Sending Domains

Verifying your own domain lets you send emails from your brand address (like hello@yourcompany.com) instead of the default Pigeon Perch domain. This improves deliverability, builds brand recognition, and gives your recipients confidence that the email is really from you.

Why Domain Verification Matters

Email providers like Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo look at the sending domain when deciding whether to deliver your email to the inbox or the spam folder. When you send from a verified domain with proper DKIM authentication, you're telling those providers: "This email is legitimate, and here's the cryptographic proof."

Beyond deliverability, using your own domain builds trust with your audience. An email from hello@yourcompany.com is more recognizable and professional than one from a generic platform address.

Setup Process

1. Navigate to Settings → Sending Domain in your dashboard.
2. Enter your domain (e.g., yourcompany.com) and click Verify.
3. Pigeon Perch generates three CNAME records. Add these to your DNS provider (Cloudflare, Route 53, GoDaddy, Namecheap, etc.).
4. Return to the settings page and click Check Status. Each record shows a green "Found" badge once detected.
5. Once all three records are verified, your domain is ready. You can send from any address at that domain.

Understanding DKIM Records

The three CNAME records set up DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) for your domain. DKIM adds a digital signature to every email you send. When a recipient's email provider receives your message, it checks the signature against your DNS records to verify the email hasn't been tampered with and genuinely came from your domain.

This is one of the three pillars of email authentication (along with SPF and DMARC). Having DKIM in place significantly reduces the chance of your emails being flagged as spam, and is a requirement for many corporate email systems.

DNS Propagation Timing

After adding the CNAME records to your DNS provider, changes typically take 15 minutes to 1 hour to propagate. In rare cases, propagation can take up to 72 hours depending on your DNS provider and TTL settings.

The Check Status button queries DNS in real time and shows which records have been detected and which are still pending. If a record isn't showing up after a few hours, double-check that you entered the values correctly. Some DNS providers automatically append your domain to the record name, which can cause a mismatch.

Multiple Domains

Each organization can verify one custom sending domain at a time. If you need to change domains, remove the current one and verify the new one. The platform default domain remains available as a fallback at all times.

Impact on Campaign Performance

Organizations that send from a verified custom domain typically see higher open rates and fewer spam complaints. Your domain builds its own sending reputation over time, separate from other Pigeon Perch users. This means good sending practices (low bounce rates, minimal complaints) directly benefit your future deliverability.