How can I improve SPF alignment and email deliverability when using Hubspot?

Key findings

• SPF alignment limitation: For most HubSpot users, SPF alignment with the Header From domain is often not fully achievable by default, leading to DMARC reports showing SPF as not aligned, even if SPF passes. This is a common point of confusion.
• DMARC policy impact: Transitioning your DMARC policy to quarantine or reject will not directly improve your email deliverability or sender reputation. Instead, it instructs receiving mail servers on how to handle unauthenticated mail, helping to prevent spoofing and enforce your domain's identity.
• Shared ip reputation: On a shared IP, your individual sending volume, especially if low (e.g., 1,000 emails/week), has minimal impact on the overall IP reputation. This reputation is collectively determined by all senders utilizing that shared IP address.
• Domain vs. Ip reputation: While IP reputation is a factor, mailbox providers are increasingly focusing on domain reputation for deliverability decisions.

Key considerations

• Prioritize DMARC DKIM alignment: If full SPF alignment is not feasible with HubSpot, ensure your DKIM records are properly configured and aligning for DMARC. DKIM alignment is often more straightforward with ESPs than SPF alignment.
• Focus on desired mail: The most effective way to improve deliverability is to send emails that your recipients want to receive and have explicitly opted in for. This drives positive engagement, which mailbox providers highly value.
• Understand DMARC policy progression: Only advance your DMARC policy (e.g., from p=none to p=quarantine) when you are confident that all your legitimate email streams are correctly authenticated and aligning for DMARC. This prevents legitimate emails from being quarantined.
• Review HubSpot's SPF requirements: Ensure your SPF record correctly includes HubSpot's specific sending domains. Note that HubSpot often uses a subdomain (e.g., 25424386.spf05.hubspotemail.net) for SPF authentication, which differs from your primary domain. More information is available on the HubSpot Community about SPF failures.

Key opinions

• SPF alignment confusion: Many marketers are confused when their SPF authentication passes, but DMARC reports still show SPF misalignment. This highlights a misunderstanding of how DMARC's alignment mechanism works with ESPs like HubSpot.
• Limited control on shared IPs: Marketers express frustration over the inability to significantly impact their IP reputation when on a shared IP, as the collective sending behavior of other users dictates the IP's standing.
• Misconceptions about DMARC policy: Some marketers mistakenly believe that switching their DMARC policy to quarantine or reject will automatically improve their deliverability.
• Desire for simple solutions: There's a strong desire among marketers for straightforward tools or strategies that can warmup or directly boost IP and domain reputation.

Key considerations

• Verify SPF setup with HubSpot: Ensure that the HubSpot SPF include mechanism is correctly implemented in your DNS, as detailed in HubSpot's Marketing Email SPF and DMARC guides.
• Focus on content and audience quality: To improve overall email reputation and deliverability on a shared IP, marketers should prioritize sending highly engaging content to a clean, opted-in list, as positive recipient interactions (opens, clicks, replies) are crucial.
• Understand dedicated Ip requirements: If considering a dedicated IP for better control over reputation, be aware of the typical volume requirements for maintaining its health, although some dedicated IPs can be effective for lower volume, non-bulk sending.
• Monitor DMARC reports for DKIM: Since SPF alignment can be challenging with ESPs like HubSpot, actively monitor DMARC reports to ensure DKIM is consistently aligning, as this is often the primary method of DMARC authentication for shared senders.

Key opinions

• DMARC spf alignment: Experts confirm that SPF authentication passing does not automatically equate to DMARC SPF alignment. The latter requires the envelope From domain to match the header From domain.
• DMARC is for identity: DMARC primarily serves as an identity and authentication mechanism. Its policy (quarantine, reject) instructs how receivers treat unauthenticated mail, but it does not directly improve inbox placement on its own.
• Recipient engagement is key: The most effective way to improve deliverability is to send mail that recipients genuinely want to receive and actively engage with. Attempts to artificially force engagement are counterproductive and can lead to severe penalties from mailbox providers.
• Shared ip limitations: On shared IPs, an individual sender's volume (especially low volume) has little influence on the overall IP reputation, as it's determined by the sum of all users on that IP.

Key considerations

• Focus on DMARC compliance: Given that full SPF alignment might be challenging with HubSpot, ensure your DKIM is properly set up and aligning for DMARC, as this is often the fallback for DMARC passing.
• Adopt ethical sending practices: Prioritize obtaining explicit consent and sending relevant content to your audience. This foundational practice is paramount for long-term deliverability success.
• Strategic DMARC policy deployment: Before moving to quarantine, thoroughly analyze DMARC reports to ensure all legitimate sending sources are authenticated and aligned. This prevents legitimate emails from being inadvertently blocked.
• Understand ESP authentication: Be aware that many ESPs (like HubSpot) use their own sending domains (or subdomains of yours via CNAME) for the Return-Path (or envelope From) address, which can lead to SPF alignment challenges. Skysnag provides instructions on setting up SPF for HubSpot.

Key findings

• Authentication necessity: HubSpot documentation highlights that implementing SPF, DKIM, and DMARC is crucial for improving email deliverability and safeguarding a brand's reputation by preventing email spoofing.
• Specific setup instructions: Detailed step-by-step guides are provided to assist users in setting up the necessary DNS records for SPF and DKIM within their domain settings to authenticate emails sent via HubSpot.
• SPF alignment context: Some documentation implies that SPF alignment can be achieved with custom domains, which can lead to confusion if it's not fully realized in practice for the Header From domain on shared IPs.
• Role of DMARC: Documentation outlines how DMARC works in conjunction with SPF and DKIM to provide reporting and policy enforcement for email authentication, helping to protect domains from fraudulent use.

Key considerations

• Implement all authentication protocols: Adhere strictly to HubSpot’s recommendations for setting up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to ensure maximum deliverability.
• Monitor DMARC reports: Regularly review your DMARC reports for comprehensive insights into authentication and alignment status, which can help in diagnosing and fixing any issues.
• Understand domain preference settings: Recognize that setting your email preference domain in HubSpot is intrinsically linked to establishing your email sending domain and proper authentication protocols. GrowthNatives provides a deep dive into HubSpot email authentication.
• Differentiate authentication vs. alignment: Pay close attention to the distinction between SPF passing authentication (which HubSpot typically ensures) and SPF alignment for DMARC, especially if you are using a shared IP and aiming for a stricter DMARC policy.