# Use Merchant email as the sender's email

<mark style="color:red;">UpPromote</mark> uses the *Amazon email service* to send emails to affiliates. The default sender's email address is <no-reply@secomapp.com>. If an affiliate replies to an email, you won't receive it.

However, you can use your email address as the sender's email and receive any replies from affiliates by going to **Settings > General >** enable **Use your email address as sender's**:

<figure><img src="https://2915776664-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-LnqRFg4of77qA6qOdUp%2Fuploads%2FDNKqSYQokskojc0m1yYe%2Fimage.png?alt=media&#x26;token=d169aec3-ade4-4d3b-b345-ed1c4266a817" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

{% hint style="info" %}
*We currently use the **Amazon email service** for sending emails. If your shop domain uses an SPF (Sender Policy Framework) record, please follow this article to authenticate with the Amazon service:*  [*https://docs.aws.amazon.com/ses/latest/DeveloperGuide/send-email-authentication-spf.html*](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/ses/latest/DeveloperGuide/send-email-authentication-spf.html)
{% endhint %}

### Email deliverability and sender authentication

You can technically use any email address as the sender. However, when emails are sent automatically — rather than manually — inbox providers evaluate them more strictly.

From the recipient’s perspective, automated emails are system-generated. This means email providers look for clear signals that the sender is trustworthy and authorized, especially when the emails are sent repeatedly or at scale.

We strongly recommend using a **branded (custom) email domain**, for example:

* `affiliate@yourbrand.com`
* `partners@yourstore.com`

instead of free email domains such as:

* `@gmail.com`
* `@yahoo.com`
* `@outlook.com`

#### **Why using a branded (custom) email domain is recommended?**

To protect users from spam and email impersonation, major email providers such as [**Google**](https://support.google.com/a/answer/81126?visit_id=639017114983087650-2291942451\&rd=1#zippy=%2Crequirements-for-sending-or-more-messages-per-day%2Crequirements-for-all-senders) **and** [**Yahoo**](https://blog.postmaster.yahooinc.com/post/730172167494483968/more-secure-less-spam) now apply stricter authentication rules to system-generated emails. These rules help inbox providers verify that emails are legitimately sent on behalf of a domain — and they directly affect whether your emails reach affiliates’ inboxes.

Free email domains are only designed for personal, manual communication. When they are used for automated or system emails, providers may apply stricter filtering, which can result in:

* Emails being marked as spam
* Emails being delayed or dropped
* Reduced visibility and control over delivery issues

Branded domains, on the other hand, allow you to **explicitly authorize** systems like UpPromote to send emails on your behalf, which improves reliability and long-term deliverability. This authorization is done through standard email authentication methods — one of the most important being **DMARC**.

### What is DMARC and how it helps

[**DMARC**](https://dmarcian.com/why-dmarc/) **(Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance)** is an email authentication standard used by inbox providers to verify that emails sent from your domain are legitimate.

In simple terms, DMARC helps email providers confirm that:

> "This system is allowed to send emails using this domain.”

DMARC works together with other authentication methods (such as SPF and DKIM) to:

* Prevent email spoofing and impersonation
* Protect your brand identity
* Improve inbox placement for automated emails

Because UpPromote sends emails on your behalf, setting up DMARC helps ensure those emails are trusted by receiving servers.

{% hint style="info" %}
Emails sent to your affiliates through UpPromote are processed by Amazon SES (the email service we are using) on behalf of your email domain. Amazon SES must verify your email domain before sending those emails. In that way, they can be DMARC authenticated, which helps prevent Google or Yahoo from limiting sending rates, blocking messages, or marking messages as spam.&#x20;
{% endhint %}

If your sender email uses a custom domain (for example, `@yourbrand.com`), setting up DMARC is **recommended** to ensure consistent and reliable delivery of automated emails.

This applies to:

* Affiliate notification emails
* Recurring or high-volume emails sent via UpPromote

{% hint style="warning" %}

#### Merchants using free email domains

Free email providers (such as Gmail or Yahoo) manage DMARC internally and do not allow custom configuration.

While you may still use a free email address as the sender, doing so carries **higher delivery risks** and offers limited control. For this reason, using a branded domain is the preferred approach when enabling this feature.
{% endhint %}

### How to authenticate DMARC

To use your branded domain safely and meet email provider requirements, you’ll need to **add our DNS records to your DNS management**.&#x20;

To get our DNS records, please open **UpPromote** > go to **Settings**. Make sure the feature **Use your email address as sender's** is enabled, and then you’ll see a yellow banner on the screen that requires you to authenticate your branded email domain.

<figure><img src="https://2915776664-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-LnqRFg4of77qA6qOdUp%2Fuploads%2F88GCnngu85q39TuBRhmX%2Fimage.png?alt=media&#x26;token=c60ab8e1-77c0-4cf3-83bc-00b156a9dfc9" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

By clicking on the hypertext **Authenticate your email domain**, you'll see a popover that contains the DNS file download.&#x20;

<figure><img src="https://2915776664-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-LnqRFg4of77qA6qOdUp%2Fuploads%2FF56BXzeJyrC9HzSmfsis%2Fimage.png?alt=media&#x26;token=9f5a3317-400d-46bd-908b-4c6696598bb5" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

Each domain service may have a different way to add DNS records. We have a tutorial with Cloudflare and Squarespace that you can take a look at as references.&#x20;

{% embed url="<https://youtu.be/Lobmfxo1Em4?si=Iknc6WnWqpyBMHU1>" %}

Once your email domain is DMARC authenticated, the yellow banner on the **Settings** page will disappear.&#x20;

#### Other requirements for all senders:

1. Make it easy to unsubscribe:

Every email must include a one-click unsubscribe link. No worries! UpPromote is taking care of this for you. To help every user meet this new requirement, UpPromote automatically adds a one-click unsubscribe link to the footer of every email.

2. Keep your spam rates low:

Low spam complaints are a key way to show inbox providers that you are a legitimate sender who follows deliverability best practices. Try to keep your spam rates as low as possible already to avoid the spam folder—now you’ll need to keep them under 0.10%. You can use Google’s [Postmaster Tools](https://gmail.com/postmaster/) to monitor your spam complaint rates.

We recommend taking immediate action to ensure a successful delivery of your bulk emails.&#x20;