Scaling email campaigns effectively requires more than just sending emails – it’s about protecting your primary domain, improving deliverability, and managing large-scale outreach efficiently. Here’s how domain forwarding helps:
- Protect Your Main Domain: Use secondary domains for outreach to shield your primary domain from spam flags or blacklisting.
- Boost Deliverability: Spread email volume across multiple domains and mailboxes to avoid spam filters, configure SPF, DKIM, and DMARC for authentication, and maintain a low spam complaint rate (below 0.3%).
- Streamline Large-Scale Campaigns: Distribute email sending across multiple domains and inboxes to mimic natural behavior and manage replies centrally.
For example, Mike Black scaled his outreach to 20,000 prospects by using 24 domains and 72 inboxes, maintaining high deliverability while sending 1,350 emails daily. Tools like Zapmail automate domain setup, DNS configuration, and email forwarding, making this process faster and more reliable.
Key Setup Tips:
- Limit each domain to 3–5 mailboxes and warm up domains before use.
- Use .com domains for trust and configure SPF, DKIM, and DMARC for authentication.
- Gradually increase sending volume to maintain reputation.
Efficient domain management and proper infrastructure are essential for scaling email campaigns while ensuring strong inbox placement.
How To Forward Your Secondary Domain To Your Primary Domain [2.6]
Why Domain Forwarding Matters for Email Campaigns
Email Campaign Scaling Guide: Domain and Mailbox Requirements by Volume
Protecting Your Primary Domain
Your primary domain is the cornerstone of your business communications. It’s where critical interactions like customer support, billing notifications, and internal messages happen. Mixing cold outreach with these essential communications can put your operations at risk. That’s why using dedicated sending domains is a smart move – it acts like a safety net. If one of your outreach domains gets flagged for spam or blacklisted, your main domain stays untouched. This ensures that important emails, like billing or support messages, continue to reach inboxes without interruption.
"Never send cold outbound from your actual domain." – Za-zu
Here’s the thing: Google expects bulk email senders to keep spam complaints below 0.3%. Even a tiny complaint rate of 0.1% (just one complaint per 1,000 emails) can lead to your emails being blocked or sent straight to junk folders. The solution? Set up additional domains specifically for outreach, like getcompany.com or trycompany.com, and configure a 301 redirect to your main site. This way, when prospects check the sender’s domain, they’ll land on your legitimate website, building trust while keeping your core domain shielded from potential risks.
Improving Email Deliverability
Domain forwarding plays a key role in making sure your emails actually land in inboxes. To maintain a strong inbox placement rate (IPR) – ideally above 95% – you need to avoid reputation damage. If your IPR dips below 90%, it’s a sign of trouble. In fact, about one in six legitimate marketing emails never make it to the primary inbox.
Spreading your email volume across several forwarded domains can help you stay under spam filter thresholds. For example, sending 1,000 emails through 20–25 mailboxes across 4–6 domains means each mailbox sends just 40–50 emails – a pattern that looks more natural to email providers. Plus, forwarding allows you to set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records specifically for outreach without hitting the 10 DNS lookup limit that often comes with complex primary domains. A well-configured DMARC policy can even cut phishing attempts by 77%.
To protect your reputation further:
- Limit each domain to 3–5 mailboxes.
- Stick to .com extensions, as they’re generally more trusted.
- Warm up new domains for 3–4 weeks before launching full campaigns.
By improving deliverability with these techniques, managing high-volume outreach becomes much easier.
Managing Large-Scale Campaigns
When scaling email campaigns, a distributed sending approach is essential.
"Inbox rotation is the answer to your cold email scaling problems." – Jeremy Chatelaine
For campaigns targeting thousands of prospects daily, relying on a single domain or inbox isn’t practical – it raises red flags with email providers. Instead, spread your outreach across multiple domains and mailboxes. For example, if you’re contacting 1,000 prospects a day, using 20–25 mailboxes across 4–6 domains keeps each mailbox under the recommended 50-email daily limit.
| Daily Outreach Volume | Recommended Mailboxes | Recommended Domains |
|---|---|---|
| 1,000 emails | 20–25 | 4–6 |
| 2,000 emails | 40 | 8–10 |
| 5,000 emails | 100 | 20 |
Domain forwarding also simplifies managing replies. You can centralize responses from multiple domains into one primary inbox by setting up email forwarding. Adding a catch-all feature ensures you don’t miss emails sent to incorrectly spelled addresses.
"Procedures that usually took hours (setting DKIM, SPF, etc. records) for multiple domains, now take a few minutes." – Karlo Binda, Founder, Leadsnack.co
When scaling, take it slow. Gradually increase your sending volume to avoid damaging your sender reputation. By following these practices, you can run large-scale campaigns effectively without risking deliverability.
Setting Up DNS Authentication for Forwarded Domains
After setting up your forwarded domains, the next step is to configure DNS authentication. This ensures your emails pass security checks and make it to recipients’ inboxes. The three essential components of email authentication are SPF, DKIM, and DMARC.
"A combination of SPF, DKIM and DMARC is deemed to be the golden trio of email authentication." – Margaret Sikora, Woodpecker
These three systems work together to confirm the legitimacy of your emails. SPF identifies which servers are allowed to send messages on behalf of your domain. DKIM adds a digital signature to verify that the email hasn’t been tampered with. DMARC provides instructions for handling emails that fail these checks. Let’s dive into how to set up these records to secure your forwarded domains.
Configuring SPF Records
SPF (Sender Policy Framework) is a DNS TXT record that defines the mail servers authorized to send emails on behalf of your domain.
Each domain can only have one SPF record. If you’re using multiple services (like Google Workspace along with a forwarding service), you must combine their details into a single record. For example:
v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com include:forwarding-service.com ~all.
Forwarding can complicate SPF because the receiving server sees the forwarder’s IP address instead of the original sender’s. This mismatch can cause SPF checks to fail. To address this, the forwarding service should update the envelope sender to reference the forwarding domain, which helps maintain email deliverability.
Key tips for SPF setup:
- Use the
~alltag: This marks unauthorized emails as suspicious rather than outright rejecting them. - Keep DNS lookups under 10: SPF has a strict limit on the number of DNS lookups allowed.
- Simplify your records: Ensure each record string is under 255 characters.
Keep in mind that SPF and DKIM updates can take 24 to 72 hours to propagate across the internet. Plan your setup timeline accordingly and avoid sending high volumes of emails immediately after making changes.
Adding DKIM Records
DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) attaches a digital signature to your emails, proving they were sent from your domain. Unlike SPF, DKIM signatures typically remain intact even when emails are forwarded, as long as the message content isn’t altered.
To set up DKIM:
- Generate a key pair (keep the private key on your server and publish the public key in DNS).
- Add the public key as a TXT record with a selector (e.g.,
selector1._domainkey.example.com). - Configure your mail server to sign outgoing emails.
It’s crucial to use strong encryption for your keys. A 2048-bit key is recommended, as it’s virtually uncrackable with today’s computing power, while a 512-bit key can be broken in less than a day for as little as $8. By 2024, 96.6% of DKIM records have been validated successfully.
"DKIM is the first and most important thing you need to set up before beginning email sends from any email marketing automation platform. With DKIM properly configured, you put your authentic self forward: proving that only you can send emails using your domain." – Al Iverson, Valimail
DKIM best practices:
- Rotate keys every 6 to 12 months and use unique selectors for better management.
- Avoid altering forwarded messages. Changes to the subject line, body, or MIME boundaries can invalidate the DKIM signature.
For Google Workspace users, DKIM keys must be generated manually in the Admin Console. After adding the DNS record, activate DKIM by clicking "Start Authentication".
Setting Up DMARC Policies
DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance) builds on SPF and DKIM by telling receiving servers how to handle emails that fail authentication.
Start with a "none" policy (p=none) to gather data without impacting email delivery. Over time, you can move to stricter policies like "quarantine" (sending failed emails to spam) or "reject" (blocking them entirely). The percentage tag (pct=10, pct=50, etc.) allows you to gradually enforce these policies.
Steps for rolling out DMARC:
- Begin with
p=none: Collect aggregate reports (RUA) for 2 to 4 weeks to monitor domain usage and detect spoofing. - Move to
p=quarantine: Start with a small percentage (e.g.,pct=10) and increase it over a few weeks. - Use ARC headers: Authenticated Received Chain (ARC) headers help preserve authentication results across forwarding, reducing false positives.
- Secure unused subdomains: Use the
sp=rejecttag to protect subdomains from spoofing.
Gradually implementing DMARC policies ensures your sender reputation remains intact while scaling up your email campaigns.
| DMARC Tag | Purpose | Example Value |
|---|---|---|
| v | Protocol version | DMARC1 |
| p | Policy for the main domain | none, quarantine, reject |
| sp | Policy for subdomains | reject |
| pct | Percentage of mail subject to policy | pct=50 |
| rua | Reporting URI for aggregate reports | mailto:[email protected] |
| adkim | Alignment mode for DKIM | r (relaxed) or s (strict) |
Use relaxed alignment (adkim=r) to allow subdomains or organizational domains to pass even if they don’t exactly match the "From" header. DMARC aggregate reports are generated daily, providing continuous insights into your email authentication status. Tools like dmarcian offer free resources to help you analyze and manage your DMARC records.
sbb-itb-36f7bf9
How to Set Up Domain Forwarding
Once you’ve completed your DNS authentication, the next step is setting up domain forwarding. This allows you to redirect emails from one domain to your preferred inbox. The process varies depending on your domain provider, but here’s a detailed breakdown to help you get started.
Setting Up Forwarding with Common Providers
The exact steps for configuring domain forwarding depend on where your domain is hosted. Below are instructions for some popular providers:
- GoDaddy: If you’re using GoDaddy, you can set up forwarding through either cPanel or Microsoft 365. For cPanel, navigate to the GoDaddy product page, select "Web Hosting", click "Manage", then access "cPanel Admin." In the Email section, choose "Forwarders" and add your desired forwarding address. If you’re using Microsoft 365, an admin needs to enable external forwarding. Log in to the Email & Office Dashboard, go to the Admin menu, select "Email Forwarding", and toggle the domain status to "On" under Forwarding Status.
- Name.com: This provider makes forwarding simple. Log in to your account, go to the Forwarding Tools section, select your domain, and choose either "URL Forwarding" or "Email Forwarding." Enter the destination address and click "Add Record". Note that this works only if your domain is using Name.com’s default nameservers.
- Network Solutions: For users with Roundcube, log in and go to "Standard Email", then "Email Management." Click the vertical ellipsis (⋮) next to the email address you want to forward, select "Settings", add the forwarding address, and confirm by clicking the check mark.
- Zapmail: This process is straightforward. Go to the Domain section, click on your domain, and navigate to "Domain Settings." Enter the forwarding address in the "Forwarding Email" field and save your changes.
| Provider | Access Path | Key Requirement |
|---|---|---|
| GoDaddy (M365) | Email & Office Dashboard → Admin → Email Forwarding | Admin must toggle "Forwarding Status" to On |
| Name.com | Account → Forwarding Tools | Must use Name.com nameservers |
| Network Solutions | Standard Email → Email Management | Access via Roundcube settings |
| Zapmail | Domain section → Domain Settings | Domain must be connected to Zapmail |
| cPanel | Web Hosting Dashboard → Forwarders | Access via GoDaddy product page |
Once you’ve configured forwarding with your provider, you can optimize your setup with a few additional tips.
Domain Forwarding Configuration Tips
Setting up forwarding correctly can save you from unnecessary troubleshooting later. Here are some tips to ensure a smooth process:
- Verify Nameservers: Make sure your nameservers point to your registrar. Remember, DNS changes can take anywhere from a few minutes to 24 hours to propagate.
- Test Before Scaling: After setting up forwarding, wait 24 hours and test email delivery thoroughly before using it for high-volume campaigns.
- Use 301 Redirects: Redirect adjacent domains (similar domain names) to your primary site to maintain brand consistency. This ensures users who manually type an alternative domain reach the correct page instead of encountering an error.
"Infrastructure is a prerequisite for good outbound: you might be able to succeed with mediocre emails and great infrastructure, but you will never succeed with great emails if your infrastructure doesn’t work." – Za-zu Cold Email Handbook
- Stick to .com Domains: Over half of all websites use .com extensions, which are widely trusted and deliver better results. While alternatives like .io or .net might seem appealing, they often have lower trust scores and higher costs.
For estimating how many adjacent domains you’ll need, use this formula: (Desired Daily Volume / 60) x 1.1. The 1.1 multiplier accounts for a 10% buffer in case some domains face deliverability issues. For instance, if you plan to send 6,000 emails daily, you’ll need approximately 110 domains.
When scaling, a safe approach is to set up 3 inboxes per domain and limit each inbox to about 20 cold emails per day. This mimics natural email behavior and avoids triggering spam filters.
Using Custom Nameservers
If you’re managing a large number of domains, custom nameservers can make things much easier. Instead of logging into multiple registrar dashboards, you can centralize DNS management through a provider like Cloudflare.
Key Considerations for Custom Nameservers:
- DNS management is handled where your nameservers point. If you switch to custom nameservers, you need to configure email authentication records (SPF, DKIM, MX) at the new provider’s interface, not at your registrar.
- For advanced setups, such as Google Cloud DNS, ensure firewall rules allow TCP/UDP port 53 traffic from specified source ranges.
The biggest advantage of custom nameservers is centralized control. When managing 50+ domains, updating DNS records individually becomes inefficient. A centralized provider allows for bulk updates, easier monitoring, and streamlined troubleshooting.
Lastly, ensure your envelope sender aligns with SPF checks to maintain proper email deliverability.
Scaling Email Campaigns with Zapmail
Zapmail takes the hassle out of email campaign setup by automating everything – from DNS configuration to deploying mailboxes. This streamlined approach eliminates manual errors and significantly reduces setup time. To date, Zapmail has handled over 330,000 domains and created more than 1 million mailboxes, with the average setup taking just 5 minutes. By incorporating domain forwarding best practices, it simplifies the process of scaling your campaigns.
Automated DNS Configuration
Manually setting up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records across multiple domains can be a tedious and error-prone task. A single typo can wreak havoc on deliverability, with 85% of emails flagged as spam due to incorrect DNS settings, and 19% failing to reach inboxes at all.
Zapmail automates this entire process using API integrations to configure authentication records. It also verifies nameserver propagation and manages DNS records at scale, so you won’t need to manually edit a single TXT record.
"Procedures that usually took hours (setting DKIM, SPF, etc. records) for multiple domains, now take a few minutes." – Karlo Binda, Leadsnack.co
Zapmail doesn’t stop there. Features like one-click masking and bulk forwarding edits make managing multiple domains a breeze. For example, you can redirect emails from various domains to a single primary inbox without compromising security. The "Bulk Edit" feature allows you to update forwarding addresses across dozens of domains in one go, saving time and reducing errors. This automation ensures smooth domain isolation, setting the stage for efficient campaign scaling.
Domain Isolation Across Workspaces
Zapmail employs a strict one domain per workspace rule, ensuring that any issues with one domain – like deliverability problems – don’t spill over to others.
Enoch Chang, Co-Founder of Cymate, shared how his team sends 2 million cold emails monthly across 5,000+ accounts. By using Zapmail to isolate domains and automate DNS setup, they maintained an impressive 95% deliverability rate, even when email providers tightened spam filters.
"Only 1 domain per workspace gives us absolute risk control and this is the best way to segment a large infra." – Mohan Muthoo, Founder, Spring Drive
For agencies managing multiple clients, this workspace structure is invaluable. It ensures that one client’s sending reputation doesn’t interfere with another’s. Each workspace comes with its own admin panel, giving you full transparency and control over the infrastructure. This separation not only minimizes risk but also makes scaling outreach campaigns safer and more efficient.
Using Pre-Warmed Mailboxes
Traditional email setups often require a 30–90 day warm-up period before you can scale safely. Zapmail eliminates this waiting time with its pre-warmed mailboxes. These are Official Business Starter accounts with clean, US-based IPs and domains, ready to send emails from day one.
Mike Black, Founder of Talent Stream, highlighted how Zapmail’s pre-warmed accounts allowed his team to immediately scale from 270 to 1,350 new contacts per day.
These pre-warmed accounts are designed to minimize risk, carrying a "Very Low" ban rate compared to legacy or educational accounts often sold by resellers. Pricing starts at $2.50 per mailbox, with bulk plans offering 30 inboxes for $99 per month. Zapmail also integrates seamlessly with over 50 outreach tools, such as Instantly, Smartlead, and ReachInbox, allowing you to export configured mailboxes directly into your campaigns.
"They also now offer pre-warmed inboxes that give us the ability to jump in and get aged accounts." – Mohan Muthoo, Founder, Spring Drive
Conclusion
Scaling email campaigns effectively comes down to three key components: domain forwarding, DNS authentication, and automation. Using adjacent domains with proper 301 redirects not only protects your main brand but also fosters trust with recipients. Configuring SPF, DKIM, and DMARC correctly can address up to 80% of deliverability issues tied to infrastructure problems.
These tactics do more than just ensure your emails land in inboxes – they also simplify campaign management. For instance, safely sending 6,000 emails daily requires enough domains with workspace-level isolation. Automation plays a crucial role here, significantly reducing setup time and enabling you to scale with ease.
"If you’re still sending from one domain and praying it lands… You’re not running a system. You’re rolling the dice." – Robert Bradley, Founder, Korus GTM
Using pre-warmed mailboxes eliminates the traditional 2–4 week warmup period, allowing you to scale your efforts immediately. Pair that with centralized reply forwarding, and you can manage hundreds of sending domains from a single inbox without losing track of important conversations.
Ultimately, achieving strong inbox placement isn’t just about crafting the perfect email – it’s about proving your sender legitimacy with a rock-solid infrastructure. Master these fundamentals, and you’ll be ready to scale your email outreach with confidence.
FAQs
How can forwarding domains help protect my primary domain’s reputation?
Forwarding domains serve as a protective layer for your main domain, specifically when managing email outreach efforts. By using a separate domain for these activities, you ensure that any potential setbacks – like spam complaints or high bounce rates – affect only the forwarded domain. This approach helps preserve the reputation of your primary domain, shielding it from being blacklisted and ensuring consistent email deliverability.
How can I set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC for forwarded domains effectively?
To set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC for a forwarded domain, you’ll need to ensure all authentication records are properly configured to handle forwarding.
For SPF, make sure to include all servers authorized to send emails on your behalf. Keep DNS lookups within the limit of 10 to avoid breaking SPF validation. Use the forwarding domain as the envelope sender (Return-Path) to maintain control. Start with a neutral policy (~all) to test your setup, and once everything is working smoothly, you can switch to a stricter policy (-all).
With DKIM, use a strong 2048-bit key and publish the public key in your DNS records. Regularly rotate these keys – every 90 days is a good practice – and ensure the signing domain matches the From address for proper alignment. DKIM signatures are particularly resilient during email forwarding, as they usually survive forwarding hops without issues.
Finally, configure DMARC to enforce alignment and monitor authentication results. Begin with a monitoring policy (p=none) to collect reports and identify any issues. Review these aggregate and forensic reports to ensure legitimate emails are passing authentication. Once confident in your setup, move to stricter policies like p=quarantine or p=reject. Tools like Zapmail can make this process easier by automating tasks like key generation, DNS updates, and report management, helping you scale and maintain high deliverability for your emails.
How do I manage replies efficiently when using multiple domains for a large email campaign?
To streamline handling replies across different domains, set up each sending domain to forward incoming emails to a centralized, monitored inbox or a catch-all address. Incorporate the Reply-To header in your email campaigns so all responses are directed to this designated inbox. Additionally, ensure that SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are correctly configured for each domain. These authentication protocols help verify your emails and ensure replies are routed without issues. This method keeps reply management straightforward while supporting reliable email delivery and scalability.
