Should I move promotional email campaigns to a dedicated subdomain?

Summary

The decision to move promotional email campaigns to a dedicated subdomain is a strategic consideration influenced by several factors, primarily revolving around sender reputation management, deliverability, and organizational benefits. A healthy open rate (15-35%) might suggest that deliverability isn't a major issue, but inbox testing is recommended for confirmation. Subdomains offer a way to isolate the impact of promotional emails, safeguarding the main domain's reputation, especially if promotional campaigns have higher bounce or complaint rates. They also enable more precise monitoring of promotional campaign metrics and provide a structured approach for separating marketing activities from core business functions. However, transitioning to a subdomain requires careful planning, including a gradual IP warmup strategy and ensuring sufficient email volume. Correct authentication with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC is crucial, and teams must have the resources and expertise to manage the added complexity.

Key findings

  • Reputation Isolation: Subdomains can isolate the sender reputation of promotional emails, protecting transactional email deliverability.
  • Enhanced Monitoring: They enable precise tracking and management of deliverability metrics for promotional campaigns.
  • Organization: Subdomains offer a structured approach for separating marketing from core business functions.
  • Brand Consistency: A dedicated subdomain allows you to maintain brand consistency while differentiating promotional content.
  • Current Deliverability: Assess current deliverability. Good open rates might indicate separation is unnecessary.

Key considerations

  • IP Warmup: Moving to a new subdomain needs a gradual IP warmup strategy to avoid damaging reputation.
  • Email Volume: Ensure there's sufficient email volume for both the main domain and the subdomain.
  • Authentication: Proper configuration of SPF, DKIM, and DMARC is vital for subdomain authentication.
  • Team Resources: The complexity of managing subdomains requires skilled personnel and resources.
  • Audience Metrics: Compare similar audiences to ensure fair campaign comparisons.

What email marketers say
9Marketer opinions

Moving promotional email campaigns to a dedicated subdomain is a strategic decision centered around managing and protecting sender reputation. It allows for the isolation of promotional email performance, preventing lower engagement rates or higher complaint rates from negatively impacting the deliverability of critical transactional emails. Furthermore, a dedicated subdomain facilitates precise monitoring of deliverability metrics specific to promotional campaigns, enabling targeted optimization and issue resolution. However, transitioning to a new subdomain often requires a careful IP warming strategy to build a positive reputation with ISPs. Additionally, while subdomains maintain brand consistency, it's essential to ensure that the overall email volume is sufficient to support both the primary domain and the subdomain.

Key opinions

  • Reputation Isolation: A dedicated subdomain isolates the sender reputation of promotional emails, preventing negative impacts on transactional emails.
  • Improved Monitoring: Subdomains enable precise monitoring of deliverability metrics specific to promotional campaigns.
  • Brand Consistency: Dedicated subdomains maintain brand consistency and clearly differentiate email communications.
  • Risk Mitigation: Segmenting promotional emails protects overall sender reputation, especially with higher bounce or complaint rates.
  • Optimization: Subdomains provide an opportunity to optimize open rates and overall engagement for promotional emails.

Key considerations

  • IP Warming: Moving to a new subdomain requires a gradual IP warming strategy to build a positive sender reputation.
  • Volume Sufficiency: Ensure sufficient email volume for both the primary domain and the subdomain to maintain deliverability.
  • Setup & Maintenance: Setting up and maintaining a new subdomain can add complexity to your email marketing efforts. Make sure your team has the resources and expertise to handle it.
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email on Acid explains that using a separate subdomain is a strategic move for protecting sender reputation, especially when promotional campaigns may have higher bounce or complaint rates. This keeps the main domain's reputation intact for transactional emails.

November 2021 - Email on Acid
Marketer view

Email marketer from Litmus responds that using a separate subdomain allows for more precise monitoring of deliverability metrics specific to promotional campaigns. This helps identify and address any issues without affecting other email streams.

December 2024 - Litmus
Marketer view

Email marketer from Gmass shares that by using a subdomain, you can better isolate and optimize open rates for promotional emails, potentially improving overall engagement and deliverability over time.

November 2023 - Gmass
Marketer view

Email marketer from Sendinblue answers that implementing a separate subdomain for promotional emails protects your main domain's sender reputation, ensuring critical communications like password resets are delivered reliably.

February 2022 - Sendinblue
Marketer view

Email marketer from StackExchange shares that a dedicated subdomain allows you to maintain brand consistency while clearly differentiating promotional content from other types of communication. This can improve user trust and recognition.

September 2024 - StackExchange
Marketer view

Email marketer from Reddit shares that when moving to a new subdomain, it's essential to warm up the IP address associated with it. This involves gradually increasing the volume of emails sent to build a positive reputation with ISPs.

December 2021 - Reddit
Marketer view

Email marketer from Mailjet explains that using a dedicated subdomain allows you to isolate the reputation of your promotional emails. If your promotional emails have lower engagement rates, they won't negatively impact the deliverability of your transactional emails sent from your main domain.

July 2022 - Mailjet
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Geeks explains that volume counts for something and you don't want to remove the promotional volume if your transactional volume can't stand on its own.

December 2024 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from HubSpot responds that segmenting promotional emails to a subdomain helps avoid hurting your overall sender reputation, especially if those promotional emails are more likely to lead to spam complaints or bounces.

January 2025 - HubSpot

What the experts say
5Expert opinions

The decision to move promotional email campaigns to a dedicated subdomain hinges on several factors, primarily deliverability and sender reputation management. While healthy open rates (15-35%) suggest that emails are reaching the inbox, indicating that deliverability may not be the primary concern, it's important to perform inbox testing to confirm. If promotional practices are impacting deliverability, a well-managed subdomain can isolate the impact, safeguarding the primary domain's reputation for transactional emails. However, if sending volumes are substantial, implementing a new subdomain requires a gradual IP warmup strategy to avoid damaging the sender reputation. Additionally, one should accurately compare campaign metrics to ensure that you are not comparing different audiences.

Key opinions

  • Existing Deliverability: Healthy open rates (15-35%) suggest emails are reaching the inbox, potentially negating the need for immediate subdomain separation.
  • Reputation Protection: A subdomain can protect the primary domain's reputation by isolating the impact of promotional email practices.
  • Audience Comparison: Ensure fair comparisons of campaign metrics by considering acquisition and lifecycle metrics.

Key considerations

  • Inbox Testing: Perform inbox testing with seed lists to confirm emails are reaching the inbox before making significant changes.
  • IP Warmup: For substantial sending volumes, implement a gradual IP warmup strategy when moving to a dedicated subdomain.
  • Campaign Metrics: Separating good and not-so-good engagement metrics can add a small layer of reputational separation, but might negatively affect the struggling campaigns more than it helps the good ones.
Expert view

Expert from Word to the Wise explains that a well-managed subdomain can protect your primary domain’s reputation. If promotional mail practices affect deliverability, the impact will be contained, preventing essential transactional emails from being affected.

May 2021 - Word to the Wise
Expert view

Expert from Word to the Wise shares that If the sending volume for your promotional emails is substantial, moving to a dedicated subdomain requires an IP warmup strategy. A gradual increase prevents sudden volume spikes that may damage reputation.

June 2023 - Word to the Wise
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks explains that a 15-35% open rate suggests mail is going to the inbox and that the promotional mail is being delivered fine, and deliverability is not an issue. The expert also notes that the mail may not be as compelling as other content, resulting in slightly lower open rates, but they are still high enough that it's unlikely to hurt reputation.

April 2021 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks suggests doing some inbox testing with seed lists to confirm mail is currently going to the inbox. They also mention testing deliverability across subdomains, but doesn’t see a strong reason to do so based on the information provided.

May 2021 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks suggests to check acquisition or lifecycle metrics to ensure a fair comparison of campaigns if the audience isn't the same. Also mentions that separating good and not-so-good engagement metrics will add a small layer of reputational separation, but it might hurt the struggling campaigns more than it helps the good ones.

February 2025 - Email Geeks

What the documentation says
5Technical articles

Using subdomains to separate email traffic, such as promotional and transactional emails, provides several organizational and security benefits. This separation enables distinct tracking and management of sender reputation for each type of email. Subdomains also offer a hierarchical structure to clearly separate marketing efforts from core business functions. However, proper configuration is essential: SPF records must be specifically configured for each subdomain to authenticate email sending. Additionally, subdomains allow for more granular control over DMARC policies, enhancing security and protecting against phishing attacks. Consistent and correct authentication using SPF, DKIM, and DMARC on the promotional subdomain is crucial for gaining trust with email providers and ensuring inbox delivery.

Key findings

  • Organized Traffic: Subdomains organize different types of email traffic (marketing vs. transactional).
  • Hierarchical Structure: Subdomains create a hierarchical structure to separate marketing from core business functions.
  • Granular Control: Subdomains allow more granular control over DMARC policies for enhanced security.

Key considerations

  • SPF Configuration: Proper SPF records must be configured for each subdomain to authenticate email sending.
  • DMARC Policy: Subdomains allow for different DMARC policies, however consistent and correct authentication is required to ensure inbox delivery.
Technical article

Documentation from Validity explains that consistent and correct authentication using SPF, DKIM, and DMARC on your promotional subdomain is crucial for ensuring that email providers trust your messages and deliver them to the inbox.

May 2021 - Validity
Technical article

Documentation from Google Workspace Admin Help shares that subdomains can be used to organize different types of email traffic, such as marketing or transactional emails. This helps in tracking and managing the reputation of each type of email separately.

January 2025 - Google Workspace Admin Help
Technical article

Documentation from RFC-Editor (though not specifically about email marketing, but related to domain architecture) explains that subdomains provide a hierarchical structure for organizing different aspects of a website or service. In the context of email, this allows you to clearly separate marketing efforts from core business functions.

May 2022 - RFC-Editor
Technical article

Documentation from DMARC.org details that using a subdomain allows for more granular control over DMARC policies, enabling different policies for different types of email traffic. This enhances security and protects against phishing attacks using your domain.

October 2024 - DMARC.org
Technical article

Documentation from Microsoft explains that when using a subdomain, you'll need to configure SPF records specifically for that subdomain to authenticate your email sending. This ensures that email providers recognize your subdomain as a legitimate sender.

September 2021 - Microsoft