When changing subdomains for email, is it better to change the 5321.from or 5322.from header for deliverability, and how does DKIM alignment affect this?
Summary
What email marketers say12Marketer opinions
Email marketer from Reddit explains that if you have to change a subdomain, prioritize keeping the 5322.From consistent because that is what recipients see and remember. Changing the 5321.MailFrom is less disruptive, especially if DKIM is aligned. Ensure your DKIM signatures are properly configured to authenticate the emails from the new subdomain.
Email marketer from Litmus advises that changing the 5322.From subdomain impacts brand recognition, and can therefore harm deliverability if recipients don't recognize the new subdomain. So you should avoid this if possible. However, it depends on your specific sending infrastructure and authentication setup.
Email marketer from Gmass highlights that DMARC alignment is crucial. If your DKIM aligns with the 5322.From domain, changing the 5321.MailFrom is less problematic. However, if your DKIM is only aligned with the 5321.MailFrom, changing the 5322.From could cause deliverability issues because it will fail DMARC checks.
Email marketer from StackExchange suggests that the 5322.From should remain consistent as it’s directly visible to the recipient and contributes to brand recognition. Changing the 5321.MailFrom has less impact, provided DKIM is properly aligned. Always check and update your DNS records to reflect any subdomain changes.
Marketer from Email Geeks shares if DKIM is aligned and using the customer’s 5322.from domain, it will help a lot in keeping the reputation stable, insulating it from changing the 5321.from. Even if it’s not aligned, as long as it doesn’t _change_ it should help keep the emails from being treated as a 100% new sender.
Email marketer from Mailjet explains that your sender reputation is tied to your sending domain, particularly the 5322.From. Changing this domain, even at the subdomain level, can reset your reputation with mailbox providers. It is often better to change the 5321.from if you must change something. However, DKIM alignment can mitigate the impact of this change.
Email marketer from EmailOnAcid writes that sender reputation is heavily influenced by the 5322.From address. Changing this can impact your sender reputation and thus your email deliverability. They advise ensuring that DKIM is set up correctly, aligning with your sending domain, to mitigate negative effects.
Email marketer from Postmarkapp explains that DMARC alignment is a critical factor in deliverability. If DKIM alignment is set up correctly, changing the 5321.MailFrom should have less impact than changing the 5322.From. Focus on maintaining consistent branding in the 5322.From for better recipient recognition.
Email marketer from Customer.io explains that maintaining consistent email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) is key for good deliverability. Changing the 5322.From without proper authentication can cause issues. It recommends setting up DKIM alignment to minimize negative impacts. If this all looks complicated you should stick to a single verified domain or subdomain.
Email marketer from SendGrid states that when warming up a new subdomain, it's essential to maintain consistent sending practices. Changing the 5322.From too drastically can negatively affect deliverability. SendGrid notes that properly configured DKIM signatures can help maintain deliverability during a subdomain change, so you should consider using DKIM alignment.
Email marketer from SparkPost stresses the importance of email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) for deliverability. If DKIM is aligned, changing the 5321.MailFrom is less risky than changing the 5322.From. SparkPost emphasises that maintaining a consistent sending identity helps mailbox providers trust your emails.
Marketer from Email Geeks shares that the 5322.From is probably in people's address books already, suggesting it shouldn't be changed.
What the experts say3Expert opinions
Expert from Email Geeks explains it's best to avoid changing the 5322.from header if possible, as you lose personal whitelisting.
Expert from Spamresource.com states that DMARC leverages both SPF and DKIM to validate the authenticity of email messages. DKIM provides a cryptographic signature that can verify the email's origin and content integrity, regardless of forwarding. Proper DMARC alignment, where the domain in the 'From' header matches the DKIM signing domain, is essential for passing DMARC checks and improving deliverability. Therefore, changing a subdomain might affect DMARC compliance, depending on your DKIM configuration.
Expert from Word to the Wise explains that consistently using a subdomain for sending marketing emails helps build a positive reputation with ISPs. When changing subdomains, it’s crucial to monitor metrics like complaint rates closely. If the old subdomain has a poor reputation, it's generally better to switch entirely and warm up the new subdomain properly.
What the documentation says3Technical articles
Documentation from RFC 5322 specifies that the 'From:' field contains the identity(ies) of the author(s) of the message, indicating who is responsible for the message. Changing this could impact recipient recognition.
Documentation from DMARC.org highlights the importance of DKIM alignment. Strong alignment, where the domain used to sign the message matches the domain in the From header, improves deliverability. Changing subdomains in either the 5321.MailFrom (envelope sender) or 5322.From header will affect DMARC alignment if DKIM signatures aren't configured correctly.
Documentation from Google Postmaster Tools stresses that consistent authentication practices are crucial for deliverability. Aligning DKIM with your sending domain helps build a positive reputation and improves trust with Gmail's spam filters. If the subdomain in the 5322.From header changes and DKIM isn't aligned, Google might treat emails as potentially suspicious.