Until you click the link, the address can't send anything: its status shows Confirm email, and Manage won't open the campaign editor for it. The link lasts 24 hours. If it has expired or the email never arrived, use Resend link next to the address. Already clicked it but the status hasn't changed? Use Check now.
What to expect from deliverability
Sending as a free address works, but it's the weakest of your three options for reaching the inbox. Gmail, Outlook and Hotmail can't vouch for mail they didn't send, so your campaigns fail the DMARC check that receiving servers run. They're still delivered under these providers' current policies, but inbox filters treat them with more suspicion, and the reputation you build doesn't belong to you.
It's a fine way to get started or to send to a small list. If your list is growing, or you're seeing campaigns land in spam, move to an address on your own domain - it's the most effective fix there is.