New requirements for email in 2024 and how to configure in Systeme.io
ALERT: Email requirement update. Starting from February 1, 2024, if you haven't properly configured your mass email delivery service (email marketing), your messages will go directly to spam. Let me explain how to set it up easily.
If you are sending mass emails (email marketing) using your free email account from Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail or similar, from February 1st 2024 your emails will not reach destination, but go straight to the spam folder. No kidding! It’s high time to get it sorted.
Introduction
The fact that spam is abundant is not new. The fact that people can (and often do) impersonate others through phishing, spoofing, and similar tactics is unfortunately also a reality.
What has been surprising is that two internet giants, Google and Yahoo, have joined forces to put an end to all of this—or at least greatly reduce it.
If you are just an email recipient (a regular individual receiving emails and sending emails manually one by one), you don't have to do anything. You will continue to receive your emails, and your inbox will potentially be somewhat quieter than before.
However, if you are a professional who sends group or mass emails as part of your online work strategy, in affiliate marketing, multi-level marketing, or any kind of entrepreneurship, in order to continue using email marketing in your activities, I'm afraid you'll need to take some additional steps before sending emails from now on. These steps are not many, and it shouldn't take you more than 1-2 hours to set everything up following the instructions I'm going to provide below.
List of requirements
For most users, it's enough to follow this short checklist:
You should send your emails from your own domain (example: www.yourname.com), not from a free email service (like gmail, yahoo, hotmail, etc).
Your domain should also have a publicly visible website.
Every group email you send should include the option to unsubscribe from your email list (this is automatic if you use an email tool like Systeme.io or similar ones).
You must have SPF, DKIM, and DMARC settings configured, to prevent identity impersonation.
You should keep SPAM complaints as low as possible, below 0.3%.
Why using Systeme.io
Systeme.io is a service provider for professionals working on the Internet, which allows you, even with a free account, to have your website with your own domain, send commercial mass emails, sell courses, and much more.
If you don't have an account yet, I invite you to create one for free using my affiliate link https://tisha.tv/systeme (you don't pay anything extra, and it supports my channel). While the free plan has some limitations, upgrading to the paid plans undoubtedly gives you the most inexpensive and comprehensive service on the market, which is also available in Spanish (and six other languages).
Systeme.io enables you to send unlimited emails using Sendgrid, a major and reliable service provider, at no additional cost to you.
Configuring SPF and DKIM in Systeme.io
Systeme.io has a simplified process for setting up SPF and DKIM.
Step 1: Purchase your web domain from your preferred provider (the most famous ones are GoDaddy, Hostinger, BlueHost, DreamHost, Ionios, Hostgator, etc. - there are many!). I would suggest using "yourname.com" or the name of your company or personal brand. Besides .com, you have many other options, from regional ones (like .com.au or .com.uk) to thematic ones (like .tv, .info, .online, etc).
It will cost you around $15 per year, and you don't need to buy additional hosting if you're going to use Systeme. Ask them to include an email address (it's not mandatory to use Google Workspace, but if you plan to use it, you don't need to set up the email from the domain provider).
Step 2: Authenticate your domain in Systeme.io. This requires entering two lines of CNAME code in the DNS settings where you purchased your domain. You can follow the instructions on this Systeme page.
The process itself is not complicated, but if you've never worked with DNS settings before and you're not sure, you can ask for help from where you bought the domain (see step 1).
Step 3: In your Systeme account, go to the email settings section. Add the address you want to use. If your domain is already authenticated (after step 2, you might have to wait up to 48 hours, but it's usually ready in a couple of hours), you'll see the domain on the mail page. Here, there are three additional CNAME records to enter in your web provider's DNS zone to validate that you have the legitimate right to send emails.
This will automatically generate SPF and DKIM for your Systeme.io account.
Configuring DMARC in your Systeme.io account
DMARC is an advanced configuration to prevent third parties from sending emails on your behalf.
You don't set up this record within Systeme.io but within your web domain provider's DNS settings (as we discussed in the previous step 1).
Here are the instructions from Systeme.io on how to create a DMARC record.
You can configure DMARC according to your preferences. Let me explain the options (you can read more in Google's own DMARC instructions).
The simplest configuration is this:
v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:youremail@yourdomain.com
(Modify the email, which I highlighted in yellow, to be your own or even an additional account you've created for this purpose because they can send you emails alerting you to misuse of your account).
v= signifies the DMARC version you are going to use; by default, this value is set as v=DMARC1.
"p" refers to what your policy will be if a server records an email apparently sent fraudulently from your domain.
If you set p=none, it means your emails will be delivered normally (it's the least secure option).
p=quarantine means emails will be marked as spam so that the recipient can filter which ones are legitimate.
p=reject means rejecting messages that do not have the required security measures.
rua is the address where you want them to send reports.
There are more values you can choose, but they are optional.
Once you have entered this line of information in your DNS settings as a TXT type record, you should be all set.
How to check if your SPF, DKIM and DMARC settings are correct
Once you've entered the various CNAME and TXT values in your DNS settings and have waited a few hours for them to propagate, it's a good idea to check if your SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are configured correctly.
There are free services like https://dmarcian.com/ where you can enter your domain name (just yourdomain.com) and click on "check my domain." It will indicate if the parameters are not working.
If you see anything in red, reach out to Systeme's customer support (their email is support-AT-systeme.io) to have them verify your settings. Keep in mind that they may have a high volume of messages as the date of February 1, 2024, approaches or passes.
Activate your Google Postmaster Tools
The final parameter we need to set up is keeping the level of spam complaints to a minimum. If you're sending emails only to people who requested them, and allowing them to unsubscribe (which is a standard parameter in every email footer of Systeme, as with other professional email tools), this shouldn't be a problem.
It's recommended that we all have a Google Postmaster Tools account to verify our numbers and keep it monitored.
Systeme also asks you to grant them access to verify it as well. Here are Systeme's instructions for setting up Google Postmaster Tools.
Final recommendations
After reading all of this, I suggest you prepare a cup of your favorite hot beverage (or a cold one if you're in the southern hemisphere and it's summer right now) and take this on step by step.
Remember that sending emails is extremely valuable for your business, and having your own domain has always been the most professional way to go. Now, it's simply a requirement.
If you want to learn more from me, you can subscribe to my emails at the bottom of this page, or download my 5-step guide to bringing your business online. I regularly host webinars on working online and having multiple sources of income. You can also explore my YouTube channel.
My name is Tisha Klemetz, and I've been working online since 1999 - that's more than 24 years! As a certified translator, I used email as the primary means of communication with my clients, and now as a networker, marketer, and online course instructor for entrepreneurs, I teach them how to use email to build a solid and professional business, with automations to save time and enable activating multiple streams of income.
