Should I use a subdomain or my main domain for marketing emails?

Summary

Email marketing experts and technical documentation overwhelmingly recommend using a subdomain for marketing emails. This practice protects the primary domain's reputation and ensures that transactional emails maintain high deliverability. Mailbox Providers treat marketing and transactional emails differently, and separating them onto distinct domains provides better control over sender reputation, email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), and policy enforcement. A subdomain acts as a buffer, isolating any negative impacts from marketing campaigns and minimizing risks to core business operations. Combining a subdomain with a dedicated IP address further enhances control over sender reputation and improves deliverability.

Key findings

  • Reputation Protection: A subdomain shields the primary domain's reputation from deliverability issues and potential damage caused by marketing emails.
  • Deliverability Isolation: Subdomains prevent marketing email deliverability issues from affecting transactional emails.
  • Enhanced Authentication: Subdomains allow for more granular control over email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) settings and easier configuration.
  • Improved Control: Using a subdomain with a dedicated IP address gives greater control over sender reputation and deliverability.
  • Industry Best Practice: Separating marketing and transactional emails is considered an email marketing best practice.

Key considerations

  • Proper Configuration: Ensure correct SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records are set up for both the primary domain and the subdomain.
  • Reputation Monitoring: Regularly monitor the sender reputation of both the primary domain and the subdomain to identify and address issues.
  • Clear Segmentation: Maintain a clear separation between marketing and transactional email streams to maximize the benefits of using a subdomain.
  • Dedicated IP: Evaluate the costs and benefits of using a dedicated IP address for the subdomain to further enhance deliverability.

What email marketers say
10Marketer opinions

The consensus among email marketing experts is that using a subdomain for marketing emails is a best practice. This approach helps protect the main domain's reputation, ensuring that transactional emails (e.g., password resets, invoices) maintain high deliverability. By isolating marketing emails on a subdomain, potential deliverability issues or reputation damage caused by marketing campaigns are less likely to impact the deliverability of critical transactional emails. Additionally, subdomains provide more granular control over email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) and sender reputation management.

Key opinions

  • Reputation Protection: Using a subdomain shields the main domain's reputation from potential damage caused by marketing campaigns.
  • Deliverability Isolation: Subdomains prevent deliverability issues with marketing emails from affecting the deliverability of transactional emails.
  • Granular Control: Subdomains offer more control over email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) settings.
  • Sender Reputation Management: Using subdomains enables better management of sender reputation specifically for marketing communications.

Key considerations

  • Authentication Setup: Ensure proper SPF, DKIM, and DMARC configuration for the subdomain to maintain deliverability.
  • Reputation Monitoring: Monitor the subdomain's reputation regularly to identify and address any potential issues promptly.
  • Email Segmentation: Clearly separate marketing and transactional emails to ensure they are sent from the appropriate domain (subdomain vs. main domain).
  • Dedicated IP Address: Consider using a dedicated IP address for the subdomain to further isolate its sending reputation and improve deliverability.
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Geeks explains that subdomains maintain mostly separate reputations than the organizational domain, offering some protection to the organizational domain’s reputation affecting deliverability. The domain recipients see will continue to be example.com but the MAIL FROM domain will be foo.example.com.

April 2022 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from ActiveCampaign highlights using a subdomain for marketing emails as a best practice. This helps protect your main domain and sender reputation in case of issues with marketing campaigns.

June 2024 - ActiveCampaign
Marketer view

Email marketer from ZeroBounce recommends using a subdomain for marketing email to have more control over sender reputation and deliverability. Email Authentication is made easier by isolating traffic.

April 2022 - ZeroBounce
Marketer view

Email marketer from Reddit recommends using a subdomain for marketing blasts and promotions. They explain it protects your main domain's reputation for important emails like password resets and invoices. If a marketing campaign gets flagged, it won't impact core business operations.

May 2021 - Reddit
Marketer view

Email marketer from Litmus stresses that email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) is crucial for deliverability. Using a subdomain allows for more granular control over authentication settings and can help isolate any authentication issues to the marketing domain.

July 2023 - Litmus
Marketer view

Email marketer from SendGrid suggests using a dedicated sending domain (subdomain) for marketing emails to maintain a positive sender reputation. A good sender reputation is essential for high deliverability, and separating email types helps manage this.

February 2025 - SendGrid
Marketer view

Email marketer from GMass suggests that a subdomain for marketing emails is essential for protecting your main domain's deliverability and maintaining a positive sender reputation. The subdomain isolates risk.

February 2023 - GMass
Marketer view

Email marketer from HubSpot highlights the importance of sender reputation for email deliverability. They recommend using a subdomain for marketing campaigns to isolate any potential damage to your domain's overall reputation.

November 2021 - HubSpot
Marketer view

Email marketer from Mailchimp recommends using a separate subdomain for marketing emails to safeguard your primary domain's reputation. This practice helps isolate any negative impact from marketing campaigns and maintain the deliverability of important transactional emails.

September 2022 - Mailchimp
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Marketing Forum shares that deliverability issues on marketing emails can damage the entire domain's reputation, including transactional emails. A subdomain provides a buffer, preventing the main domain from being negatively affected.

December 2022 - Email Marketing Forum

What the experts say
3Expert opinions

Experts agree that separating marketing and transactional emails by using a subdomain for marketing purposes is a beneficial strategy. This isolation safeguards the primary domain's reputation, ensuring that deliverability issues stemming from marketing campaigns do not negatively impact crucial transactional communications. Mailbox Providers (MBPs) treat marketing and transactional emails differently, reinforcing the need for this separation.

Key opinions

  • Reputation Isolation: Using a subdomain isolates reputation issues, preventing marketing campaign problems from affecting transactional email deliverability.
  • Deliverability Protection: A subdomain protects the primary domain's deliverability by separating marketing and transactional email streams.
  • MBP Differentiation: Mailbox Providers treat marketing and transactional emails differently, necessitating their separation.

Key considerations

  • Consistent Monitoring: Continuously monitor the reputation of both the primary domain and the subdomain to ensure optimal deliverability.
  • Proper Setup: Ensure correct DNS settings and email authentication protocols (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) are configured for both the primary domain and the subdomain.
  • Email Segmentation: Maintain strict separation between marketing and transactional email streams to leverage the benefits of subdomain usage.
Expert view

Expert from Spam Resource explains that separating marketing emails onto a subdomain helps to protect the reputation of the primary domain which should be reserved for important communications. The practice ensures that deliverability problems associated with marketing efforts do not negatively impact your transactional email stream.

October 2022 - Spam Resource
Expert view

Expert from Word to the Wise, Laura Atkins, explains that using a subdomain for marketing email allows you to isolate reputation issues. If your marketing campaigns have deliverability problems, it won't directly affect your transactional email sent from your primary domain, thus safeguarding important communications.

September 2021 - Word to the Wise
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks confirms that marketing and transactional emails should be separated as Mailbox Providers (MBPs) will treat them differently.

December 2023 - Email Geeks

What the documentation says
5Technical articles

Technical documentation consistently recommends using a subdomain for marketing emails to protect the primary domain's reputation and ensure transactional emails are delivered reliably. Utilizing a subdomain allows for clearer identification of email sources via SPF records, enabling the implementation of stricter DMARC policies for marketing campaigns without impacting transactional email. This separation provides greater control over sender reputation and can be further enhanced by using a dedicated IP address.

Key findings

  • Reputation Protection: Using a subdomain protects the primary domain's reputation from deliverability issues associated with marketing emails.
  • Email Authentication: Separate domains facilitate clearer identification and authentication of email sources through SPF records.
  • Policy Enforcement: A subdomain allows for the implementation of stricter DMARC policies for marketing emails without affecting transactional emails.
  • Enhanced Control: Combining a subdomain with a dedicated IP address provides greater control over sender reputation.

Key considerations

  • SPF Configuration: Properly configure SPF records to authorize only the mail servers used for sending marketing emails from the subdomain.
  • DMARC Policy: Implement a DMARC policy for the subdomain to instruct recipient mail servers on how to handle unauthenticated emails.
  • Dedicated IP: Consider the costs and benefits of using a dedicated IP address for the subdomain to further improve deliverability.
  • Monitoring: Monitor deliverability metrics for both the main domain and subdomain to identify and address any issues promptly.
Technical article

Documentation from Google Workspace Admin Help explains that using a subdomain for marketing emails can help protect your primary domain's reputation. If your marketing emails have deliverability issues, it's less likely to affect your transactional emails sent from your main domain. They recommend setting up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records for your subdomain.

October 2022 - Google Workspace Admin Help
Technical article

Documentation from AWS explains how dedicated IP addresses can improve email deliverability. Coupled with a subdomain, this provides greater control over your sender reputation and allows you to isolate marketing emails from transactional emails.

October 2022 - AWS
Technical article

Documentation from RFC explains how SPF records work. Using a subdomain allows you to create a specific SPF record that authorizes only the mail servers used for marketing emails, limiting the potential impact of compromised credentials or misconfigured systems.

July 2021 - RFC
Technical article

Documentation from DMARC.org explains that DMARC policies allow domain owners to tell recipient mail servers what to do with emails that fail authentication checks. A subdomain lets you implement a stricter DMARC policy for marketing emails without affecting transactional emails.

November 2024 - DMARC.org
Technical article

Documentation from Microsoft details how Sender Policy Framework (SPF) records identify the mail servers and domains that are permitted to send email on behalf of your domain. Keeping marketing and transactional email on different domains allows clearer identification.

February 2025 - Microsoft